How to Write Cliffhangers that Keep Readers Hooked!

• Jul 14, 2025
• 7 min read

• Tags: Book Writing, Fiction Writing, Novel Writing, Writing Tips

When it comes to keeping readers hooked, there’s no better way to do it than by writing a cliffhanger! 

Originating in the work A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy, the first printed use of the term ‘cliffhanger’ was in the 1937 edition of the Merriam–Webster dictionary. It has historically been used as a plot device to keep the audience guessing and hooked on the story, whether in the classic One Thousand and One Nights or Arabian Nights, Victorian serial novels, or modern Japanese anime and manga.

Here’s how to write the perfect cliffhanger that will keep readers hooked to your work and guess what comes next!

What is a cliffhanger?

Defined by the Cambridge and Merriam–Webster dictionaries as a story or situation whose ending or result is uncertain and keeps the audience in suspense, a cliffhanger is a popular plot device in books, television, and film that keeps the audience on their toes, capitalizing on their feelings of curiosity and anxiety to know what happens next to keep the franchise going. A good cliffhanger has the power to launch any number of sequels—without keeping the readers on their toes for too long, of course!

The elements of a great cliffhanger

While a cliffhanger is an effective plot device to keep a franchise going, it is important to keep reader considerations in mind while writing one. To put it simply, an ending must provide closure—it would not do to leave the readers hanging (and the characters literally so!) with regard to every single plot point they have spent the past several hours or days reading about.

While a good cliffhanger ending provides a certain amount of closure, it also leaves a few pivotal questions unresolved.  It is important to keep in mind the ‘wave’ of the story—its ups and downs—and work in the cliffhangers at the most appropriate spots.

Now that we have established the basics, let’s get into the anatomy of a great cliffhanger!

1. The hook

The ‘hook’ is basically the question you leave unanswered that grabs the reader’s attention and makes them wonder what happens next, for example, what was the fate of X? What was the impact of Y’s choice? This is enough material to write the next chapter or installment and to keep the readers guessing about how the events will go.

2. The line

The ‘line’ refers to building a seamless transition from one chapter or installment to the other. It would not do to have a total disconnect between the events of one chapter or book and the next. Set the scene to ensure that the next chapter opens on the same terrain and provides the reader with continuity.

3. The sinker 

If the ‘sinker’ or the part that finally captures the reader’s full attention does not land well, the objective of ending on a cliffhanger is essentially defeated. As mentioned before, the new chapter or installment should ideally open at the scene where the previous one closed, or if not, must get to provide answers for the questions left unresolved quickly.

It is important to pace the resolution well, making it too rushed would kill the suspense, but drawing out the suspense too long will bore or irritate the reader.

How to write effective cliffhangers

Confused about how to get started on writing the perfect cliffhanger? Here are some practical tips that will help:

1. Plotting vs pantsing

While it might seem tempting to go with the flow and write by the ‘seat of your pants’, when writing a cliffhanger, this is not ideal. It’s important to carefully plot out each element of the story to avoid writing yourself into a corner with situations you, as the author, have no idea how to resolve. Also, be careful about which character’s POV (point of view) you use to deliver the cliffhanger with the greatest possible impact.

2. Layering

When writing a cliffhanger, it is not necessary that there is only one question left unanswered. You can layer cliffhangers—working in various unresolved scenarios—so that your plot acquires complexity and the puzzle is a little more difficult for the reader to solve. It is ideal for this layering to be a mix of big and small questions left unanswered. Not everything needs to be tied up with a neat bow, but providing some degree of closure on other plot points is also essential to avoid frustrating the reader.

3. Foreshadowing

Planting little Easter eggs or clues that subtly point to the correct answers is a great way to write toward a cliffhanger. This is called ‘foreshadowing’—however, it must not be too obvious, as that would kill the element of suspense. The astute reader would be delighted to discover that something seemingly inconsequential was in fact an Easter egg that hinted at the right answer.

