Disclaimer
This essay is geared towards people who have little experience outlining a story, and is aimed at helping said people to understand how to identify an article's hook and make their own.
If you're new to the SCP community and you're interested in writing an article, you may have heard the term "narrative hook" thrown around by critters and other authors. But what exactly is a narrative hook? To borrow from Wikipedia;
A narrative hook is a literary technique in the opening of a story that "hooks" the reader's attention so that they will keep on reading.
To put it in simpler terms, a narrative hook boils down to "why should I care to read this?" There are many ways to get the attention of your reader, and today we are going to look at SCP-specific ways to do that, but before we do so, I would like to spotlight my favorite hook ever, from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's masterpiece and seminal work, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Take a look:
Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.[1]
Let's break down why this is such an effective hook.
At the very beginning, Marquez establishes that the flow of time will be nonlinear in this story by using the phrase "Many years later", which holds true for the rest of the book, during which time skips to the past, future, and present. Next, Marquez establishes a character, Colonel Aureliano Buendía, as he faces the firing squad set to execute him. What circumstances led him here? Why is he being executed? Is he a rebel? Is he a hardened war criminal?
After that, it is established that as his doom hangs over him like the sword of Damocles, Colonel Buendía is nostalgic for a simpler time, when his father took him to discover ice. It is important to note that this book takes place at some point between the 19th up to the 20th century, when ice was still a novel concept in the tropics and not something someone in Colombia, where this book takes place, would have been able to see without being upper class or being witness to interesting circumstances, as the book goes on to establish. This moment serves to establish what kind of background Colonel Buendía has and allows the reader to speculate before continuing.
So in one sentence, not only does Marquez show his readers that the book will be nonlinear, he also builds intrigue on a character and the circumstances he finds himself in, thus creating a moment in the present where we are unsure about the future, while also reminiscing on the past.
It's a work of genius. If you have not read One Hundred Years of Solitude, please do so. It is not long, and it is one of my favorite books ever, and it's also in a very SCP adjacent genre. I am not sponsored by the Marquez estate, but if they would like to sponsor me… my contact information is on my author page. 😄
Narrative Hooks, SCP, and You!
The SCP format is unique in the sense that there are many avenues of creating an interesting hook. In traditional writing, the hook is usually the first sentence/paragraph/page of a work, as we previously saw with the One Hundred Years of Solitude example.
But with an SCP, you can use the Special Containment Procedures, the Description, an Image, or even special CSS/formatting to tell the reader that this is going to be different. In some cases, even the Object Class can be used as a good hook!
In this essay, I will use the following articles as examples, so feel free to read them before we start.
- SCP-3199 - Humans, Refuted by
bittermixin
- SCP-2000 - Deus Ex Machina by
HammerMaiden
- SCP-8771 - Whale by
syuzhet
- SCP-4514 - The Thing That Kills You by
Captain Kirby
- SCP-4205 - In The Eyes of the Beholder 🖳 by
Woedenaz
So with these out of the way, let's begin, shall we?
The Image Hook
Image Hooks are when an article uses an image to draw in reader attention.
The juiciest of hooks.
The first thing that draws one's attention to itself on an SCP file is the image, should there be one. It requires no literary investment and can be used to inspire a wide array of feelings. Images are probably the most make-or-break aspect of an article outside of actually writing the damn thing. A good one can work as a hook to draw people into your story, illustrate a concept, ease some lifting on the Description, and set the mood. Conversely, a bad one can serve to put people off, complicate your article's Description needlessly, or ruin an article's vibe.
For a great example of this, look no further than SCP-3199. We load into the page and are immediately greeted by a black and white image of a monster that bears a vague resemblance to a mix of a chicken and a human, with the caption: "First clearly recorded instance of SCP-3199, taken during initial recovery."
What makes this an effective image?
Well, for starters, it's creepy. The monster's eyes are front-facing, implying it is a predator, it has a humanoid face and head, but the body of a plucked chicken,1 the film is grainy, and its body is turned away, but the head is actively turning to face the camera. This implies that whoever took this image was caught witnessing something they shouldn't have, and is in immediate danger. This is only accentuated by the industrial-appearing setting the image is set in, paired with the precise lack of detail as caused by the lack of color in the image which makes the imagination wonder.
