Writing Leave the Chapters as Cliffhangers or no?

[CadmarLegend]

Yeah. Cliffhanger chapters or just regular chapters?

 

[Deleted member 53101]

Push your reader to the cliff ..., with fast stream and jagged stone at the bottom, and crocodile!

 

[CadmarLegend]

Push your reader to the cliff ..., with fast stream and jagged stone at the bottom, and crocodile!

.....


Cliffhangers, I guess?

 

[Kuropon]

I made my whole carrier on cliffhangers, look at my Patreon and you shall see the power of cliffs my child.

 

[CadmarLegend]

I made my whole carrier on cliffhangers, look at my Patreon and you shall see the power of cliffs my child.

The pfp tops it all off...

 

[Kuropon]

The pfp tops it all off...

Not even joking, if you have a good combination of cliffs and foreshadowing to keep the readers engaged in the story, you have the golden combo.

 

[lnv]

Yeah. Cliffhanger chapters or just regular chapters?

Personally, I think doing cliff hangers is a bad practice. I understand that cliff hangers will happen from time to time. But forced cliff hangers just cheapens the writing.

 

[Macrendil-Ysmir]

I really dislike (hate is too strong a word) continuous cliffhangers. With some stories it's like the author writes 3 new chapters with an ending & beginning and then chops them in half before gluing chapter 1.2 to 2.1, 2.2 & 3.1, 3.2 & 4.1 etc.

It KILLS continuity in chapters & causes major annoyance to me, so I don't do it in my story(-ies). If an Event takes multiple chapters to resolve, I find an appropriate place to end the chapter.

F.e. a duel. I have ended a chapter right when the MC began his counter-attack, roaring as he swung his sword, but NOT midway through an exchange.

 

[LostLibrarian]

For webnovels cliffhangers are important to keep your reader retention high. It's also possible to get this through good characters or an interesting story in itself, but the easiest way - especially in the beginning - are cliffhangers.

The important thing though: good cliffhangers. So you have to actually build on them in the next chapter. If every chapter ends on a cliffhanger that doesn't matter in the next chapter, you fucked up. And readers will learn that cliffhangers mean nothing and you'll get the opposite effect.

So in short: good cliffhangers > normal chapter > bad cliffhangers.
But depending on the style and genre of your story it might be better to use them sparingly...

 

[Valmond]

Yeah. Cliffhanger chapters or just regular chapters?

This would depend. If it is going to be a series, then it might be a good idea to leave things a bit open ended. For instance, what I did with my trilogy. The first book ends with the lead heading off somewhere, from what is known at this point. One can assume to reclaim the rest of their memories.

This acts as a placeholder, so the second book dives far into the past. Covering what leads to them becoming an enemy. It is pretty much the bulk of the buildup, showing ultimately how they became the Bringer of Demise. Their goals, their desires, what drove them. Revealing how they had gone from someone filled with love for the worlds, to someone filled with hatred and desires. The final book of the trilogy covers what caused them to elevate towards an Iconoclast, ultimately becoming the true enemy. This here also answers why their memories are gone, and after the events of the third book. It fasts forward after the events of the first book, and picks up where it left off. Thus, one final war.

As you can see, in a series. Choosing a point of where to insert a cliffhanger can be a good thing. However, take note. Never use one if there is no need. Part of the craft is balancing how you write. Finishing the part of the story properly is also essential, there is a lot that goes into it. I would recommend it more if there is a solid plan, at least this way the process will be clear and consistent.

Too many cliffhangers can turn away readers, and honestly I have quit tons of shows and books because of someone constantly thinking one is needed. So, be mindful when inserting them. Each chapter should have some form of completion on their own. While at the same time, being clear enough to transition to the next phase of the book. Sometimes cliffhangers at the end of a chapter can do phenomenally well. However, at the same time it can be horrible, and cause repercussions. Try and find the balance between it.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Personally, I think doing cliff hangers is a bad practice. I understand that cliff hangers will happen from time to time. But forced cliff hangers just cheapens the writing.

Plus, it pisses off readers. They may finish the book, but they won't want to read other works by the writer.

 

[Szaku]

in my opinion (reader) you should definitely leave your cliffhangers but make note of the reactions. people only complain about cliffhangers when your story is good. i think its a good indicator of how your story is going to even be able to keep people edging for more.

inversely, however.. if you're putting in frequent cliffhangers and nobody says shit, then yea you might wanna rethink your chapter a bit ?

