A cliffhanger ending...
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I don't like cliffhangers, 'cause I'm petulant and want to know What Happens Now Damnit.
(even though some of my favorite movies have cliffhangers, and I adore them.)
Just wrap it up. Otherwise, what if the book does poorly and they never bring out the second book?
(even though some of my favorite movies have cliffhangers, and I adore them.)
Just wrap it up. Otherwise, what if the book does poorly and they never bring out the second book?
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Each book should stand on its own. If you're writing a series with cliffhanger endings for each book in the series, you will have to sell the whole thing and that's difficult even for a previous-published author. Unless you're a known property like JK Rowling, the readers might not have the patience for some "to be continued" stories.
Or like PeeDee said, what if the first book doesn't sell? Then you have something like the X-Files... just dangling free out there and no end in sight. Not fair to the fans, and definitely not very good for your reputation.
Let's look at it this way: How many books have you read that have cliffhanger endings? And of those, how many were written by a newbie author (at the time of publication)?
Or like PeeDee said, what if the first book doesn't sell? Then you have something like the X-Files... just dangling free out there and no end in sight. Not fair to the fans, and definitely not very good for your reputation.
Let's look at it this way: How many books have you read that have cliffhanger endings? And of those, how many were written by a newbie author (at the time of publication)?
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Cliffhangers annoy readers, they can even make them feel cheated. People who feel cheated are much less likely to open their wallet for you in the future.
This is not a good thing.
This is not a good thing.
On the flip side, there are the cliffhangers to things like Back to the Future, which are brilliant and cool and fascinating. Perfect way to do it.
BUT, there was guarantee that you would have Parts II and III released to theaters.
AND it was Bob Zemeckis, who can do no wrong. I know I'm sure as heck not Bob Zemeckis, I wouldn't try it.
I've done it in serial short stories, but when I did do cliffhangers, it was because the next episode was mostly done, and was coming out faster than normal.
BUT, there was guarantee that you would have Parts II and III released to theaters.
AND it was Bob Zemeckis, who can do no wrong. I know I'm sure as heck not Bob Zemeckis, I wouldn't try it.
I've done it in serial short stories, but when I did do cliffhangers, it was because the next episode was mostly done, and was coming out faster than normal.
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Zemeckis wasn't a newbie when he made Back to the Future, which was also bankrolled by heavyweight Steven Spielberg. He made Romancing the Stone before that, which was a huge success. Besides, I wouldn't necessarily call that ending a cliffhanger because the main story has ended -- perfectly. It was more like a throwaway set up for a sequel but even if the sequel were never made, it wouldn't have mattered.
Plus, it still took them 5 years to make Back to the Future II and III (back to back) and by then they had to recast Jennifer (good for us and Elizabeth Shue). So it was a gamble even for someone like Zemeckis/Spielberg. The first Indiana Jones wasn't a cliffhanger even though they knew it was going to be a successful series...
Plus, it still took them 5 years to make Back to the Future II and III (back to back) and by then they had to recast Jennifer (good for us and Elizabeth Shue). So it was a gamble even for someone like Zemeckis/Spielberg. The first Indiana Jones wasn't a cliffhanger even though they knew it was going to be a successful series...
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Actually, PeeDee, the ending to Back to the Future was considered nothing more than a throw away joke by Bob Zemeckis. It wasn't untill BTF became a big old hit that he realized that he had to write a new bit. So he did. Then when he wrote BTF 2, he wrote it as a clifhanger so he could go to the past and into the Wild Wild West, which he loves and adores.
And, lets face it, who dosn't?
And, lets face it, who dosn't?
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okay.
whats weird is that i feel like my ending is a satisfying logical conclusion, but some thought that it was a "cliffhanger" b/c my hero essentially failed at his main goal.
i did leave the door open, but i wasnt sure if my hero failing was actually a cliffhanger per se.
maybe this doesnt make that much sense to ppl who havent read my story. but i guess im just trying to gauge how bad it would be if it was a cliffhanger.
looks like its not a good thing.
whats weird is that i feel like my ending is a satisfying logical conclusion, but some thought that it was a "cliffhanger" b/c my hero essentially failed at his main goal.
i did leave the door open, but i wasnt sure if my hero failing was actually a cliffhanger per se.
maybe this doesnt make that much sense to ppl who havent read my story. but i guess im just trying to gauge how bad it would be if it was a cliffhanger.
looks like its not a good thing.
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Bravo, let me ask you, if the hero fails his main goal of the story at the end, what is the story about? How is it satisfying? If you were the reader, what would you have thought? I mean, if Marty in BTF hadn't fixed his parents' marriage and gone home, what would be the point of the story?
Or is it like, okay, Harry Potter solves his problem about the Sorcerer's Stone but he didn't really kill You-Know-Who. In that case, it's not quite a cliffhanger -- the book still stands on its own but with an overarching storyline that can be explored in a series; but if the series doesn't take off, it's okay, too.
True, I haven't read your story so I can't really judge if it works or not. Just a question you need to ask yourself, from the perspective of a would-be reader.
Or is it like, okay, Harry Potter solves his problem about the Sorcerer's Stone but he didn't really kill You-Know-Who. In that case, it's not quite a cliffhanger -- the book still stands on its own but with an overarching storyline that can be explored in a series; but if the series doesn't take off, it's okay, too.
True, I haven't read your story so I can't really judge if it works or not. Just a question you need to ask yourself, from the perspective of a would-be reader.
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Dear Ray and Zoombie,
You're both geeks.
(I didn't see any of the BTF movies in theaters. Just on DVD. On DVD they work wonderfully. So lemme alone. Hmph.)
