The Cliffside Sentence

Ending on a Breath

A chapter ending is not a place to rest; it is a place to breathe. In my current draft, I’ve been looking at the final lines of each section. If a chapter ends with a sense of total resolution, the reader has a natural excuse to set the book down.

Instead, I try to end on a “cliffside” sentence—not necessarily a dramatic explosion, but a moment of emotional or intellectual curiosity. A good ending should feel like a held breath. It should leave a small, nagging question in the reader’s mind that can only be answered by crossing the white space into the next chapter.

The Monroe Minute
Look at your current chapter ending. Try ending the scene two sentences earlier to see if it creates a more compelling “hook.”

Until the next page,
Sloane S. Monroe

Sloane Shay Monroe

I don’t write to idealize love, but to explore it honestly, with emotional precision and depth.