Cliffhangers

Dear Bloggie

It’s been awhile, and I’ve been feeling the guilt of not posting anything with you. The stress of finishing a novel and the relief after it was done can be my only excuse. Writing can take a lot, and sadly you get neglected in the mad rush of fiction and fanfiction.

It’s the fanfiction that brings me back, and hopefully for a now weekly (or more frequent) posting. I’ve been thinking about the comments reviewers leave me and one of the most common is about my cliffies—cliffhangers at the end of chapters. I’ve been called cruel, evil, mean. All high compliments to my writing, since it means my readers were so caught up that when they reached that moment, they were left hanging. (Pardon the pun.)
So why do I do it?

Personally, I love a good cliffhanger. That moment before the commercial that takes your breath away, or the pause between chapters when you are left panting for more. I love those writers that leave us hanging, just not for too long. One of my favorite novelists left her last book with a little tiny cliffie at the end and I was screaming for more and wondering how long until the next book came out (since I bought it on the day of the release? A full year of course) I think it adds so much more to the tension of the story, those moments when the reader (or viewer) is left screaming begging for just a little more.

Of course, the other thing is I’m pretty sure I’m possessed by a cliffhanger demon who makes me do it. His name is Scopulus and try as I might to get rid of him—he seems to enjoy Latin—he just won’t leave. So we work together on stories, Scopulus and I, he prods and pokes until the end reaches the screaming point. He gently encourages those chapter endings that leave readers begging for more. So, he’s the one, really, who makes me do it! Yeah, really! Complain to Scopulus.

For now, I have to admit, I will continue with the cliffies, and Scopulus will be there encouraging me along the way.