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- A Graceful Cliffhanger. The cliffhanger is probably the most famous type of chapter ending, but I want to give you a variation on it. Let’s look at this example from Ann Patchett
- Ask a Question. This technique is very simple. Ask a question to end your chapter. What a perfect way to drive the reader to continue! Who doesn’t want to know the answer to a question?
- Create an Arrival. It’s paradoxical, but your endings should be beginnings. In other words, don’t divide your chapters so that the end of the chapter concludes something and something begins in the next chapter.
- Write a Description. Ouch, you say. John, are you serious about ending a chapter with description? That seems so … lackluster. Or you might be thinking it’s boring.
- How Should I End A Chapter?
- Try These 17 Tips
- Check Your Manuscript Like This
The very question is an answer to that—because you’re going to keep reading to find out, right? And that is the exact point of a chapter’s end: to get you to be unable to resist turning the page to start the nextchapter. We’ve talked about chapter lengthhere on Career Authors, and I insist that any careful reader—like you all are—has an instinct ab...
1. Ask a question
You wouldn’t write it so obviously, but: Where have I seen that guy before? Who’s at the door? Why is the phone ringing? Is Sally is the murderer? And of course, you’re not going to begin to answer that until the next chapter.
2. Present a door
Not necessarily a real door–although that would work—will they walk through? But also a metaphorical door: a possibility, or idea, a change or an opportunity.
3. Present an obstacle
Uh-oh. The “door” is locked. There’s a blackout. There’s a flat tire. There’s a shadow of a scary person. You’re fired, or hurt or turned away.
Pretend you didn’t write it. Now, flip to the end of any chapter, any one in the book. Read the last line. Even totally out of context, would you turn the page? If not, try a tweak or two. What ideas do you have to end a chapter? Let’s talk on our Facebook page. Now, get writing. And PS. You’ve given me an idea. Coming soon: chapter endings of nove...
Nov 19, 2021 · In the words of bestselling author James Patterson, “At the end, something has to propel you into the next chapter.” Whether you aim to write thrillers, humorous essays, or romance novels, learning how to end a chapter will be a critical step in your journey as an author.
Knowing how to end a chapter means knowing how to keep readers engaged and hungry for more. Power up your writing with these must-know tips and get inspired with 16 chapter-ending ideas.
- Abi Wurdeman
- Don’t Cheat. In other words: earn your ending. A truly great ending grows from seeds planted in the opening act of your story. A villain’s defeat, a reunion of lovers, a completion of a nigh-impossible task…all must follow logically from how your story began, from the groundwork you laid in Chapter One—and yet must come as a complete surprise to your readers.
- Look to Your Writing. You’ve probably seen this cliché in movies: just before the action-packed climax, one character repeats a line of dialogue from earlier in the flick to another character, and in the context of the scene, the line gains new meaning or significance.
- Look to Your Themes. We spoke of this technique before when we talked about how to name your novel, but incorporating the thematic elements of your story is perhaps even more important here.
- Wrap Up Loose Ends. It’s bad manners to leave your readers hanging. You’ve created a detailed, textured narrative full of compelling characters and subplots that weave like fine thread through the fabric of your grander story—and your readers have become invested in each and every one.
Apr 20, 2020 · The secret to creating a chapter ending that prompts the reader to continue is to create a hook. That hook can be emotional, mental, or physical, but it creates curiosity. While the end of your novel may wrap up all the threads, a chapter ending with a hook leaves a thread hanging.
Aug 14, 2021 · Here are a few suggestions of traditional methods to end a chapter: Promise: Hint or foreshadow what will happen next in the story. Resolution: Look back or review what has happened before. Summarizing what preceded the chapter end refreshes the events in the reader’s mind.