I'll be curious to see your answers to Ray's questions, Bravo. It's okay to fail at the main quest, but he has to do something to satisfy the reader, somewhere, right?
You're both geeks.
(I didn't see any of the BTF movies in theaters. Just on DVD. On DVD they work wonderfully. So lemme alone. Hmph.)
I'll be curious to see your answers to Ray's questions, Bravo. It's okay to fail at the main quest, but he has to do something to satisfy the reader, somewhere, right?
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In Sunset Blvd., the protagonist failed, but in the shadow of the spectacular Norma Desmond. In Phantom of the Opera, the Phantom failed, spectacularly. But neither are cliffhangers.
The point of a cliffhanger is to get the audience to come back next week, with books there are no next weeks.
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I loved Batman and Lost in Space cliffhangers as a kid. As an adult, I hated the cliffhanger in The Empire Strikes Back (but I still shelled out money for Return...).
I can't think of any novels offhand that had cliffhangers. Maybe Anne Bishop's Black Jewel Trilogy if I recall correctly. And I enjoyed that despite the cliffhangers.
I can't think of any novels offhand that had cliffhangers. Maybe Anne Bishop's Black Jewel Trilogy if I recall correctly. And I enjoyed that despite the cliffhangers.
Cliffhangers
Back to the Future did it neatly. Not so much cliffhangers as the start of a new story. The story wraps up, makes for a standalone movie, and then the last scene starts the next movie.
In novels, cliffhangers can be good at the end of a chapter, and the same technique used in Back to the Future can be used for an ongoing ESTABLISHED series.
But no one wants to read a cliffhanger ending without a guarantee there will be another book, and unless the basic story of that novel has been tied up.
Back to the Future did it neatly. Not so much cliffhangers as the start of a new story. The story wraps up, makes for a standalone movie, and then the last scene starts the next movie.
In novels, cliffhangers can be good at the end of a chapter, and the same technique used in Back to the Future can be used for an ongoing ESTABLISHED series.
But no one wants to read a cliffhanger ending without a guarantee there will be another book, and unless the basic story of that novel has been tied up.
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My WIP ends on a semi-cliff hanger. The main story is very "man vs self", and the MC comes to a conclusion at the end. However, the actual plotline of events hasn't been explored to its end.
There could be a sequel, but it would be a completely different story with different characters. I'm a little worried about the first surviving as a stand alone. But that's what editing and rewrites are for!
There could be a sequel, but it would be a completely different story with different characters. I'm a little worried about the first surviving as a stand alone. But that's what editing and rewrites are for!
Leaving the door open is one thing, and can be very interesting. There are stories with open endings where there isnt ever a sequel. You're just left to wonder and speculate, and that can be a very satisfying thing.
Having the hero fail at his task can be interesting too and not necessarily a cliffhanger, it depends what sort of story it is and how you do it, and whether there's enough other stuff to satisfy the reader. If it's a mystery novel, then obviousy an open ending is not so good.
Re JK Rowling, yes, she can do it now and leaves us gasping for 00:01 hrs on 21 July, but even her first three books are finished within themselves and can stand alone. It's not until book 5 really IIRC that one book takes up at the point where the previous one leaves off, & continues the story.
Having the hero fail at his task can be interesting too and not necessarily a cliffhanger, it depends what sort of story it is and how you do it, and whether there's enough other stuff to satisfy the reader. If it's a mystery novel, then obviousy an open ending is not so good.
Re JK Rowling, yes, she can do it now and leaves us gasping for 00:01 hrs on 21 July, but even her first three books are finished within themselves and can stand alone. It's not until book 5 really IIRC that one book takes up at the point where the previous one leaves off, & continues the story.
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If the point of the story is that it doesn't matter that the MC failed because he learned the true meaning christmas or something, then that's cool. Or if it is a tragic ending, telling us that life sucks, that's okay too. If the MC failed cause you wanted to write another book . . . that's another thing altogether.
First off, it's POSSIBLE for a newbie author to sell a cliff-hanger ending novel first. But it's not likely.
Editors want a stand-alone novel from a first author, something that they can buy and produce and not have readers expecting a follow-up novel immediately after that. So try to make the novel you want to sell stand-alone.
This does NOT mean that it can't continue. In fact, editors prefer stand-alone novels that have the potential for further novels in either a series or at least further novel that use the same characters. The best of all possible worlds is to have a "series" in which every book is a story in and of itself (essentially stand-alone) but they are tied loosely together because they use some common characters.
A novel with a cliff-hanger ending is going to be hard to find a home for.
Editors want a stand-alone novel from a first author, something that they can buy and produce and not have readers expecting a follow-up novel immediately after that. So try to make the novel you want to sell stand-alone.
This does NOT mean that it can't continue. In fact, editors prefer stand-alone novels that have the potential for further novels in either a series or at least further novel that use the same characters. The best of all possible worlds is to have a "series" in which every book is a story in and of itself (essentially stand-alone) but they are tied loosely together because they use some common characters.
A novel with a cliff-hanger ending is going to be hard to find a home for.
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i basically did the following:
a) i made a lesser enemy for my hero, but one which was more direct in attacking him so the reader would get some catharsis in seeing this villian taken down.
b) i made the real, more intelligent enemy win to show how the actions of my hero blinded him from his plot. if my MC had gone after him first instead of this lesser enemy, he wouldnt be in this spot.
i thought it was pretty logical given my MC's personality, impulsiveness, etc to not see the larger player that screwed him over.
but some people werent happy w this and wanted to see these main baddies taken down.
yes, the door is open for him to do that, but it kind of ruins the theme of this story.
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