The king of cliffhangers today is probably Dan Brown. Perhaps he uses them too often for some tastes, but if you have a problem ending a scene, study his technique.

Never feel that you have to “close out” a scene with characters leaving, walking away, going home. When the story action stops, give your character a cool exit line, either in dialogue, action, or internal thought. Then stop.

Never resolve conflict in a scene before starting new conflict. If this concept troubles you, read it this way: never relax tension in a scene before creating new tension. Tension is the heart of storytelling.

Leave every scene with the expectation that something is about to happen—even if it’s just sleeping soundly through a night with the expectation of a new day.

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