My 'newby writer' brain did not like this rule. But it's a whole story told in two books! I thought, How can the first book stand-alone? And cliffhangers are exciting! They make people want to know what happens next, right? RIGHT?
Well, yes. Here I switch into my 'long-time reader' brain. I do love a good cliffhanger. It's usually the reason I end up reading till three in the morning, because when I get to the end of a chapter I can't stop. I have to keep going.
Note I said chapter. Last night, at one in the morning, I finally managed to reconcile my reader and writer brains on this particular rule. How? I finished reading the fourth book of the Mortal Instruments series, City of Fallen Angels, by Cassandra Clare. It ended like this:
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| Is that guy really naked and hanging from a cliff with not even a rope? I think he might be... |
But I did not do that. Instead I went: Aaaargh! I am so frustrated right now. I do NOT want to be left hanging for over a year to find out what happens. And now I'm ANGRY.
I did try to do this quietly though, because it was 1am and Ollie doesn't understand the need to read until the early hours of the morning, and would have also been angry if I'd woken him with a book tantrum.
So, the effect on my reader brain? Not so good. Will I buy the next book in the series? I don't know, if I'm honest. When May 2012 comes around, if I even remember reading the series, I'll be a bit worried that I'm going to be left with another cliffhanger ending which won't be resolved until September 2013 with book six.
I know that this is an unavoidable issue of traditional publishing that plagues series, and authors have no control over pub dates, but they do have control over the endings in their books, and not agitating their readers.
Oh! I get it now! says my writer brain.
I do wonder though, will self-pubbing change this? Would I be more forgiving if I only had to wait a few months until the next installment? Probably.
What do you think? Am I being too harsh? Do cliffhanger endings make you mad, and potentially harm an author's readership? Or are you willing to wait for the next book?
Thanks for that reader insight! I have to confess that writing cliffhangers is so cool...and you have a good point. If the next book was available and you could carry straight on - well,that would be a very different thing altogether.
ReplyDeleteThis is why Harry Potter was so great - Rowling tied up each book's plot and left us with a sense of closure... but still left us wanting more with the overall story arc. She's my model for series.
ReplyDeleteI feel like it's okay to have loose ends in a series book, but cliffhangers drive me NUTS! I read a book once that ended with one of the boys in the MC's love triangle on one knee proposing to her...then The End. I wanted to throw the book across the room! As much as I was interested to see what happened, I was annoyed enough that I kind of didn't want to read the next book just because of that.
ReplyDeleteCliffhanger endings can be horribly frustrating, but I think they can also be invigorating. Like the ending of "Catching Fire." Definitely leaves excitement for the next book, BUT the book stands alone as well. The story is completed and the loose ends tied up . . . for that book. So the cliffhanger, I guess, doesn't leave you hanging so much as it gears you up for the next one.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of cliffhangers, it took me exactly one day to get over Travis (ahhh!!!) and end my swearing off of YA books. Now I want to go back and read "Dead Tossed Waves." Have you read it? Do you recommend? "Forest of Hands and Teeth" upset me, but in the best way. As terrible as her world was, I want to go back to it!
I'm busy with book one in a series found a good balance. I'm resolving some of the storylines, but am leaving others to become important later in the series.
ReplyDeleteSo... I get to have cliff hangers while still leaving the reader with a satisfying ending. (I hope.)
Having read the book myself and not having a problem with the way the story ended, I think there's a subtle difference in the term "cliffhanger". The story in the book DID have an ending. It's the series that has a cliffhanger. The original thread of the story with the "big bad" and the particular trouble the characters were in was completed.
ReplyDeleteBut rather than ending on a happy note, the author sprang into a glimpse of what we can expect in the next book. Thus giving the effect of a cliff hanger. If she hadn't resolved the main issues that were at play in this story, then yes, I would have found it irritating... or if it was supposed to be the FINAL book in a series and it ended on a note like that, well, then I'd definitely have some issues with it.
Oops, posted too soon.
ReplyDeleteI meant to also add, that I think you do have to be careful if you choose to do a cliffhanger that you've still given the reader a satisfying enough ending to tide them over. And even then, not everyone will be happy with you.
I think it's a cheap trick, although cheap tricks often work. Personally I would be too annoyed to bother with the next book. If the book was good enough I would buy the sequel without needing to be blackmailed into it.
ReplyDeleteI totally get you. I tend to jump on the series bandwagon late in the game, so if there's an ending like that, the next book is already out and I just have to wait the few days (or sometimes weeks) until I can get my hands on it. I've been lucky with that so far.
ReplyDeleteAs a writer currently working on a trilogy, I struggle with how much to share without ruining the next book(s) while still giving the reader a satisfying experience. It's tough. But full on cliffhanger ending is just mean!