If you are looking to make your image your hook, you need to place it at the very top so it is the first thing readers are greeted by when they see your article. Also important is picking out how to use an image. What sets the mood best?
Let's say we found an image we like on the internet, oh, let's say this one:
We can technically use it as it is. Nothing wrong with that. But we can definitely take it a step further. You can ask a friend for a favor or learn Photoshop yourself to edit the image a bit, but with some changes, you can really make it pop. If you want to make it more horror oriented, you can, like in SCP-3199, make it black and white, grainy, and maybe even a little blurry all with some easy to use filters.
If you wanted to make it more unsettling, you could make the colors pop a little and add a blur filter!
But then comes the all-too-important caption. What do you put there? Sure, you can just put "SCP-XXXX" but that's boring. You can add some flair, some personality, some je ne sais quoi to your article with a good caption. Let's take a look at the caption from SCP-3199 again: "First clearly recorded instance of SCP-3199, taken during initial recovery."
This implies that the Foundation has been trying to deal with SCP-3199 for some time now, and has probably even lost some MTF units to it in the past seeing as this is the first time an instance was properly recorded. We also learn that this article is going to take place shortly after the anomaly's containment, seeing as it says "taken during initial recovery", so we will get to see the Foundation struggle to contain it.
So what can we add to our caption? Well, why not something like this:
Researchers Anderson and Micheals within the Site-19 morgue inspecting cadavers after SCP-XXXX.
Of course, this is just an example, and someone more talented than I could come up with a better image hook. Personally, I think the best image hook I ever used was in SCP-4726, which I will let you look at on your own.
The Object Class Hook
The Object Class Hook is just as the name implies, when one uses the Object Class as a narrative hook.
Lovely neighbors!
"What's in a name" — the question posited by the immortal Bard himself in Romeo and Juliet, in the form of Object Classes. Before you get to the Special Containment Procedures, and the first thing people tend to read on a page is the Object Class, and the exemplary article for this section, SCP-2000, is unique in the sense that it inspired a new Object Class craze on the wiki. That's right, Thaumiel used to be an esoteric before it was widely adopted into the mainstream!
Back in the older days of the wiki, having a unique Object Class was a lot more of a pull than it is now, especially considering how many of what was formerly considered esoteric has become mainstream. But let's pretend its November 2013 and HammerMaiden just dropped SCP-2000. What is Thaumiel? What does it mean? Why, you have no recourse but to read the article and find out! Or let's pretend its December 2017 and
stormbreath just dropped SCP-3310 with the Object Class Archon. What is Archon? Time to read!
You get the idea.
In modern times, we have an article with the object class "the simpsons farting" and people don't bat an eye. However, something that does work for SCP-5895, the very same article, is the fact that it has a unique image. Object Class Hooks, at least in modern times, are typically best when paired with an image or a line in the Special Containment Procedures that makes it seem even more interesting. For example, let's say we had an Object Class: Apollyon anomaly with a picture of a cute little rabbit. This would certainly spark intrigue in many, though that would probably only work for a comedy article.
Another example of an article the combination of Object Class and Image work well together is SCP-6585, which combines the Archon Object Class and an image of a dog with a sheet of paper reading "Communal Dog". The premise is a little goofy, sure, but it draws in readers and works to establish what kind of article we will be reading.
By the way, please don't take this as me encouraging you to start coming up with Object Classes all willy nilly; they need to have a reason to exist as well as make sense in-universe. If it can be Keter, it's probably Keter.
The Special Containment Procedures Hook
The Special Containment Procedures Hook is when, as the name implies, the narrative hook is located in the Special Containment Procedures, typically functioning as a "wham" line or something unexpected.
Yarr.
Immediately following the Object Class is the Special Containment Procedures. I know a lot of people typically skip reading these for a reason I don't understand. I think that the art of foreshadowing or using interesting Special Containment Procedures is becoming increasingly lost. However, there are a few holdouts still practicing such as syuzhet, with the popular article SCP-8771. Let's break it down.
SCP-8771 is currently inside the human bloodstream.
