Maureen Ulrich's Blog - Posts Tagged "cliffhanger"
On Cliffhangers
Okay. I know. It's been nearly four months since the last tip. I fell off the writing advice wagon for a few months, but I am back.
Chapter endings/cliffhangers, if you will.
It's not a good idea to begin many chapters with "When he woke up in the morning, he . . ." Ending chapters with "She decided to go to bed and deal with it the next morning" isn't a great idea either.
It's better to pick up and drop off action in the middle of conflict or conversation. You have the option to pick up the thread immediately in the next chapter, or jump ahead to the following day or a later scene.
You want to keep your readers hooked. You want them to turn the page and read the next chapter. And the next one, and the next one after that.
To me, the greatest compliment is, "I couldn't put it down. I read it all in one night."
Each chapter should begin and end with a hook. If you have a completed manuscript, go back and read the last sentence of each chapter.
Do you have enough of a hook to entice your reader to turn the page?
Chapter endings/cliffhangers, if you will.
It's not a good idea to begin many chapters with "When he woke up in the morning, he . . ." Ending chapters with "She decided to go to bed and deal with it the next morning" isn't a great idea either.
It's better to pick up and drop off action in the middle of conflict or conversation. You have the option to pick up the thread immediately in the next chapter, or jump ahead to the following day or a later scene.
You want to keep your readers hooked. You want them to turn the page and read the next chapter. And the next one, and the next one after that.
To me, the greatest compliment is, "I couldn't put it down. I read it all in one night."
Each chapter should begin and end with a hook. If you have a completed manuscript, go back and read the last sentence of each chapter.
Do you have enough of a hook to entice your reader to turn the page?
