In fiction today novels and short stories are a dime a dozen, and readers know this. They want to know why they should read one story and not another. Publishers want stories that the public will buy, and so it's in your best interests to create such a tale. If you are trying to get a manuscript or short story published, you have to hook the reader early. Because the first, most important reader is a potential publisher it's even more important to hook 'em and keep 'em.

One of the ways to keep your reader turning the pages is to give them memorable characters. You don't need to do this with every one, one or two central characters are fine. You can do this with physical or personality traits. We've all heard of the bad guy with a scar down his cheek, but how many times have you read about a hit man who constantly talks to himself? Perhaps one of your characters has a secret life. Who would expect a drug kingpin to donate large sums of money to a children's hospital? Did anyone suspect Clark Kent was really Superman? A character with a secret always adds suspense and drama, and there is always the possibility for conflict. But the secret must be big; the possibility of shame must exist, thereby forcing them to hide the secret. Illegitimate children, a hidden prison record, perhaps they were a porn star before they became well known in their current life, is there a fetish they're ashamed of? The potential is endless. If there is the possibility of conflict, there is drama. Drama is what sells so many novels and short stories today, because people want to forget about their own lives and the drama in it. So give them something they can sink their teeth into.

Contraries are always surprising when done well. Readers think they know what to expect from characters, so turn their expectations inside out. Who would expect a buttoned-to-the-throat schoolteacher to be addicted to drugs? What about the handsome charmer who is cruel to his wife? While the reader is lulled into a false sense of security, promise them conflict. Give them something to look forward to. This can also be done with unlikely settings. A serial killer in a seminary? Unexpected, isn't it? The trick is to not overuse the contraries and surprises. Pick the character or setting that will have the biggest impact and leave the biggest impression, and stick with it. Too many surprises and the reader will become numbed, eventually deciding that Starsky and Hutch re-runs are a better way to spend their time.

You have twenty-four hours to find the real murderer, or face certain arrest.
Your hero/heroine must somehow escape their bonds before the bomb in the corner explodes.

Time limits are a great way to build tension. A character is in jeopardy, and there IS an escape, but will the character manage to get away in time? The only way to know is to keep reading. Put yourself in the readers place, if you can't stop reading then chances are they'll keep reading too.

"The bridge is collapsing behind us! Run! Run faster!"
"The lava is coming, we've got to get out of here! Leave the books!"

"We have to find her before the police do, she's the only one who knows where the antidote is kept!"

All of these lines are filled with conflict and the only way to know who lives, who beats the time limit is to keep reading.

These suggestions are not an exhaustive list of the many ways to keep your reader hooked, but they are an easy place to start. Grammar and punctuation can be researched, pointed out by others; but only the author can provide conflict, intrigue and drama. So keep your readers interested by promising them something that will keep them glued to your story. Give them something that will hook 'em and keep 'em.