You come to the end of a chapter, but suddenly, questions are popping up all over your mind. Why did she do that? How would he respond? You decide to read just one more page to find out. But one page turns to two, then three, until you reach the end of yet another chapter and find yourself asking even more questions!
That’s the power of a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger is a technique that writers use to leave readers, literally, hanging, to compel them to turn another page or continue reading another chapter. In the case of television series, cliffhangers lure the audience to come back for the next episode.
Two main ways that writers create cliffhangers are:
- having the main character face a potentially life-threatening situation
- revealing something shocking that threatens to change the course of the story.
6 Important Tips for Writing a Cliffhanger
If you want to learn the trick of writing cliffhangers, here are some of our best tips:
1. Stick to a strong character motivation.
One of the most important things to write an excellent cliffhanger is to stick to a convincing character motivation. When your reader is right inside your protagonist’s skin and they understand—no, make that, they actually feel—what’s driving him, chances are, it can propel them along to keep reading.
For example, what if the main character needs to find out who killed his mother, and would stop at nothing to nail the culprit? This kind of drive can compel the readers to keep turning the pages, with bated breath just as though they were right there with him.
2. Learn to cut scenes at the most suspenseful part.
When we write stories, we tend to write in scenes, wanting to wrap them up neatly before we move to the next scene. Clearly, this is a good practice, because we give our readers a sense of completion before we move on to the next.
However, neatly wrapping up a scene at the end of a chapter means that our readers don’t really have any motivation to keep reading! Instead, consider breaking off the scene and moving the last few paragraphs into a new chapter. Stop at a critical spot, and you will have an instant cliffhanger that can propel your reader to turn the next page.
3. Carefully ration out information.
When you share everything with your reader, you risk not being able to stir up any kind of curiosity. Remember, curiosity is one of the strongest forces that will keep someone reading, so use it to your advantage. Learn to withhold information.
One way you can do this is by narrating from the point of view of someone who doesn’t know everything. (Yes, there’s a time and place for the omniscient third-person narrator!) When you do this, you let your reader wonder and ask questions, which encourage them to keep turning the pages.
4. Mix up section lengths in your work through effective section breaks.
Section breaks are great for switching perspectives or changing scenes. You can use section breaks to your advantage in at least two different ways: First, mixing up the length of your sections before you put in a section break also helps you set the pace: shorter sections make for a more fast-paced read that also creates urgency in your readers.
On another note, changing to the POV of another character will also give your reader a bit of a pause on the route he’s taking, which can help build up anticipation and suspense. It’s like baiting a new dog to come nearer to you: you keep giving a little bit at a time to lure him a few steps closer, but you never really give everything until he’s right where you want him to be.
5. Throw in a surprise every so often.
The key to writing a successful cliffhanger is knowing when to throw a curve ball at your readers. But, this shouldn’t be done too often, or it will become a series of surprises that quickly lose their appeal.
Make sure you spread out the unveiling of shocking details, and that you make them juicy enough and well-timed to be worth the shock. For example, having an ex-lover come back into your protagonist’s life will have a different impact when a.) he doesn’t currently have a serious relationship, versus b.) he’s getting married in 48 hours.
6. Use short sentences to convey danger lurking in the background.
Tied closely to the use of short section breaks, using short sentences also has the psychological effect of pre-empting upcoming danger. This feeling will get your readers waiting anxiously for whatever is about to happen.
Writing Effective Cliffhangers
Writing successful cliffhangers can be a rewarding experience, especially when you get beta readers to go through your work and you get positive feedback about how you were able to keep them at the edge of their seats at the end of every chapter!
But it’s not an easy skill to master, so be sure to practice it, and not be afraid to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, if needed, until you’re sure that you end your chapters in a way that will leave your readers panting for more!
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- The Three Components of Narrative Tension and How to Use Them
- How to Build Tension and Keep Your Readers Hooked
- 15 of the Most Shocking Cliffhangers in TV History
- Using the Seven-Point Story Structure To Build Your Narratives
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
