Listen, people. I write fic. I know that a well-conceived story requires more than plot. I know that good character development often necessitates character back story, and flashbacks are one way to show that. Here's the thing, though: there is a time and a place for flashbacks, and that time is not right after a cliffie. And if you have the audacity to place a flashback right after a cliffie, the end of the chapter had better come back to the present and deliver substantial plot progression.
So, here's a PSA for all the little girls who think it's fun to play with cliffies: playing with cliffies is like playing with fire, and when you play with fire you get burnt. If you're going to use a cliffhanger to build suspense, show that you know what you're doing:
- Relieve the tension in a timely fashion--no one likes a tease
- Make the resolution satisfying (i.e., don't use a cliffhanger as an empty device that ultimately fakes the reader out a la 80's show "Dallas"). Only a well-resolved cliffhanger will make the reader feel the update was worth waiting for.
- Use cliffhangers sparingly, and alongside other mechanisms that build dramatic tension. In some ways, cliffhangers limit authors while a slow burn gives more license for authors to tell the story the way they want
That is all.
