The 1st Force of Magnetic Writing: Intrigue

If the first sentence is weak, the rest of your writing is already dead.

Can I tell you a secret?

Readers don’t start reading because they are interested.
They become interested because they start reading.

And the only reason they start reading…

Is INTRIGUE.

Intrigue is the force that hooks the mind before logic can interfere.
It raises a question.
It creates tension.
It opens a loop in the brain that screams:
“Don’t stop until this is resolved!”

That’s why the most powerful writing doesn’t begin with greetings, introductions, or context.

It begins with mystery.

A strange statement.
An unexpected claim.
A bold promise.
A knowledge gap.
An assertion that flips a familiar truth on its head.

A whisper that says: “Come closer…”

Because the human brain CANNOT ignore an open loop.

That is why headlines like:

• “I shouldn’t be alive right now, but…”
• “Nobody knew what was happening until it was too late.”
• “I made one mistake that changed everything.”

…pull us in like gravity.

When you start with intrigue, the reader doesn’t “decide” to keep reading…. The paradigm shifts: The reader willingly submits to be compelled to read on.

Intrigue is not about being clever.
It’s about being irresistibly unfinished.

It is the cliffhanger at the start.
The itch that must be scratched.
The question that demands an answer.

Without intrigue, even brilliant writing will be ignored.

With intrigue, even simple writing becomes magnetic.

Because the first sentence is a door.
If it is open, the reader walks in.
If it is locked, the reader walks away forever.

Magnetic Writers don’t beckon to readers.
They design doors that swing open as the reader approaches and close once the reader is in.

Next: Force 2 – Emotion.
Because once the mind is hooked, the heart must be captured.

Stay with me.

• Azuka Onwuka

Apostle of Magnetic Writing

-------------------------------------------------------------

The journey has begun: The 7 Forces of Magnetic Writing - the system behind writing that captivates, persuades, and endures.

Subscribe here to get each article in your inbox, along with special insights I won’t share anywhere else.

Let’s build a world where words aren’t just written… they breathe.