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Cliffhangers vs. Game Changers (and the ending of ALL FALL DOWN)

February 19, 2015 by Ally Carter 10 Comments

So ever since ALL FALL DOWN (Embassy Row 1) came out a few weeks ago, I’ve been hearing a lot of people talk about the massive “cliffhanger” that the book ends on.

Except … To be perfectly honest, it isn’t a cliffhanger.

A cliffhanger means that characters are in imminent peril (hanging off a cliff). I can even go with those who say a cliffhanger means that a book/movie/tv episode ends at a point of maximum suspense with the central questions of that book/film/tv episode being unanswered.

I am not opposed to cliffhangers—and I don’t see the term as an insult! But I do think that ”cliffhanger” might be the most misunderstood and misused term in all of fiction. (Beaten only possibly by “Mary Sue”.)

After all, there are people who still complain that I ended the Gallagher Girls on such a “cliffhanger” because we don’t know if Zach and Cammie got married, had kids, what those kids names were and if the kids went to Gallagher or Blackthorne.

So to a lot of people, “cliffhanger” means “there is something—anything—that I as the reader do not know”.

Well, if those are your standards then, I’m sorry, probably every book you’ll ever read for the rest of your life will be a “cliffhanger”.

Where I think a lot of people get confused by the term is when the core plot line of that book is wrapped up and then the author—or storyteller—chooses to introduce something that will alter the plot lines of future stories.

So, for example:

Harry Potter has just competed in the TriWizard tournament. We know how his name got into the Goblet of Fire. We know how he survives. We know who dies. But…at the end of the book Voldermort gets a body. So we also know that the world in which Harry lives is going to be very different from now on.

Is The Goblet of Fire a cliffhanger? No. Does it end in a way that makes you eager and anxious for the next book? You bet!

But that, my friend, is not a Cliffhanger. It is a Game Changer. And I love them so, so very much.

Is the world that Grace encounters in book 2 going to be a different world? Yes. Will she have different worries, questions, and fears? Yes. But for the central question of book one: did the Scarred Man kill Grace’s mother? We have a clear, undeniable answer, and Grace is not in imminent peril. So, no. Not a cliffhanger.

I can understand why some people are confused. After all, you’d better believe I want people eager, anxious, and excited for book two. But to be technical about it, that’s because of book one’s GAME CHANGER.

I’ve been doing this for a while now, and this is what I’ve learned: to keep a series fresh, every now and then you have to change the game. I don’t want to write the same story over and over and over again.

And I am VERY excited for all of you to see what lies in store for Grace in book two.

(Oh and if you think the “cliffhanger” at the end of book one is bad? *evil laugh*)

-ALLY

PS: please no spoilers in the comments. I know a lot of people haven’t had a chance to read it yet!

Filed Under: Embassy Row, For Writers

Comments

  1. Brooke says

    February 19, 2015 at 4:29 pm

    I am very excited about book two!!! I loved book one and i understand what you mean Ally. I didnt think it was a cliffhanger it seemed much more like a gamechange/plot twist kind of. Very exciting!! It seems like book two will be even better though book one was awesome! But book two will be opening up to a whole other world! I can wait! You are one of my top favorite authors for YA!
    Brooke

    Reply
  2. Thalia Harrison says

    February 20, 2015 at 11:30 am

    I love the book the ending was amazing. It left me wanting more of the book. All and all love it so much! Can’t wait for the next one!

    Reply
  3. Kaitlin says

    February 21, 2015 at 4:28 pm

    I absolutely loved All Fall Down!! I didn’t think of the ending as a cliff hanger it just makes me more excited for the next book!!

    Reply
  4. Sabina G says

    February 22, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    Omg I am still very excited to read book 2! At the end of book 1 I had a feeling of suspense and it made me want to read the next one, it got me more excited to read the next one! I do agree that people overuse the word “cliffhanger”, they assume that when ever something ends differently or unanswered that it is a “cliffhanger” but that’s not the cause every time! So I can completely understand and agree with you!

    Reply
  5. Grace says

    February 23, 2015 at 2:32 pm

    All fall down was an amazing book!!! I can’t wait to read the second book! I loved all the characters and the way you described what they looked like, your an amazing writer.

    Reply
  6. Liz Brooks says

    February 23, 2015 at 9:02 pm

    I had to laugh when I read this. Several times as I was reading ALL FALL DOWN, I encountered reviews that referenced a cliffhanger. Then I finished the book (which was great, by the way), and chuckled to myself about that. I wonder what those same people would do if they encountered an *actual* cliffhanger.

    Reply
  7. Katie says

    February 24, 2015 at 5:33 pm

    I loved this book! Thank you Ally Carter for writing clean books that are so enjoyable and exciting!

    Reply
  8. m88 says

    June 17, 2015 at 8:41 am

    What’s up, I chesck your new stuhff like every week.
    Your story-telling style is awesome, keep up the good work!

    Reply
  9. mackenzie says

    August 27, 2015 at 6:53 pm

    hey ally, I was just wondering… Why did you call the book All Fall Down?

    Reply
  10. Gracie says

    August 22, 2016 at 5:59 pm

    i didnt understand how like her mom died then at the end she was alive and the man took and picture of her and i need help what happened who killed her mom what happened that night her mom died PLZZZ HELP!!!

    Reply

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