Hang on! It's a cliffhanger!

As webcomics are uploaded periodically, be that in pages, chapters or episodes, it’s imperative that we use all the tricks in the book to keep them coming back. One sure fire way to keep your readers coming back for more is by exploiting the cliffhanger device.

A cliffhanger is a situation, event or question that is left uncertain until it happens. The reader will be left with unresolved emotions and will seek to have them answered by coming back. We crave resolution in comics, books and even music. It is our nature to seek answers, so what better way to keep the audience coming back than by exploiting that nature.

The key to creating a satisfying cliffhanger is by posing a question by the end of the episode. When it comes to structuring a chapter/episode/issue, we start by answering the question we posed in the one before it. Therefore, the reader will know that when we leave them hanging, we’ll be sure to drag them up eventually. As the issue progresses however, we complicate the answer by adding more questions. Having an outline will definitely help you in pacing the chapter as you’ll know what information is needed and what emotional story beats you’ll want to hit to make that ending question hit harder. Avoid answering all the questions in one chapter. That’s what the ending is for.

Keep in mind that these questions need to relate to the plot and keep it moving forward. If you continue on pages upon pages without answering a question then the focus is not on the plot and the readers are more likely to let go and float away. Again an outline can help you prioritise which questions to put where.

How do you handle cliffhangers in your comic? Let us know in the comment section below! And join us on Sunday evening for our Quackchat at 5:30PM(EST)!

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