{"id":14879,"date":"2021-03-02T01:00:05","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T05:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?p=14879"},"modified":"2021-03-29T13:04:31","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T17:04:31","slug":"how-to-write-transitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions\/","title":{"rendered":"How to write transitions: cliffhangers"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>External transitions move readers from section to section<\/h2>\n<p>Talk about a transition. Here&#8217;s how author Erik Larson ends one chapter of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0375725601\/wwwwyliecomco-20?creative=0&amp;camp=0&amp;adid=1NPHSC4GCDX7KD3V20ZM&amp;link_code=as1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Devil in the White City<\/a>: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America<\/em>:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25882\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25882\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"25882\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/03\/how-do-you-write-a-good-transition\/how-to-write-transitions-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions.png\" data-orig-size=\"450,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"how-to-write-transitions\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Change the subject&lt;\/strong&gt; External transitions thrust readers forward beyond the ends of chapters or sections. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/chalk-drawing-orange-arrow-many-white-353531453&quot; title=&quot;Image&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by patpitchaya&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions-300x200.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions.png\" alt=\"How to write transitions\" title=\"How to write transitions\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25882 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions.png 450w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions-300x200.png 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"25882\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/03\/how-do-you-write-a-good-transition\/how-to-write-transitions-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions.png\" data-orig-size=\"450,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"how-to-write-transitions\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Change the subject&lt;\/strong&gt; External transitions thrust readers forward beyond the ends of chapters or sections. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/chalk-drawing-orange-arrow-many-white-353531453&quot; title=&quot;Image&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by patpitchaya&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions-300x200.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions.png\" alt=\"How to write transitions\" title=\"How to write transitions\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions.png 450w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-write-transitions-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25882\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Change the subject<\/strong> External transitions thrust readers forward beyond the ends of chapters or sections. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/chalk-drawing-orange-arrow-many-white-353531453\" title=\"Image\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Image by patpitchaya<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"excerptbox\" style=\"border:1px solid black;\">&#8220;&#8216;Would the thin rods (of the first Ferris wheel) be sufficient to sustain not only the enormous weight of the structure and that of the 2,000 passengers who might chance to be in the cars, but the pressure of the wind as well?&#8217; a reporter asked. \u2026 In three weeks, that question would find an answer.&#8221;<\/div>\n<p>Transitions like Larson&#8217;s thrust the reader forward \u2014 from the end of one section to the beginning of the next. And that&#8217;s the job of external transitions: keeping the reader&#8217;s attention beyond a natural stopping point.<\/p>\n<p>That means external transitions need to work harder than <a title=\"Internal transitions bridge the gaps\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/03\/how-do-you-write-a-good-transition\/\">internal transitions<\/a>, which just move the reader from sentence to sentence or paragraph to paragraph.<\/p>\n<p>To write great external transitions:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Create cliff-hangers.<\/h3>\n<p>The best external transitions hint at what is to come. They keep the reader moving along by promising that something fascinating is just around the corner.<\/p>\n<p>Larson is a master of the external transition. Here are two more chapter enders from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0375725601\/wwwwyliecomco-20?creative=0&amp;camp=0&amp;adid=1NPHSC4GCDX7KD3V20ZM&amp;link_code=as1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Devil in the White City<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n<div class=\"excerptbox\" style=\"border:1px solid black;\">&#8220;Much was made, in retrospect, of the fact that [architect John] Root, in evening dress, charged into the rock-cold night without first putting on a coat.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"excerptbox\" style=\"border:1px solid black;\">&#8220;Only later did the furnace man recognize that the kiln&#8217;s peculiar shape made it ideal for another, very different application. &#8216;In fact,&#8217; he said, &#8216;the general plan of the furnace was not unlike that of a crematory for dead bodies, and with the provision already described, there would be absolutely no odor from the furnace.&#8217; \u2026\u00a0 But again, that was later.