For example, the readers are shocked to discover at the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that Remus Lupin is a werewolf, but the clue was in his name after all—in Roman mythology, Remus is one of the children born to a she-wolf, whose brother Romulus went on to found the city of Rome, and ‘Lupin’ is literally Latin for ‘wolf’ or ‘wolf-like’.

Common cliffhanger mistakes (and how to avoid them)

While writing an impactful cliffhanger, here are some common mistakes to avoid:

1. Dithering and dawdling

Avoid dithering and dawdling or using flowery language and unnecessarily long sentences that will bore the reader—they are eager to find out what happens next, so keep your language snappy, fast-paced, and impactful.

2. Cheap tricks and clichés 

Writing an intense cliffhanger of a scene that keeps the reader on edge, only to reveal later that it was all a dream—ever come across such a scenario before? Avoid using such cheap tricks that leave the reader feeling cheated, and provide an actual resolution to the questions raised. Similarly, avoid clichés, such as killing off a protagonist, only to later reveal that it was their evil twin who died. Such tropes have been done to death, and your readers deserve more original material.

3. Overusing suspense and unfulfilled promises

Too many cliffhangers—for instance, one at the end of every chapter—are bound to fatigue your reader. Instead, choose where to insert your cliffhangers wisely, and provide satisfactory resolutions—do not leave unfulfilled promises that would make your readers angry.

4. Genre mismatch

Book 1 in the series ends as a fast-paced, action–thriller with a tantalizing cliffhanger, only to be resolved in Book 2 as a… romance? Avoid such genre mismatches that could give your readers whiplash and leave them feeling disoriented—stay true to your original plot.

Cliffhangers in series vs standalone novels

There is a significant difference between ending a series vs. a standalone novel on a cliffhanger. While the former is made of many books and has the scope to end each book on a cliffhanger that will be resolved in the next, the latter would do better with an open ending that the readers can interpret themselves, with mini cliffhangers worked into the major arcs of the story that could be resolved as its proceeds.

Ultimately, it is important to manage your readers’ trust and expectations—do not set them up for disappointment or make false promises, as these could cost you your reader base.

Advanced cliffhanger techniques

Now that you’ve mastered how to write a cliffhanger, here are some advanced cliffhanger techniques that will blow your readers’ minds!

1. Red herrings

What’s the opposite of an Easter egg? A red herring! A red herring is a seemingly important piece of information strategically placed with the sole intention of misleading the reader. Baiting your readers with red herrings is a great way to spring an even bigger surprise on them when you finally resolve the events of your cliffhanger.

2. Multiple POVs

Viewing the cliffhanger through the eyes of not one but multiple characters can add perspective and suspense, or confuse the reader, depending on how you go about it! Make sure to reveal little tidbits of information in each POV that come together to form the big picture, and avoid confusing your readers to the point where they give up on your book.

3. Subplots

Not all cliffhangers need to happen to the protagonist, and not all of them need to come at the end of the book or chapter. That’s right—you can add layers to your supporting characters by building ‘secondary’ cliffhangers into their stories—a masterful writing technique that adds weight to your subplots and depths to your supporting cast.

Practice, practice, practice

Finally, it is important to practice writing cliffhangers so you can get this type of ending down to an art form! You can try the ‘typing in’ method—picking an existing work with cliffhangers, typing out the cliffhanger scene, and typing out your analysis of why it does or doesn’t work. You can also try writing prompts or exercises that are available a dime a dozen on the internet, or simply pick up your favorite books with cliffhangers and study their features in detail.

While you write up the perfect cliffhanger, it’s important to keep your readers’ expectations in mind. Do not make promises that you cannot deliver on, and ultimately leave them frustrated—such manipulative techniques will cost you your reader base. 

It’s always a good idea to seek the advice of a beta reader or reviewer who can give you a preview of how your cliffhanger might work with your actual target audience. It is also important to know when not to use a cliffhanger—sometimes, a neat and tidy ending with a happily-ever-after is what the reader wants, for example, in a romance. Remember—when it comes to writing a great cliffhanger, it’s all about balance! Happy writing!

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.