#356.12 Creating an Effective Attention Getter

When writing a paper it is always important to grab the reader's attention. If a writer can't do that then who is going to read their paper? The answer to that is, "no one." It is similar to leading a fish by a hook. You are using a lure to entice your prey (aka: reader). If a writer can't get the reader to continue to read their work then what is the point of writing it in the first place? There isn't a reason. All great writers use an attention getter at the beginning of their works. Stephen King for example used a very simple but compelling one liner to get his readers attention in his novel, "The Mist." He begins his novel with the sentence, "This is what happened" (King). This line makes the reader start to question what has happened. Due to that question in their head, the reader will now continue to read on in order to find out what it is that happened.



All great writers use an attention getter to get their reader to continue. This can be from a simple one liner all the way to a long interesting story that has relevance to the literary work. If you take your time and plan out a great way to lure your reader into a sense of curiosity about your work then you have succeeded in gathering their attention. Grabbing your reader's attention is the first step to a successful literary work. Good luck everyone.

Travis Moyer