A long long time ago,everybody read serialized novels published as stories,this approach to writing was followed with great success by Charles Dickens(who is the narrator in The Old Curiosity Shop) and Arthur Conan Doyle(the death and resurrection of Sherlock Holmes is a case in point).It is widely believed that Dickens popularized the cliffhanger(atleast the word,if not the idea) and it changed the world forever.Instead of bringing the episode to a satisfactory end while assuaging the audience,authors learned that it made much more sense to have a dramatic non-ending.There are multiple advantages of doing this,firstly the mighty author did not have to figure it all out immediately,it also provides a chance for patching loose ends in the story and course-correction.Not only is it a great aesthetic device,it is the greatest sales pitch ever,if it is done right.
The community of storytellers fell in love with this idea and tried to restructure their stories to fit this framework.Using cliffhangers in a story changes everything,it changes the amount/quality of information that is presented to the reader and the charecters.It enables the author to use information,a charecter's perspective and the perception of information as tools of the narrative.It also requires that the author plan ahead(at least to an extent) and carefully craft a story to provide hints and clues leading either huge reveals/cliffhangers.Using perception and perspective as tools introduce wild and exotic ideas such as the unreliable narrator,an idea expressed at it's best by movies such as Memento and Fight Club.
Writing in this style also means that as more is revealed by/about a certain charecter,it becomes more emotionally involved and the author follows them by making the stakes bigger,keeping them interested,pushing them to care even more about the story then they believe they could have.Real world people begin discussing the story and the charecters as if they existed in the real world and a good cliffhanger causes massive speculation like the one caused by the end of the second season of Sherlock.I have begun to believe that a human being is incapable of resisting a cliffhanger,it might just be that the greatest exploit of the brain's Reward Circuit.
In the modern world,the cliffhanger has been greatly abused,reality shows will tell you who gets eliminated,game shows will tell you if this man won Rs.10,000,but only after the break.A popular series of books will tell you if the lead charecter prefers a werewolf to a vampire but only in the third novel.And an Indian soap opera asks you Did Jhanvi notice the spoon?(thank you for this one Quora).Oh GOD,is this what the world has come to?
Me: We were talking about cliffhangers,we need a cliffhanger to end this.
Sleepy Brain: What's the matter bro,just go to sleep.
Inquisitive Brain:Whose idea was it write down your ramblings now?
Subconcious: I have been researching this for a while now.
Sleepy Brain:No,you werent.Stop taking credit for my work.
Tired yet inquisitive brain: Is it possible that you unknowingly collaborated on this?
Sleepy yet alarmed brain:Dont believe the subconcious,do not trust the conscience,I did it all alone.I always get what I want.
Conscience:Did someone mention me,by the way I think...
Agitated conscience[garbled voice,unable to find an outlet]:Is anybody there?Listen to me...
Strange voice: You talkin' to me?
The community of storytellers fell in love with this idea and tried to restructure their stories to fit this framework.Using cliffhangers in a story changes everything,it changes the amount/quality of information that is presented to the reader and the charecters.It enables the author to use information,a charecter's perspective and the perception of information as tools of the narrative.It also requires that the author plan ahead(at least to an extent) and carefully craft a story to provide hints and clues leading either huge reveals/cliffhangers.Using perception and perspective as tools introduce wild and exotic ideas such as the unreliable narrator,an idea expressed at it's best by movies such as Memento and Fight Club.
Writing in this style also means that as more is revealed by/about a certain charecter,it becomes more emotionally involved and the author follows them by making the stakes bigger,keeping them interested,pushing them to care even more about the story then they believe they could have.Real world people begin discussing the story and the charecters as if they existed in the real world and a good cliffhanger causes massive speculation like the one caused by the end of the second season of Sherlock.I have begun to believe that a human being is incapable of resisting a cliffhanger,it might just be that the greatest exploit of the brain's Reward Circuit.
In the modern world,the cliffhanger has been greatly abused,reality shows will tell you who gets eliminated,game shows will tell you if this man won Rs.10,000,but only after the break.A popular series of books will tell you if the lead charecter prefers a werewolf to a vampire but only in the third novel.And an Indian soap opera asks you Did Jhanvi notice the spoon?(thank you for this one Quora).Oh GOD,is this what the world has come to?
Me: We were talking about cliffhangers,we need a cliffhanger to end this.
Sleepy Brain: What's the matter bro,just go to sleep.
Inquisitive Brain:Whose idea was it write down your ramblings now?
Subconcious: I have been researching this for a while now.
Sleepy Brain:No,you werent.Stop taking credit for my work.
Tired yet inquisitive brain: Is it possible that you unknowingly collaborated on this?
Sleepy yet alarmed brain:Dont believe the subconcious,do not trust the conscience,I did it all alone.I always get what I want.
Conscience:Did someone mention me,by the way I think...
Agitated conscience[garbled voice,unable to find an outlet]:Is anybody there?Listen to me...
Strange voice: You talkin' to me?
THE END
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