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Hello Booksellers, Authors, and Readers. I am
here today to discuss cliffhangers, why I’m a
jerk and also give you a secret that has
brought me fame and riches.
Now first, a little about me. I’m the author
who symbolically enjoys leading you over to
the edge of a cliff. Chatting you up. Getting
you distracted by characters with flaws and
unique beauties. And just when you’re
captivated and engrossed in the lives of
fictional people then I’ll push you hard in
the shoulders. The assault is usually swift and
deliberate. And the result is that you stumble
back, slipping over the edge, grasping for the
dirt or a root or a vine. And there you dangle
over the edge of a cliff as I intended. Then you
turn the page of one of my books.
The End.
The other day I received a review on a
book of mine. It said, “The author should put a
disclaimer on this book telling the reader that
it has a cliffhanger.”
Wait… what?!
Would this reader also like me to include a
list of the characters who die during the
telling of the story? Maybe we just start with
the ending? Work our way backward.
I write books and sometimes they have
cliffhangers. I have zero regrets. Follow me,
would you, as we discuss the pros and cons of
using cliffhangers in books. I promise I’ll keep
my hands to myself and not push you…
I’m a series writer. Usually my books can be
read in neat trilogy form. To me, it’s the
www.TopShelfMagazine.net
the storyline. But without a major
unanswered question lurking at the end of
the book, how are you going to banish sleep
so you can continue reading my books?
And I mentioned we’d explore cons.
Sometimes cliffhangers can feel like a
manipulation. I’ve shut the door at the end of
act one, held out my hand, and said, “pay up
to see what happens next.” Does that make
me a bad author? Or does it make me one
who knows how to keep you interested, like a
longtime lover who still flirts and teases in the
bedroom? And if it does make me a bad
person then I’ll join the other authors prone
to cliffhanger endings: Suzanne Collins,
Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling, Lauren Oliver.
Just to name a few. I could die happy lumped
into a group of authors like this. And there’s
many more famous authors known for
pushing readers to the edge of a cliff.
HOLIDAYEDITION2016
by Sarah Noffke (www.SarahNoffke.com)
So now that I’ve admitted to
enticing readers into second and third
books, should you always expect a
cliffhanger ending from me? Absolutely
not. Just when you think I’ll kill off a
loved character, because I’m somewhat
known for that, then I’ll keep them
around. And you might go into one of
my books expecting to be dangling
over the cliff at the end, only to find the
story over and you on even ground. I’m
hardly ever predictable and I tell the
story the way I see it, which is never the
same formula from book to book.
That’s because my books are character
driven and I usually don’t even know
where they are going. Yes, sometimes
the cliffhangers even surprise me.
So now that I’ve said my piece on
this subject, I wonder what you think.
Do you like cliffhangers? Dislike them? Are
they necessary? I never believe in absolutes
with writing. It all depends on the story.
That’s probably why I like this business so
much. There are no real rights or wrongs.
Stories can be told in a hundred different
ways. It’s a subjective business. And
truthfully I’ve learned one thing this year
that is absolutely the most important thing
I’ve ever learned. It has brought me so much
happiness and success and is like a like a
miracle drug to my career. And I’ll reveal that
secret in my next blog entry.
magazine
CLIFFHANGERS AND
THE SECRET TO LIFE
perfect arrangement for most series: a
beginning, middle and end. But tell me, dear
reader, if I end book one with a tight little
bow and no loose strings, then what incentive
do you have to pick up book two? Not only
that, but I want you to throw the blankets off
at 2 am, after finishing the first installment,
and rush to buy book two in the series. I want
you to have zero question in your mind that
you’ll be consuming book two and then three
and as quickly as possible.
Yes, maybe you fell in love with the
characters and that’s why you’ll continue
reading. I know I fall in love with most of my
characters. And mayb