Q. I’ve heard that having solid chapter endings in my novel is key to making sure readers turn pages. Does that mean I just end every chapter on a dramatic cliffhanger? What if I’m writing in a light-hearted or cozy genre?
A. You heard right! Creating solid chapter endings in your novel is a crucial way to keep readers turning pages. It’s one of those detailed aspects of writing craft that separates an “okay” book from a great one.
Now, will readers finish your book even if your chapter openings and closings are subpar? Sure, some of them will. But not as many.
Readers exist in a world of distraction, with social media platforms, streaming services, and YouTube all fighting for their attention. So put in the effort to keep them connected with your book. After all, you’ve gotten this far with with your story - go the extra mile and make those chapter openings and closings sing.
Just FYI: A chapter ending should not only resolve the main narrative of the chapter (in some way), but also keep the larger story moving toward the ending of your book. You want your reader to feel like the chapter has actually made a concrete step forward, and you also want them to anticipate what is coming next.
Too much resolution and you lose the reader to a sense of security.
Too much open-ended and…you don’t have an actual ending.
You need to find that sweet spot between the two extremes. Remember, this is in part defined by your goals with the story, your audience, and your genre expectations.
Here are some surprisingly relevant and oddly specific tips for chapter endings:
1.) Read books in your genre - and also, some outside of your genre. Books in your genre give you an idea of chapter opening/closing expectations and show you how other authors are writing them effectively. However, you can also get fresh ideas from outside your genre, so give those a look as well.
2.) While ending chapters with dramatic cliffhangers isn’t always important, sometimes it can be the winning ticket. Just use this trick judiciously. If every single chapter is The End of the World of Doom and Darkness, it can be pretty one-note. If EVERYTHING is serious, then nothing is. If you’re making it a gimmick to have hyper-dramatic endings, then own it. Otherwise, have some endings be a little more chill and others be DOOM.
3.) Uncertainty is your friend in chapter endings. You don’t always have to bring dramatic doom, but you do want to always leave things hanging a bit. This can be external in a big way (cue end of the world), or in a small way (oh no, I’m late for school).
You can also play with chapter endings that allow for a bit of character reflection. This is helpful when you’ve just finished a major action chapter and you want to offer some contrast. Have your character start to process the moment, and then tease off so that the reader hops to the next chapter to see the rest of their thought process. This does rely on you, as the author, creating solid, sympathetic reader connection with your POV character so that their internal processing is compelling.
4.) Big reveals can also be a boatload of fun. You can drop a surprise twist or piece of information that makes the reader go “what the hey?” and then have to read onward. Just make sure that you’ve led up to the twist over the course of the chapter (and book) with foreshadowing.
You want readers to be surprised in the way of “I didn’t see THAT coming, but ohhh, it makes sense.”
You don’t want “wait, seriously? That came out of nowhere. This is ridiculous.”
5.) When it comes to that light-hearted and/or cozy book, you can either have a low-key chapter ending (still bringing the uncertainty, but not as intense) or you can end on an intense moment and then resolve it quickly at the beginning of the next chapter. I’ve seen the latter trick in numerous light-hearted/cozy reads, and it works well.
Here are a few ideas for chapter endings that you can grab:
-end with the character having a sudden realization
-end with an ominous (or happy, but unexpected) arrival
-end with a reminder of the countdown to whatever doom - this is great if you want a mostly chill chapter ending but can’t let them be too relaxed
-end with a surprise reveal or twist
-end with the character deciding to make a terrible decision (work that dramatic irony)
-end with disaster - but interesting disaster, not final disaster
-end with your MC getting smacked with a raw fish (worked for Monty Python)
Do you have any additional tips and tricks for chapter endings?
Or do you have a chapter ending that you’ve read (or written) that made you go “WHOA.”
Share in a comment!
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