Sketch by Ingmar Drewing It's not a new trend: in the 1800s, the likes of Charles Dickens and George Eliot had their works published as serializations, and readers had to wait (patiently or impatiently, it made no difference) for the next installment to come out. What is new(er) is the ability of readers to post instant reviews and voice their disapproval of an author's reader-baiting tactics. Like these in the image below (click image to enlarge).  This author and series will remain anonymous, for obvious reasons. One of the reviews mentions three books, but the series has developed into at least six books since that was posted. Aside from the complaints that the books in this series are far too short to be sold as full-length novels, the biggest grumbles stem from the cliffhanger endings blatantly intended to hook the reader into purchasing the next installment in the series. So intent is the author on this tactic that, apparently, some of the books are truncated at odd po...

Often, I tell editing clients, "Scene (or Chapter) needs a stronger ending. You want to compel (and propel) the reader to the next scene (or chapter)." This usually leads to a talk about cliffhangers and best practices in developing them. Although I suggest several ways to work on this, I always tell clients to remember the main plot. Readers continue reading to see how that plot (and sub-plots) concludes. If a scene (and definitely a chapter) ends with no mention of the main plot, no tie back to it, it can leave the reader wondering, What happened to the story? The same way I tell my Freshman Comp students to tie their paragraphs to their thesis, it’s important for creative writers to make sure scenes and chapters close in a way that keep the reader on the story .   ~~~~~~~~~~ Shon Bacon is an author, doctoral candidate, editor, and educator. She has published both creatively and academically. Shon also interviews women writers on her popular blog ChickLitGurrl: high...