&#8221;<\/div>\n<p>Ira Glass uses the same approach for &#8220;This American Life&#8221; station breaks. Here&#8217;s how he propelled listeners forward in the radio program&#8217;s legendary piece about the housing crisis, &ldquo;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thisamericanlife.org\/sites\/default\/files\/355_transcript.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Giant Pool of Money<\/a>&rdquo;:<br \/>\nLet&#8217;s pause and ponder <em>that <\/em>for a minute too.<\/p>\n<div class=\"excerptbox\" style=\"border:1px solid black;\">&#8220;Coming up, how $5 million can get you into $100 million of trouble. In a minute, from Chicago Public Radio and Public Radio International, when our program continues.&#8221;<\/div>\n<p>Of course, you have to make good on the promise of these external transitions. Cliffhangers followed by nonevents lose reader interest \u2014 and respect \u2014 in a hurry.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Model the mystery writers.<\/h3>\n<p>One way to polish external transitions is to study the last sentences in chapters of mysteries. &#8220;The Writer&#8217;s Guide to Hardy Boys Rack Books,&#8221; for instance, includes this excellent advice:<\/p>\n<div class=\"excerptbox\" style=\"border:1px solid black;\">&#8220;Every chapter must end with a cliffhanger. On the spectrum of cliffhangers, the best are those involving physical danger. Next best are perceived threats \u2014 a mysterious shadow, a scream, the sight of a gun, the earth rumbling. Last on the list is the moderately acceptable dramatic realization, such as &#8216;he&#8217;s been lying to us all along&#8217; or &lsquo;she&#8217;s the real spy.&rsquo;&#8221;<\/div>\n<p>I think of section enders like these as &#8220;But that was before we found the body in the bathtub&#8221; transitions.<\/p>\n<p>The idea is to write something that&#8217;s so provocative that the reader can&#8217;t stop reading. You want readers to think, &#8220;I&#8217;ll just read until they find that body in the bathtub.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A series of small promises from you (&#8220;A body in the bathtub is just around the corner&#8221;) and small commitments from your reader (&#8220;I&#8217;ll just read until they find it&#8221;) might just get your tired, busy, distracted reader to read to the end.<\/p>\n<div id='MC-CYR-GBTIP' class='widgets_on_page wop_tiny1  wop_small1  wop_medium1  wop_large1  wop_wide1'>\n\t\t\t<ul><li id=\"custom_html-23\" class=\"widget_text widget widget_custom_html\"><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><h3>What structure draws more readers?<\/h3>\r\n<p>Writers say, \u201cWe use the inverted pyramid because readers stop reading after the first paragraph.\u201d But in new research, readers say, \u201cWe stop reading after the first paragraph because you use the inverted pyramid.\u201d<a title=\"Catch Your Readers, a persuasive-writing workshop\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/corporate-communication-training-programs\/persuasive-writing-course\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/persuasive-writing-training.png\" alt=\"Catch Your Readers, a persuasive-writing workshop\" title=\"Catch Your Readers, a persuasive-writing workshop\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 250px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 250\/250;float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #000000; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/persuasive-writing-training.png\" alt=\"Catch Your Readers, a persuasive-writing workshop\" title=\"Catch Your Readers, a persuasive-writing workshop\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #000000; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max\"><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>If the traditional news structure doesn\u2019t work, how should we organize our messages?<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<p>Master a structure that\u2019s been proven in the lab to outperform the traditional news format at <a title=\"Catch Your Readers, a persuasive-writing workshop\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/corporate-communication-training-programs\/persuasive-writing-course\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Catch Your Readers<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 a persuasive-writing workshop.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n<p>There, you\u2019ll learn an organizing scheme that grabs readers\u2019 attention, keeps it for the long haul and leaves a lasting impression.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"btn btn--depth\" style=\"text-align: center;  margin: 10px 0 20px; width:100%;\"><a id=\"btnTT\" style=\"\" title=\"BOOK NOW\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/corporate-communication-training-programs\/persuasive-writing-course\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-width=\"91\">BOOK NOW<\/a>\r\n<!-- [if mso]>\r\n<p style=\"line-height:0;margin:0;\"><v:roundrect xmlns:v=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/corporate-communication-training-programs\/persuasive-writing-course\/\" style=\"width:153px\" arcsize=\"8%\" strokecolor=\"#D96237\" filled=\"t\"><v:fill 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section<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":25882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[298],"tags":[118,233],"class_list":{"0":"post-14879","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-feature-structure","8":"tag-organizing-copy","9":"tag-story-structure","10":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v23.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to write transitions: cliffhangers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Write cliff-hangers: External 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