 

[icey6]

Yeah. Cliffhanger chapters or just regular chapters?

Always. I’ve been leaving my readers on one since november lol

 

[CadmarLegend]

Always. I’ve been leaving my readers on one since november lol

For your very first chap?

 

[ArcadiaBlade]

Make a stairway of cliffs. Unless you have a patreon, you can do this such that everyone would be eager to read. And when they arrive, they would be horrified to know how many cliffhanger chapters you made.

 

[Deleted member 45782]

Put as many cliffhangers as you want. See how many readers can jump cliff over cliff.

Cliffhangers attract. That is what makes a good hook for the next sequel or trilogy. It keeps readers attracted to the story. If there's no mysterious what happens next, some may lose interest to keep reading on the story.

But, eventually if you overdo on using the cliffhangers to much, it may get a tad annoying. No one is like superman and able to jump over cliff after cliff endlessly like a marathon.

?=+ + + ?‍

Agree with @LostLibrarian here.

If its bad cliffhanger, than its a bad cliffhanger. Good cliffhangers make readers turn the page always for more. So need correct balance, not to leave each chapter as a cliffhanger, but make sure you don't have a lot of disconnect with your chapters, find a way to attract and keep your readers attention.

 

[BenJepheneT]

Yeah. Cliffhanger chapters or just regular chapters?

A cliffhanger chapter is always a good chapter, but it's also a risky one, because it's so easy to fuck it up when you're ACTIVELY chasing for a cliffhanger.

There's a big difference between a cliffhanger and simply cutting shit short.

Imagine the usual open world sandbox game. A good cliffhanger is like that scene from the trailer for Zelda's The Breath of the Wild. You remember that scene where Link overlooks the cliff? That is a visual representation of a cliffhanger. The journey stop, but the view of the open world is given right there and then, ripe with open implications and free for players to fantasize about what they could potentially do in this wonderland of an open world, which for readers, mean they can make wild deductions and keep them guessing until the next chapter, whereby you open a new level of engagement for readers to bet whether the story advances as they expect.

A bad cliffhanger is, using the same open world sandbox game analogy, like an unloaded texture, or an invisible wall. The game simply cuts short there, where you can visibly see the cracks on the development floor, like the developers didn't smoothen out the game, or are simply too lazy to design a wall and slapped an impossible ledge right there to call it a day. Readers can't see "invisible walls" or "shitty textures", but they can definitely feel it. When you suddenly cut off from a dialogue, or end said chapter at a random point, chances are that readers will feel cheated on, like the writer only planned up to that point and simply left things as it is until he's caught up again.

If you're confident enough with yourself, do it. If not, hold yourself back. It's fine to end at a conventional conclusion.

 

[MadmanRB]

Personally, I think doing cliff hangers is a bad practice. I understand that cliff hangers will happen from time to time. But forced cliff hangers just cheapens the writing.

It's better for a serialized format then it is for a per chapter story format.
Plus a very good cliffhanger can leave the audience wanting more and seeing where the story goes next.
Yes bad cliffhangers happen, I won't deny it, but that doesn't mean they should be avoided altogether.
As a fan of TV I can name two my favorite cliffhangers that all had great resolutions.
Star Trek the next generations the best of both worlds or Avatar The Last Airbenders The crossroads of Destiny
There are more but those spring to mind right now.

Plus, it pisses off readers. They may finish the book, but they won't want to read other works by the writer.

Well only if the cliffhanger is half assed and or done badly.
A good well executed cliffhanger can do wonders given the right hands.
(hey it worked for some of the later Harry Potter novels)

I really dislike (hate is too strong a word) continuous cliffhangers. With some stories it's like the author writes 3 new chapters with an ending & beginning and then chops them in half before gluing chapter 1.2 to 2.1, 2.2 & 3.1, 3.2 & 4.1 etc.

It KILLS continuity in chapters & causes major annoyance to me, so I don't do it in my story(-ies). If an Event takes multiple chapters to resolve, I find an appropriate place to end the chapter.

F.e. a duel. I have ended a chapter right when the MC began his counter-attack, roaring as he swung his sword, but NOT midway through an exchange.

Well here you are explaining the symptoms of a bad cliffhanger. I.E one that is not thought out or planned out in a good way.
Some writers are just super lazy, so they create false suspense by adding in cliffhangers without seeing how they can effect storytelling.

Me I try to use my cliffhangers wisely and make sure they make sense in my story.
If they don't break continuity and leave my reader wondering where the story goes next.