ARTICLE
How to Write Chapter Endings That Make Your Readers Turn the Page and a Book Ending that Leaves Your Readers Satisfied by Jill Hedgecock
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.hether it’s the last few sentences of a chapter or the grand finale of a book, endings are crucial. I have been in a book club for 26 years and have learned a lot from our book discussions. Readers will forgive slow pacing, lackluster characters, and boring descriptions, and they will tolerate pompous prose and melodrama (to a point), BUT their patience will evaporate if, when they turn the final page, the author fails to deliver a gratifying ending. It doesn’t have to be happy or expected. The ending doesn’t even need to match one that they envisioned. But it must resonate. For a writer, crafting endings can result in a great deal of angst. The stakes are high, particularly for chapters at the outset of a book. The endings of a first chapter can determine an agent’s interest in representing an author or a publisher’s decision to acquire the manuscript. Nailing the last sentences of a novel is just as critical. A stellar ending can motivate readers to tell their friends about your book and spur sales. Writers have many choices about how to wrap up a scene or a book, and while there can be similarities in how writers should tackle book and chapter endings, there are several differences. Techniques to develop solid 54
chapter endings differ from novel endings because the goal of the last sentences of a chapter is to wrap up the scene and to keep readers turning the page, whereas the end of the novel should conclude the story as a whole. SIX TIPS FOR WRITING SOLID CHAPTER ENDINGS While finding strong endings may seem daunting, the following six techniques for writers can be used as a guide to break down the process. Successful chapter endings can easily fall into multiple categories. A chapter that ends with a question can also be a cliffhanger; a philosophical ending can reveal a change in character. 1. Leave the sense that more is to come. This ending is a great way to leave your protagonist unsettled. Maybe a character has a nagging feeling that there’s something off about their situation. Perhaps a niece finds an old letter in the attic. Don’t have her open the letter yet, save revealing the contents for the next chapter. What if a son discovers an area of newly turned soil in the back pasture and his dad’s been missing for six days? The “more to come” ending might have him heading for the barn to find a shovel.
2. Cliffhangers. Similar to #1, cliffhangers are effective devices to keep readers engaged, but they are more sudden. Often there’s mortal danger involved or a shocking revelation. A bank robber feeling a cold, steel gun barrel pressed to his head as he’s about to escape is a classic example of a cliffhanger. 3. Questions. Endings using a question can be an internal thought or dialogue. Imagine a scenario where a single woman who comes home from working the graveyard shift finds her back door wide open, but no evidence of forced entry. She could have inner turmoil about how she’d been stupid again and forgot to lock it just like last week, but her concluding thought could be: “But this morning, I remember chipping my fingernail polish when I pulled the door close. Or was that yesterday?” Her uncertainty amps up the tension. The same scenario can also be wrapped up using dialogue. Our narrator can step inside and say, “Hello?” 4. Change in the Character. In this ending, the character may shift their understanding of who they are. A protagonist may decide to let go of a grudge. They may have been agnostic and decide to step into a church
Books ‘N Pieces Magazine — April 2022 — www.BooksNPieces.com
