GASP! What’s Going to Happen Next? (“The Art of the Cliffhanger”)

 By Lisa Malice, Ph.D.

 

As crime fiction aficionados, we all have come across those few sentences that send your heart racing, your skin tingling, your lungs gasping for that next breath—you know, those words that leave you dangling from a fictional cliff, forcing you to turn the page to learn what happens next in a story.  As a psychological thriller author whose words flow from my fingertips to the keyboard to the screen with little thoughtful plotting (a “pantser”), cliffhangers seem to present themselves with little thought to their form or function as my characters and I journey from one scene to another, finding our way through the story together.

So, when I was asked to serve on a recent book festival panel to discuss “The Art of the Cliffhanger,” I felt compelled to study the nature of cliffhangers to better understand this indispensable literary device for myself and my audience. Here’s what I learned.

First, what is a cliffhanger and its purpose?

As a literary device, cliffhangers are used at the end of scenes, chapters, and books that establish high stakes, imminent danger, gripping suspense, or pressing questions, and then they abruptly—and purposefully—pause the narrative.

 

This suspension of narrative creates anticipation at a moment of high tension, thereby engaging readers, keeping them turning the pages to find out what happens next. 

 

The term itself originated with a Thomas Hardy serial (“A Pair of Blue Eyes”) when one of his protagonists, Henry Knight, was left hanging off a cliff. 

 

One of the most famous examples of cliffhanger use is found in One Thousand and One Nights, wherein Scheherazade tells a series of stories to the king—1,0001 nights in a row—ending each tale on a cliffhanger so as to save herself from execution.

 How Do Cliffhangers Work?

Cognitively for the reader, cliffhangers create unresolved tension, a perceptive imbalance that the brain seeks to resolve to attain closure.  

This cognitive engagement often leads to enhanced recall, making the story more memorable and impactful for the reader.

Cliffhangers capitalize on emotional investment. Early cliffhangers, such as the discovery of a body in a mystery, begin the process of connecting readers empathically to a story’s characters, their journey, their welfare—about what happens next—so that the reader feels compelled to continue turning pages to learn their fate.

Together, this complex mix of cognitive, emotional, and physical reactions allows cliffhangers to build intense anticipation for the next scene.

Not all cliffhangers need to be dramatic or explosive. A subtle cliffhanger can be highly effective, particularly if it plays on a reader’s emotions or curiosity. A quiet moment of realization, a lingering doubt, or a simple, unresolved question can create a powerful sense of anticipation.

What Types of Cliffhangers Exist?

I found varying views on the number and kinds of cliffhangers, but five types were consistently identified: 

1)     The Perilous Situation

In this scenario, the protagonist finds him/herself and/or a loved one in dire straits, facing imminent danger or a seemingly undefeatable obstacle. This could present itself as direct battle with the villain. Readers are left anxious, dangling with suspense. Will the hero and heroine survive? How will they overcome the obstacles standing in their way?

 2)        An Unanswered Question, An Enigma

This cliffhanger leaves readers with a lingering question, a puzzling mystery that demands to be solved. It may involve a mysterious character whose true identity or motives remain hidden. Alternatively, it could revolve around an unexplained event or a puzzling piece of information. Readers are compelled to turn the page to find answers.

3)     Presentation of a Moral Dilemma or Difficult Choice

As a story progresses, characters may find themselves at a fork in the road, a situation requiring them to make a difficult decision among choices that challenge their needs, goals, even morals. The consequences of such decisions will either help or hinder the characters’ efforts and their narrative journey, so readers must keep reading to learn the impact of the character’s decision.

4)          The Revelation

This type of cliffhanger involves the unveiling of significant information that alters the course of the story and the characters’ understanding of the situation they are facing. Examples include a shocking twist, a long-held secret, even the revelation of a character’s true nature. Often, there is more to the twist than meets the eye, so readers must continue on to get the full picture.

5)     Romantic Tension

Crime fiction may or may not include an element of romance, but tension arising from the attraction of two people is a type of cliffhanger that keeps readers emotionally invested in a story and its characters. Typically, this cliffhanger presents itself when two characters are on the precipice of a relationship change, whether that involves confessing their love for one another, sharing a passionate kiss, or taking an even more significant step forward in their relationship. Just as the scene reaches its crescendo, the narrative is suspended, leaving readers hanging and yearning for the resolution of their romantic entanglement. 

What Impacts Do Cliffhangers Offer a Story?

 ·         Plot Structure:

The placement and timing of cliffhangers is crucial for maximizing their impact:

o    Set at key turning points in the story arc.

 

o    Use to set a pace and rhythm with peaks of tension and page-turning anticipation. 

 

·         Character Development:

o   High-stakes situations can lead to cliffhangers that can reveal a character’s true nature, forcing them to stare down their fears, overcome their weaknesses, and find hidden strengths.

 

o   As noted earlier, the unresolved tension created by cliffhangers can drive character motivation and influence their subsequent decisions.

As an author of psychological thrillers, stories that revolve around a character’s inner life, her fears, uncertainties, and search for the truth, the enigma is a key cliffhanger for me—some presented boldly, many more subtly. But a compelling thriller relies on a variety of cliffhangers to keep readers turning pages. While writing and editing my debut novel, LEST SHE FORGET, I found opportunities to suspend scenes with my heroine, Kay, in danger, shocked by a sudden revelation, facing the need to make a difficult, often life-changing decision, and pining for a kiss from the mysterious stranger who keeps hanging around.

I hope this little primer on cliffhangers helps both writers and readers better understand this literary device and how they are used in remarkable stories.

As an author, what are some ways you like to incorporate cliffhangers into your work? 

As a reader, is there a book or movie whose cliffhangers really made the story memorable?