Tell Me Something Tuesday #7

Welcome to my weekly meme Tell Me Something Tuesday where I ask you something and you tell me the answer!! It’s as simple as that and I thought it would be a great way for all of us bloggers to get to know one another! So this is how it works: I post a question here on my blog and then i give my answer. I invite all the bloggers to take the question and post it on their blog with their answer and we can hop around and see what everyone says! If you are a blogger don’t forget to leave your link at the bottom of this post! If you aren’t a blogger – that’s okay too!! Leave your answer in the comments section!

Tell Me Something:

  How do you feel about cliffhanger endings in books?

 

This is a hard question! Cliffhanger endings can effect me one of two ways: They can leave me feeling exctied about the next book OR they can make me want to tear my hair out and cuss like a sailor.

So needless to say that option one is a much better way to end the book. I guess that would be a First Degree Hanger – that’s right peeps I am making up my own language here, roll with me. Things that would be included in a First Degree Hanger are – you know that a something big is coming, you know that the characters of the book are still up to something and you can’t wait to figure it out. It might even mean the dreaded love triangle promises to resolve itself. With a First Degree Hanger all the immediate most page turning questions have been answered, the reader feels like they have been read a complete story – they understand the plot and the characters and the secrets from the story.

I like this kind of cliffhanger ending because it poses a new plot for the next book. You get a taste of whats to come and trying to think up all the delicious possibilities while waiting for the next book to come out is fun.

And now onto the the hair tearing – cussing like a sailor – cliffhanger ending.

Let’s call this a Five Alarm Hanger. I am inspired to name it this because its like five alarm chili – you take a moutfull and swallow but there is NO RELIEF. No amount of water guzzling, tongue scraping or heavy breathing can take away the power of this spicy concotion. (Note: No chili was harmed in the writing of this TMST post. Also, note: I have never had five alarm chili. LOL)

There is a real sense of urgency with a Five Alarm Hanger where the reader thinks “At last! The moment I have been waiting for!” Then something tragic happens and you get NOTHING. You are left flipping the final page back and forth back and forth saying “Where the rest?!” only there ISN”T ANY!!! This kind of book obviously can really make a reader angry. It can take  the pleasant reading experience, the page turning and nail biting moments and completely wipe them from your mind only to be replaced with a mind repeating matra of “WHY????”.

Usually I still want to read the next book. I mean the build up had been intense but then learning that you have to wait (and usually its a heinous amount of wait time – like a year) for the answers you thought you were going to get.

I can both appreciate and hate a Five Alarm Hanger. (all my reasons for hating this kind of hanger are listed above) As a writer and a reader I can appreciate it though. Why? Because any writer who can illicite such a strong reaction from any reader has done their job, wouldn’t you say? To make you want that answer – that information so badly – that when you don’t get it you are just so upset, that’s good writing. Usually after I cool off from a Five Alarm Hanger I remember how much I liked the rest of the book and how much I want to read the next one to find out the answers. Also another good thing about the FAH is that usually a reader cannot stay away from that second book, even if you were left in a sobbing heap of “WHY!?” when that next book finally comes out the reader usually buys it to get the answer (at least I do, and I know others that do as well). I mean from a writing standpoint its brilliant marketing because you have built in sales for your next book.

In all I think that Cliffhanger endings are a tough thing to really rate because sometimes they are soo good but other times they just make you mad.

A few examples of Five Alarm Hangers are (Note: I am not going to tell you names of any books because it would ruin the ending!):

When a beloved character dies on like the last page.

When the characters are in some kind of disaster (i.e. a fire) and only one character gets out and then stands there and wonders about the rest of the people (usually a love interest) then the book is over and the reader has no clue who lives.

A shifter gets stuck in their animal form on the last page and can’t change back.

When two people come face to face that you have been anticipating then the book ends. (like the killer and the main character)

Etc, Etc, Etc…..

A few examples of First Degree Hangers (to me) are:

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – some of you might consider this ending to be a FAH but to me the immediate danger was over and a new plot had been effectively set up for the reader to anticipate for the next book)

Masquerade by Cambria Hebert – Yes, this is my book and you all know I usually do not mention my books in my posts bc I don’t like to spam people but I know this book really well and to me it’s a good example of a FDH beacause all the immediae questions had been answered but you know what the next book is going to be about and you know more drama is coming…. and on a little side note: Charade (Heven and Hell #2) is probably going to have more of a FAH ending…..

Okay so that’s my answer on Cliffhanger endings! I cannot wait to see what you all say!!

BUT WAIT! Don’t leave yet!

I am going to try out something new on TMST and post next week’s question for all you bloggers who want to participate next week. That way you will have the question and you can be thinking of the answer and get your post ready whenever you have time. I hope this makes it easier for peeps to participate. 😉

So, here is next weeks (February 14th – Valentines day!) Question:

     In honor of valentine’s day I want to know: Who are your favorite book couples?

So that’s it!! Now it’s your turn to Tell Me Something!