Debate: Should a story's opening hook come before or after character introduction?

I was reading through some old threads from 2019 and noticed a big shift. Back then, most writing prompts focused on setting up the character first, like 'John wakes up in a cold room.' Now every prompt I see jumps straight into action or mystery, like 'The door slammed shut behind her.' Which approach actually grabs readers better? I'm torn because a good character makes me care, but a strong hook keeps me reading past page one. What's your take on the change?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_young5912d ago

You mentioned "you can always weave character into the action," and I think that's mostly right, but it's not quite that simple. A lot of newer writers try to do both at once and end up with opening lines like "The door slammed behind Kate, a woman who had always been afraid of loud noises." That kind of info dump can pull the reader right out of the moment. I've found that even a short pause to set up who the character is before the action starts can make all the difference. It gives the reader a chance to orient themselves before things get moving.

lee_reed12d ago

...so what about the genre angle? Nobody's mentioned that thrillers and horror can get away with action first way easier than literary or character-driven stuff. Like if you're writing a cozy mystery, dropping a body on page one without knowing who found it just feels hollow. But a fantasy epic? You kinda need to know if the character is a farm boy or a wizard before that door slams. Genre sets the rules more than people admit.

young.nora12d ago

... and I actually think the hook first works better because you can always weave character into the action.