This, paired with the picture of the article which clearly depicts a whale swimming through a reddish ocean of liquid, and the title "Whale", establishes the idea of small whales swimming through the bloodstream. But it gets better.
The F.S.S. Galatea, an Ousia-class black vessel, has been deployed into the bloodstream to conduct surveillance of the domain's ecosystems, track SCP-8771's movements across the oceans of blood, and engage it in naval combat when it surfaces.
This uses some interesting verbiage; "conduct surveillance of the domain's ecosystems, track SCP-8771's movements across the oceans of blood, and engage it in naval combat when it surfaces" in particular. It paints a portrait of a world bigger than originally expected. It also implies that the Foundation is using a singular ship to attack these blood whales. Also, what the fuck.
Due to the volatile nature of firmamental travel, especially inside domains that encompass bodily fluids, it is not possible to attack SCP-8771 on direct grounds without incurring mass global casualties. To mitigate this, the Galatea has been retrofitted with an imaginary propulsion system and four shafts of meaning (4 × ∞ MW), allowing her to traverse the negative space above the human bloodstream and fire upon SCP-8771 from a safe vantage point. The vessel has also been equipped with long-range bathymetric witnessing systems, a dual-layer masquerade engine, and weapons not of this world.
This is a ton of technobabble, which I typically do not care for, but in this instance, feel helps the world of the blood whale feel more lived in. It also doesn't explain itself, it assumes the reader knows what is going on because of course it would, the world this article takes place in has weapons not of this world. Come on, keep up.
Despite the use of body-safe nuclear ordnance, the ongoing combat operations against SCP-8771 have been linked to an astronomical rise in embolisms across the entire human race. Research is currently being undertaken to mitigate this effect, possibly by separating the human species from its blood entirely.
This posits the interesting and humorous possibility of removing blood from humans entirely in order to contain SCP-8771, which shows us that this Foundation is highly technologically advanced and also a bit unhinged.
The victims of SCP-8771 will be commemorated after its termination mandate has been fulfilled, with plans to build a state-of-the-art tower of guilt in 2015.
Anyway, these are all great hooks because they build up an extraordinary world where not only is the Foundation hunting whales in the human bloodstream, but also has even more advanced technology than they usually do and are thinking way outside the box for solutions to deal with the anomaly they are trying to contain. It's all very interesting, and none of it gets brought up again in the Description.
What does get brought up, however, is even more weirdness and off the wall gonzo stuff. SCP-8771 is truly unique in the sense that it is anything but dull. Maybe not a perfect example since there is no direct payoff for the weirdness, but it is still a great example for the worldbuilding crowd out there.
If you are looking for a less crunchy example of a good Special Containment Procedures Hook, look no further than SCP-4428.2 With just one sentence, it sets up a compelling hook at the start of the con procs; "Dr. Michaels is not in danger." Concerning! The Description of SCP-4428 doesn't offer much information either, and is instead very short, thus allowing us to get right into the logs where we see more of that blue background text and more concerning information is revealed.
The Description Hook
The Description Hook is when, as the name implies, the narrative hook is located in the Description. This means it is either typically very short or introduced early on.
Going up?
Descriptions are a contentious bunch. They are either the longest part of the article — or in some cases — nonexistent!3 In most cases, this is where the meat and potatoes of the article goes. Obviously here you would need to describe your anomaly, what it does, and maybe even cover a little of how it was discovered. Let's take a look at how SCP-4154 handles its description.
SCP-4514 refers to a standard switch knife. SCP-4514's anomalous properties are known to manifest should it:
- Injure an individual such that they lose 40% of their blood
- Injure an individual to cause significant damage to the brain
- Injure an individual to cause significant damage to the heart
- Injure an individual such that they are incapable of respiration
Investigation is underway to discover additional ways to trigger SCP-4514's anomalous properties.
Should an individual be injured by SCP-4514 in such a way that activates its anomalous properties, that individual will die.
If you are at all familiar with knives, you would know that this is all par for the course when it comes to the things. Cut someone enough, stab someone enough, bleed someone enough, hurt someone the right way, and they die. So why is the Foundation bothering to contain this thing? Well, as the article goes on to elaborate in its ending about a little over one hundred words later, this particular piece is set in the End of Death canon, where death is no longer a thing.