I think there's a fine line between an ending that makes you want to read the next book, but still leaves you with some closure from that one, and a total cliffhanger. There's a series that I've been reading for a few years whose last book didn't come out until a couple months ago. The book before it ended on such a cliffhanger that I beat the book against the couch and told the author some choice words. And then I resented the ending for so long that even though I have the last book on my Kindle, I still haven't read it.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you wrote this. It's something I've been contemplating in my current book. It was supposed to be a standalone, but it was too long and I'm now dividing it into two books. I've been so frustrated trying to figure out how to go from one book to the next. There are still a lot of threads that I need to address and write in book 2, but the books have individual storylines. I've been trying to figure out how to end the first book on a more exciting note. I've had people tell me that if they read a book and it ends on a "lalalala everything is happy and maybe there will be trouble in the future, but we don't have to worry about it now!" note then they're not liable to keep reading.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I see where you're coming from as far as horrible cliffhangers. I agree with the person about "Catching Fire" and how it ended with a light cliffhanger, but the story for that book was tied up. Maybe it's just finding a balance. Maybe you don't have to have a terrible whammy of a cliffhanger to still leave threads dangling and make people want to keep reading.
The series that my co-author and I are writing consists of twelve books. (The first book is published; second book is in cover development.) Each book feeds into the others, but we knew from the start that they would be sort of standalone, too. It's been really nice to write the books that way, and now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I've been trying too hard to find a way to end my current book with a bang. Maybe it just needs a firecracker, not a firework. Hmmmmm.
Thanks SO MUCH for this post. I needed to read it.
I think my like/dislike for a cliffhanger ending depends upon the story and how the ending was executed. Sometimes I think a cliffhanger may be unavoidable. And I'm not just saying that because I kind of some times employ them in my own writing...
ReplyDeleteI have two things to say about this:
ReplyDelete1. Hang the rules. Seriously. Especially any rules from the publishing industry. If the writing is good, and you want a cliffhanger, use a cliffhanger. If the writing is bad, a cliffhanger isn't going to help. What is a cliffhanger, anyway? People consider The Empire Strikes Back a cliffhanger ending, but is it? I think it's more that it just ends in defeat for the good guys.
2. As a reader, my way of getting around cliffhangers, when I was younger, was to wait for the whole series to be out before I read it. I've found, though, in my old age, that I don't mind waiting for the next book so much as I did when I was 20ish.
Pooh... I had one other thing I was going to throw in, but I got interrupted, and I've forgotten it :(
Great post! This is something I've thought about a lot too. For me, I don't like huge cliffhangers in a series. I want the main story question tied up. Of course, I do like it when there are still questions, especially burning ones that I really want answered, but I too get frustrated if something too huge is left hanging for too long. If done right, I like it though.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I feel the same way. Cliff hanger books frustrate me, but I know I'll probably get the next book. I think you can leave things unresolved in book one, but try to wrap up main problem. Like someone said, that's why Harry Potter was great.
ReplyDeleteI recently bought City of Fallen Angels but have yet to read it. It may take a while since I haven't even read City of Glass yet. I've heard that the ending was horrible (as in argggh...) from a few people though.
ReplyDeleteI often read series once most have been released (I did this with the Hunger Games) and if I can get my hands on the next book right away the cliffhanger doesn't bother me. It's when I have to wait over a year that I get a 'little' antsy (bit of an understatement as you can tell from my post, lol)
ReplyDeleteAnd that's exactly the ending we want to avoid! I think also, with a massive cliffhanger, by the time the next books come out in 15 months, the urgency to read has faded, but the reader will still remember being annoyed at the end of the last book and may not want to risk the next one.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there's been cliffhangers that haven't angered me so much (can't think of any off the top of my head). I guess it comes down to the skill of the writer and how it's executed (as you said).
ReplyDeleteI used to read a lot of series that had been fully released too. I guess I am a naturally impatient person! :)
ReplyDeleteBeverly, I agree with your need for some feeling of resolution, even if it's only a temporary fix. At the end of CoFA, the book had been resolved, and then on the last page, WHOA big huge issue! And now hold that thought for 15 months..
ReplyDeleteShe is a legend! No argument here :)
ReplyDeleteSadly, I'll probably get the next book, too. Despite my frustration. I have this thing where even if I'm not particularly enjoying a story I still want to know how it ends.
ReplyDeleteYep, I have no problems if I can just go straight into the next book. It's all about instant gratification. lol
ReplyDeleteLol, yes that'd drive me nuts too. CoFA's cliffhanger ending is of similar magnitude! (But different)
ReplyDeleteI'm re-reading some Mercedes Lackey right now - she writes trilogies that can go longer. Her "Winds" trilogy is followed by the "Storms" trilogy I'm now reading, which could also be considered a series of six. 'Tennyrate, last night I finished Book 1 in the second trilogy, where there is a BIG problem. At the end of book 1 it's semi-resolved by what everyone knows is a temporary fix that buys them more time. This works, for me.
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, I don't like major cliffhangers, or even too many loose ends in a book. I want regular pay-offs - if you tell me about a character's unusual violet-blue eyes on page 1, there had better be a reason that's important not too deep into the novel. If it's a series, I want book two to tie together most of the loose ends from book one, while weaving in some new ones for book three.