CliffhangerDictionary.com defines “cliffhanger” as:

— n

1. A melodramatic adventure serial in which each installment ends in suspense in order to interest the reader or viewer in the next installment.

As well as:

— n

 1. A situation of imminent disaster usually occurring at the end of each episode of a serialized film
2. A situation that is dramatic or uncertain

We are all familiar with cliffhangers in TV shows and books; they sometimes excite us or enrage us…or both.

As a writer, there is an allure of ending a novel with a cliffhanger (especially ones that have plans to be a series or continue). However, ending on a cliffhanger is not always a good thing.

Tread carefully with these tips:

Try not to intentionally end your novel with a cliffhanger – Cliffhangers, though they may encourage a reader to continue on to the next novel or chapter, can also be deterrence. Have you ever finished watching a TV series or read a book and been mad about the way things were left off?

If you (the writer) choose to intentionally end the book with a cliffhanger the readers will know and they will (likely) not enjoy it. It often times may feel like the writer is trying too hard to hook us, and ultimately, it doesn’t serve the goal of enticing a reader and keeping the suspense alive.

Bring resolution while also showing there is life beyond – The well-done cliffhangers are the subtle ones. If you end your book, resolve everything, and then suddenly say, “Oh wait, now THIS thing is suddenly happening, but you won’t get to find out anything until the next book,” it’s kind of throwing the book in a reader’s face. Or, if you just don’t resolve anything at all—that’s kind of a major no, no too. The key is to resolve the important stuff, but show that there is life beyond these chapters.

Think about Harry Potter as for example: There are seven novels and each book ends with a resolution to the main situation in that book, however you know there is still this impending “doom”— everyone is still in danger, it’s not gone forever—but the immediate situation is resolved. That is a cliffhanger that a reader can hold on to. They feel the resolution, but also continued suspense. You may choose to argue me on the Harry Potter reference, that’s fine – it’s just an example, but you get the idea, right?

Have the readers come back on their own agenda, don’t try to force them – If you force a cliffhanger at a reader with the intention of it being impossible for them to “not” come back for more, it may have the opposite effect.

There are numerous books or TV shows I’ve watched that have ended on such a blatant cliffhanger that I’ve given up right then and there because I am so frustrated, and now I believe that the writer will continue to put me this situation in over and over, book after book. No thanksNever give readers a reason not to trust you. 

Let the story be the guide– I’ve written about this before in a previous post: Writing Fiction That Is Believable . Let the story and characters lead the next steps, not the writing. If the story is not ready to go in a certain direction, then don’t take it there yet.

Have you ever been deterred by a cliffhanger? When do you think cliffhangers work, and when do they not?

 

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