Chapters That End in Cliffhangers
While I don't appreciate books that end with cliffhangers, they can be effective for chapter endings. Leaving the reader yearning to find out what's about to happen as a chapter ends creates pageturners. "Just one more chapter" becomes an entire book in the wee hours of the morning. Where did the night go? It slipped away through the pages of a good book.
Some genres lend themselves to this kind of writing better than others. Mysteries, thrillers, or novels with a lot of conflict make it easy to end pages with cliffhangers. But even with other genres, some if not all of the chapters can end at a point where the reader is compelled to keep reading. Most writing manuals say that there are two acceptable ways of ending a chapter. End it at a natural pause or end it with a cliffhanger. I've done both.
Another theory of thought says it's good to combine these two methods. Ending some chapters in cliffhangers and some chapters at a natural pause keeps the reader interested but gives them some breaks where they can put the novel down to do some needed tasks or sleep without becoming overly frustrated. It's not always good to have a reader lose sleep because they can't get your book off their mind. They may choose not to read you again. I have read some authors who create so much tension it's uncomfortable, and I prefer to read a more enjoyable book. Like many issues in writing, it becomes a balancing act, and it's good to have a feel for your fans and readers and what they enjoy best.
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I completely agree with you about cliffhangers at the end of novels. It should never be done. As a reader I feel tricked. I would stop buying books from that author. I also agree that every chapter should not end with a cliffhanger. I don’t want to tempt my readers to neglect their tasks or necessary sleep to finish my novel. However, I find that even without a cliffhanger, the story can be compelling and captivating that readers want to know what will happen next. I think that’s far better writing that cliffhangers that sometimes feel contrived. The only cliffhanger at the end of a novel that I find acceptable is if it’s about a secondary character you plan to write about in your next book.
ReplyDeleteYou make some very good points. Thank you for your input.
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