SCP-4514's hook works because it tells us that this is a basic, regular knife that does basic, regular knife things and plays with our expectations based on our knowledge of the Foundation universe. It keeps itself short and goes into some testing, showing us some people dying due to the anomaly before ultimately leading to its final twist, the deathless world of EoD. All in under 700 words!
If you feel like your article doesn't get interesting until the Addenda, you need to reconsider your hook. Asking readers to stay engaged until then is a big ask, especially if your Description is long. However, even if it is true that your article doesn't pop off until the Addenda, you still need to make your Description interesting. For a bonus round, let's take a look at HarryBlank's SCP-8382.
SCP-8382 is a long article. It's over 80k words, has a lot of named, talking characters, and a lot of logs. The Description roughly takes up less than 400 words, and in it, the author establishes a character, Dr. Lillihammer, as well as the fact that something interesting is going to happen further down the line, thus giving one a reason to keep reading. Obviously this is the final log of a very long piece, so the article keeps one interested with smaller mini-hooks of character moments and interactions as well as references to other site lore.
Something worth noting is that Dr. Lillihammer is a long-established character on the site, so seeing her name would be a good hook enough for most, but if you are writing a new character, you would need to take some time to establish them in your article. I'm not saying a staff file is a good idea, because in most cases, it comes off as cheap exposition unless cleverly executed, but you can certainly work your character chops into the Addenda or Description.
The Format Hook
Format Hooks are when the author changes the format of their article, be it by having the article be completely different than how a regular SCP is supposed to look or by adding stylistic elements to the page, or even having it be interactive in a sense.
Reaching new places!
The second thing people tend to notice about a page is its format and whether or not it conforms to the standard. Though I know we have been going in order here for the most part, I feel that this is too advanced for most newcomers to fully grasp so I have decided to cover it last.
Format screws and CSS, HTML, Javascript, etc. can be used to make an article visually stunning or even have interactive components, but this particular approach can be a double-edged sword. If your article isn't as interesting as the bells and whistles would lead one to believe, it can easily wind up being downvoted off the site. This has been the case for many who come onto the wiki with knowledge of CSS but no storytelling ability and try to rely on style over substance. On the other side of things, a bad Format Hook can leave readers with a bad first impression of an article and turn them off before they even get to the good stuff.
SCP-4205, however, is not like that. SCP-4205 elegantly shows off the author's visual and storytelling chops with a smart story of identity, paranoia, and repression. I would talk more about it, but it's one of those things that you just need to see to understand.
Something new authors need to understand about using this kind of thing in their article is whether or not the article truly needs the bells and whistles. In most cases, the answer is no. But in select few, the experience would not come together without it. SCP-2212, the infamous ARG puzzle SCP that, a decade later, is not complete, would not be the same had the author not used HTML for it. However, let SCP-2212 be a lesson in not biting off more than you can chew, since what is left of the article is not very satisfying and is still without conclusion.
SCP-3939 is the wiki's first true CYOA-type article with listpages4 and has multiple options per page, allowing one to have multiple endings and unique stories. It would not be the same if they were all on tabs, like a few other CYOA articles before it.
SCP-2521 stands out among other SCP articles for being the only one to tell its story with no words, just images. Naturally, any attempts to replicate this in modern day would be called derivative and likely fail.
So all in all, just consider what you are doing. Is your format screw or CSS really that necessary?
Identifying Bad Hooks
Not all hooks are created equal. Let's take a look at one bad example of a hook for each of the types we have seen today.
Get em outta heaaaaaa!
The Bad Image Hook
Like I said up top, sometimes a bad image makes or breaks an article. A lot of articles, especially ones that are things that do a thing, have a simple image of the aforementioned thing at rest. Though this isn't exactly the worst thing in the world, having the object in motion or in context would be much more interesting of a hook. Obviously for this one would have to learn photo editing skills or befriend someone who possesses said skills, but is growing one's skillset or making friends really such a bad thing? Another problem of bad Image Hooks is having a weak caption. If the image is, for example, something like this:
SCP-XXXX.
