The success or failure of web fiction lies in retaining readers. This skill specializes in three types of hooks:Opening hook, chapter-end hook, paywall node hook。
When to use
- Writing a novel opening / first paragraph / first sentence
- Designing the cliffhanger suspense at the end of each chapter
- The hook before entering V / the paywall
- The user says "my opening doesn't grab people" "readers leave after two chapters"
Workflow
A. Opening hook (most commonly used)
- Confirm the channel (male-oriented/female-oriented) and genre → call
references/channel-guide.md - Choose 2–3 of the seven opening structures and write one version of each (call
references/hook-library.md）：- Suspended crisis / identity contrast / ending inversion / body double taking the blade / golden finger activation / daily life explosion / villain opening
- For each version provide:
- Opening text within 3 sentences(directly usable)
- Hook point analysis(why the reader must keep reading)
- Continuation suggestion(how to continue this hook into the golden three chapters)
B. Chapter-end hook
- Look at the content of this chapter from the user, find the point of "about to be revealed/about to explode"
- Choose the most suitable from the eight chapter-end hooks (suspense/crisis/reversal/face-slap preview/relationship/level-up/information/countdown)
- At the emotional/actionone second beforecut the chapter, provide 2–3 ending sentence plans
- Remind about payoff: which chapter this hook is planned to be fulfilled in
C. Paywall node hook
- Compress the strongest suspense or satisfying point of the whole book/this volume to the page before the paywall
- Provide the ending design of the node chapter
Iron rules of hooks
- Opening: Establish crisis or contrast within 3 sentences; the information gap must make the reader "have to keep reading to resolve it"
- Chapter end: Cut the chapter on the edge of the blade, never finish writing at the peak of emotion
- Must pay off: Buried hooks must be fulfilled within 1–3 chapters, otherwise readers abandon the book
- Big hooks nested with small hooks: Volume-level main suspense with chapter-level small suspense hanging beneath it
Materials
The author material library already includes high-conversion female-oriented opening examples (transmigrated woman fighting noble families, white silk snapping, body double reversed position, blade-taking reversal, online romance villain, etc.), see references/hook-library.md, and you can directly imitate their structures.
Next step
Once the opening is set → use expand to continue writing the main text; for a whole-book hook density check → use review。