“Give your chapter endings extra love”

The other day I turned in a library book without finishing it. . . . Sigh. . . . Have you ever done that?

I almost gave up on that book several times but kept telling myself to give it one more try, and then one more try, but eventually I just couldn't keep reading.

Why do we stop reading some books? There are several reasons. It has to do with the story itself, but it also has to do with how the author writes that story. Last week we looked at how to begin your memoir's chapters (Your chapter openings: Do they intrigue readers?) and this week we'll look at how to end your chapters. 

We all know this: Readers have a choice at the end of each chapter. They can turn the page and begin the next chapter . . . or not.

We want to prevent that "or not."

We must write chapter endings

that motivate readers, that compel them, 

that propel them forward into the next chapter,

and then into the next chapter.

That's why we need to learn to write effective chapter endings.

Book chapter endings aren't supposed to resemble composition endings we penned in college freshman English. Back then we concluded with a summary that tied everything together and provided a satisfying end. Our composition endings brought a sense of closure. Resolution. We might think that's how to end our memoir chapters, too, but that's not the case.

Rebecca Belliston writes, " . . . if we end every chapter with a resolved scene, readers might leave for those Oreos and find something else to do. When it comes to holding reader interest, knowing when to end a chapter matters almost as much as knowing what content to include within the chapter."

Look over your memoir's rough draft. Examine the endings of your chapters. Ask yourself if each compels readers to turn the next page and keep reading.

Here are a few techniques:

Mystery, tension, emotion: Time pressures, threats, or risks motivate readers to keep reading. A sudden death. An unexpected kiss. A forced change of plans.

Surprise: You realize the good guy is the bad guy.

Suspense: End a chapter where a main character is still striving toward a longed-for goal that's been out of reach, but he/she is getting closer and closer.

Ask a question that captivates the reader and makes her want to read more. For example, in my second memoir, Please, God, Don't Make Me Go: A Foot-Dragger's Memoir, I ended one chapter this way:

"But what if Dave's idea wasn't just youthful, half-baked idealism? When he burst through that door with that goofy grin and said, 'We are moving to Lomalinda,' did God burst through with him? With a big grin?' (Please, God, Don't Make Me Go: A Foot-Dragger's Memoir) 

Drop a new twist into your story—a new conflict, a secret, or something terrifying or dangerous. For example, also from my second memoir:

"Swimmers also admitted their fear that pirañas might chew on them, but that didn't keep them out of the water—unless they had sores on their bodies. With powerful jaws and teeth like razors, pirañas have a reputation for eating a man in a couple of minutes, leaving only a skeleton—but Lomalinda's didn't bite unless they smelled blood, and thus the need for those with an open sore to stay out of the lake. (Pirañas only nibbled on a mole on Dave's knee.)

"And let me tell you about boa constrictors."

Reveal a tidbit of information—maybe good news, maybe bad news—that hints at (foreshadows) the future and creates curiosity. For example:

"The policeman returned and told Will he'd requested reinforcements. 'We will be ready for the terrorists if they come back,' he said. They didn't come back—not that night anyway—but our people remained in the guerrillas' crosshairs for decades to come. Later Will summed it up: 'It was obvious that some who opposed us ideologically were willing and able to kill to remove us from the scene. . . . Terrorism was to affect our lives very significantly for the next several years." (Please, God, Don't Make Me Go: A Foot-Dragger's Memoir)

Another technique is to give readers a candid look into your heart. Be vulnerable, transparent. For example:

"Now I look back on my first few days in Lomalinda and shake my head. I still get an ache in my heart when I remember. But in the years since then, I've learned to extend grace to myself. I can even smile a little. But I wasn't smiling back then." (Please, God, Don't Make Me Go: A Foot-Dragger's Memoir)

Humor is good. Make 'em laugh.

Or make 'em cry.

Here's another tip: End a chapter in the middle of a conflict (real or emotional), or the middle of a critical conversation, situation, or event.

Ashley Martin says, "Look for places in your story where something BIG happens. Once you've found that big event—rewind. When you've found the apex—the point where your character is teetering on the edge of that pivotal moment—FREEZE. Stop your chapter there, and don't reveal what happens until the start of the next."

We call that a cliffhanger.

Aaron Elkins makes this important point: ". . . A cliffhanger ending to a chapter doesn't have to be an action scene. As long as it leaves the reader 'hanging,' you're in business."

Here's another important tip: End your chapters in a variety of ways—mix them up. Be unpredictable.

"One of the best things an author can hear

from a reader is,

'I'm so exhausted.

I stayed up until four in the morning

to finish your book.'

. . . If they're willing to give up sleep,

they must have really liked the book."

Rebecca Belliston

Whatever you do and however you do it, hook your readers. Leave them with irresolution—make them curious to know what will happen next. Compel them to turn the page.

K.M. Weiland says, "Many a book has been declared dead to its reader and cast aside never to be remembered—and all because the reader reached a chapter break and didn't care enough to keep reading."

Weiland continues, "That's the bad news. The good news is that when chapter breaks are done right, many a reader has kept scrabbling through the pages, deep into the night, because he simply couldn't look away from the enticing hooks the author kept planting at the ending  . . . of each chapter."

So, if you don't want your memoir to sit on a shelf and collect dust, invest time in crafting intriguing chapter endings. In the words of K.M. Weiland, "give your chapter endings extra love."