Then its a little more okay to not have a creative caption because an image does indeed speak a thousand words. But if your image is, say, this:
SCP-XXXX.
… then, yeah, you're probably going to need to contextualize. A good way to do so would be to make an interesting and captivating caption, for example:
Researcher Filbuson after meeting SCP-XXXX.
This builds intrigue. What happened to make Researcher Filbuson like this? Why are they a rock? Is SCP-XXXX the rock? So on, so forth.
The Bad Object Class Hook
As established further up, you can do a lot with Object Classes nowadays. Even the simpsons farting, yes. However, the biggest issue one can face when using an Object Class as a hook is failure to understand the system.
Let's say you create a brand new Object Class. We'll call it "Glorpnar". You use this to write an article about what is essentially a Safe-class object with nothing to differentiate it from what would be a Safe-class anomaly in the Foundation. What was the point of that? Though, yes, it is possible to create new Object Classes5 they need to make sense and not be retreads of existing ones. There are narrative exceptions, such as when I used Malchut in SCP-5148 to replace Keter, but that was because Keter was literally unusable or else it would affect the file.
Basically, even when used as a hook, esoteric object classes still need to be justified narratively.
The Bad Special Containment Procedure Hook
This one is easy, and I implore you, please don't do this.6
SCP-XXXX is to be contained in a 5x5x5 meter containment chamber.
Come on. This tells us nothing, establishes nothing, and is about as creative as a bowl of oranges. Though it is technically possible to squeeze blood from this particular stone, it is not an exercise I would appreciate engaging in personally. The only possible way to do this worse is to have the containment chamber be two-dimensional, which, now that I think about it, might make for an interesting hook for a two-dimensional Foundation, but I digress.
The Bad Description Hook
This is also an easy one. Here is an example:
SCP-XXXX is an XK-class event that will end the world.
Again, this tells us nothing where you really should be telling. I know I normally say show, don't tell, but the Description is the only place where that doesn't apply. If you need further proof that this isn't a good Description hook, feel free to look at any of the doomsday2018 articles and see how many of them boil down their scenario to something as simple as that.
The TL;DR of these last two is to be creative! Flex your creative muscle! Show us what you can do, don't be shy!
The Bad Format Hook
This one is equal parts complicated and simple.
Let's start simple. A lot of the time, newcomers aren't used to the SCP format and they will jumble it up or try to add things to it that don't make sense, like an in-universe name for the anomaly or a list of powers outside the Description, etc. These are marks of newcomers, and these misuses of the format typically get downvoted off the site pretty quickly. There is a time and a place to break the format, but your first article probably shouldn't be either. As the old adage goes, "you need to know the rules before you can break them."
Over on the other side of things, there is the CSS, HTML, Javascript, etc. Like I said before, there are a few people who come onto the site wanting to write an SCP but have little to no storytelling experience and end up going for style over substance, thus creating an unsatisfying story that is surrounded by bells and whistles. This may earn a few upvotes out of novelty alone, but once the novelty has worn, it is hard to justify. It is important to exercise discretion when considering adding any of these elements to your page, ask yourself; does this article really need this?
The Format Hook is the most complicated to execute, so I recommend not messing with this one until you're a little more experienced, be it with the format itself, Wikidot styling, or storytelling.
And that's all I wrote.
But, not all that I wrote. Hey everybody, Queerious here, and I want to take a moment to go through the ideas introduced by Nico, and talk about how you can figure out how you want to create a hook yourself! Welcome to:
Bonus Round: Crafting the Perfect Bait
A hook is called a hook since it catches the reader. It's a lot like fishing, and it can help to think about that when you are trying to figure out how to create your own hooks. When I am thinking of a hook, I try to keep three things in mind:
- Who are you baiting?
- What is the core of your piece?
- How can your hook make a piece stronger?
To start, let's break each of those down.
1. Who are you baiting?
When you are creating a hook, just like you would build a lure for fishing, you need to create the right kind of bait, the specific hook that will draw in the kinds of readers you are looking for. Is your story dense, technical and high-concept? Your hook should draw in readers who devour that. Is your piece a major departure from the format? Then your hook should bring in readers who are looking for something different.
