How to make the most of your Chapter Endings

How to make the most of your Chapter Endings -

Credit: mfhiatt Flickr

while we recently discussed the importance of getting a book ends well, I want to talk about another form of endings, which are equally important to me .

Of course, like you, I'm sure so artfully gathered from the title, I mean chapter endings.

Although the writing and revision, I like to imagine that one day, a reader will read my book in the middle of the night, and eventually decide do I read a another chapter or going to bed?

my goal, in this hypothetical situation, is to make it difficult for the player above to turn the book. I want my readers to think I just read one more chapter and realize ten chapters later that they had no intention to read as much. If I do my job correctly, put down the book will never be an easy decision.

Although it may feel like it, accomplishing this feat is not a work of magic, it is a combination of tension, intrigue and great chapter endings. But what really makes a great chapter end

My favorite types of chapter endings tend to go one of three ways :?

1. They abandon the shocking information [ Usually this is a great revelation, a kind of twist the plot, or an unexpected hazard of nature. I tend to be very fond of them in my own writing, because I am writing, they make me want to keep writing
   
   Example :. ". Someone firm hand on my mouth" - Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (page 341)


2. They let you ask questions. These issues can range from how the hell is the character will come out of this to who is this mysterious stranger who keeps appearing everywhere? The point is, if you leave your readers with questions about the story, at the end of a chapter, the chances are they'll want to keep reading to try to get those answers.
   
   Example: "It is not pleasant, Brendan said. "And I hope you know how to use a gun." - Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (page 119)


3. They end on an obsession or Note particularly evocative. These can vary quite widely, but sometimes the right image to echo the mood of the book or whatever passes may be just the transition from a reader needs to grow in the next chapter.
   
   Example: "Because it is so difficult to fight against what you can not control and now I can not even control my own imagination as he grabbed my hair and dragged me in the dark." - Unravel me by Tahereh Mafi (page 109)

I used all my examples of Unravel me because I particularly like the way Ms Mafi ends its chapters, and I often find myself saying another chapter when playing. I raved about his genius here.

Although these are not the only three ways to end a chapter in an interesting way, they happen to be my favorite techniques, and I found that they work well. But now I want to hear you What techniques your favorite chapter endings use?

Twitter sized bites:

This makes a great chapter ends? Writer @Ava_Jae sharing some tips on effective ways to end your chapters. (Click for tweeter)

Are you making the most of your chapter ends? (Click for tweeter)