Hooks

Looking around the writing advice givers landscape there's a lot of people saying you've hot to have a hook and here's the four best hooks or five best ways to hook your reader or six best ways to hook your reader and keep them wanting more.

A bit much. It sounds like we're just penning pop hits for AM radio.

If you want to engage a reader, write a story you want to read. Don't make it heavy with excess, beside-the-point, boring and gee-aren't-I-clever material. Don't write it in and edit it out when you revise. 

For example, your oh so cute and crafty fifty page introduction and character back-story, probably isn't. 

So, you do need drama, conflict, paths, tragedy, and all the rest that makes a story compelling, but it should play out in scenes and plot points and set pieces that carry the story and carry the weight they need to carry. Focus on writing great plot points that lead to great scenes that lead to great set pieces, and you will have done some good writing.