Yes, a hook should generally be interesting to all readers, however, you will create a more effective hook by building one that is tailored to the kinds of readers you think would enjoy your concept.
Say you are writing a comedy SCP, about an exploding microwave. Your hook could be technical, leaning into the scientific aspects of it, say:
SCP-XXXX must never be provided with a charge exceeding 3.5A. In the event that SCP-XXXX is given an electrical current exceeding 3.5A, it is suggested that Site Staff duck and cover.
While yes, this has an aspect of comedy, the kinds of readers who would like the technical aspects may not be the kinds of readers who like an exploding microwave.
Compare this to a hook written to draw in people who like absurd comedy. Maybe:
SCP-XXXX is not allowed to explode.
It's dumb, it's short, and it really encapsulates the vibe — yeah, no shit Queerious, it shouldn't be allowed to! That's what makes it work. You will draw in the reader who sees that and goes 'lmao, agreed' — that's how you craft a hook to the right audience. This leads right into the next topic:
2. What is the core of your piece?
When you are crafting a hook, it should be built around the core themes or ideas of your story. As I mentioned above, if the piece is comedic, the hook should be as well. More than that, though, it's not just genre.
If, at the heart, the story is about the Lead Researcher, the hook should involve them. If the story is about the anomaly, that is where it should focus. If the story is about the Foundation trying to maintain normalcy, that is where the hook should focus. As an example, say we are writing a story about a meteor impact that will end the world. Your hook would change, based on the core/focus of your story. For example:
Core: The Lead Researcher
Dr. Gunderson must be allowed to observe SCP-XXXX at the time of impact, regardless of risk or cost.
This takes the anomaly, and pushes the character to the forefront. From the beginning, you are telling the reader that Dr. Gunderson is the key, not the anomaly.
Core: The Anomaly
SCP-XXXX will impact the earth. SCP-XXXX will destroy humanity. SCP-XXXX cannot be stopped.
This makes the anomaly the center. You make it clear that, regardless of perspective or documentation, SCP-XXXX cannot be changed. You make it the focus from the start.
Core: The Foundation
Foundation teams are to ensure that as many human lives are saved as possible before SCP-XXXX impacts. Financial and practical constraints are not relevant at this time, as the Foundation will not exist beyond the impact of SCP-XXXX.
This takes the Foundation, and how they are reacting, and makes it the core of the story. It says, yes, the anomaly exists, but what the Foundation is trying to do is key.
If you can find the core of your story, you can craft a hook designed around making it stronger. This ties in with the final way to refine your hook:
3. How can your hook make a piece stronger?
Obviously, a good hook will help a piece — that's not under debate. What I mean here is how can you use your hook as set-up, so that your piece can have a stronger moment later on? The easiest way to think about this is in creating a hook that misleads the reader.
Say that we have an anomaly that only attacks children, when they are alone. You could, in your hook, make that clear from the beginning.
SCP-XXXX is a predatory anomaly, targeting individuals below the age of 8, in circumstances when they are alone.
The hook, in that case, is the horror of the anomaly only hunting children. But — what if instead, we have the hook say something to confuse the reader, so when they realize what it means later, the shock and horror will be stronger.
SCP-XXXX is an antagonistic force, disproportionately targeting families with less than 2 children.
This is describing the exact same anomaly, but the second implies it. It doesn't say it only hunts children who are alone, it says that it targets families with less than 2 kids. The implication is that it hunts children who are alone, but it doesn't say that. You get to take that moment of fear, and delay it until later, when you have built up greater sympathy towards a character. By burying the lead with your hook, you create a chance to make a moment later in the piece stronger, to hit home further, to be the 'aha!' moment, where, in retrospect, you completely understand what it means.
You can make a hook that draws the reader in by meaning one thing, and by the time they reach the end of the story, it means something else entirely.
So, how do you craft a good hook? The answer is, you think about it. A lot. You think about who you want to hook, how you want them to feel, and what you want the hook to do for your story. You make the hook fit the exact feeling of your story, rather than crafting it the other way around, and you will often find readers stick around and enjoy it.
Thanks for letting me ramble here, Nico, and hopefully this helps others write more effective hooks!
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