Basic guidelines for devising cliffhangers

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Basic guidelines for devising cliffhangers

One of the best ways to create suspense in a novel is to use a cliffhanger. This is a “mini-ending” in which the main character is stuck in some new, worse predicament at the end of a chapter than during the previous few pages. For example, while being chased, the character may slip over the edge of a cliff and though able to catch hold of the edge, that situation is worse than before; he’ll either fall to his death when his fingers lose their grip or the baddies will stomp on his knuckles and cause him to fall.

When writing a cliffhanger, follow these basic guidelines:
g The predicament must naturally flow from the plot – The cliffhanger never should be contrived. For example, if the main character was being chased across the prairie, there probably isn’t a cliff for him to slip off. He might step into a prairie dog hole, however, and break his ankle.
g Switch to an alternate cast in the next chapter – While not required, you can maximize the suspense by having the next chapter focus on other characters. For example, perhaps the main character has friends looking for him. The chapter following the cliffhanger would focus on these friends and their efforts.
g Avoid making the cliffhanger too easy to solve – Instead, build on the suspense by having the main character risk something to get out of his predicament. Rather than having the baddies be dolts who don’t realize that the main character is hanging on for his life, instead have him deliberately jump to a ledge below, on which he can duck under an overhang and hide until his friends arrive. The baddies will think the main character fell to his death.

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