You can’t be an effective writer if you don’t keep your reader interested enough to keep reading once they’ve dived in. A great way to do this is to create suspense at the end of paragraphs by using the “cliffhanger” technique.
As I was reading Ryan Cross’s article for Chemical & Engineering News on the future of mRNA vaccines, I noticed he does this several times. Let’s look at a couple of those.
Paragraph
“It’s easy to forget that just 2 years ago most people had never heard of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Among those who had, many were skeptical that the technology would work. Even if mRNA vaccines proved to be safe and effective, manufacturing the genetic molecules in vast amounts seemed like a distant goal. COVID-19 changed all of that virtually overnight.”
Analysis
This is the first paragraph in the article. The opening sentences set the context by describing how distant successful mRNA technologies were. Then, whammo: “COVID changed all of that virtually overnight.” Not only is the sentence effective because of the urgent language (“all of that”, “changed…overnight”), but because it sets up for the reader the expectation that exciting information is coming. So…read on!
Paragraph
“No one expected the first commercial mRNA products to touch so many lives—or make their developers so much money. Moderna estimates it will sell up to $18 billion of its vaccine this year, and Pfizer pins its estimate twice as high, $36 billion. The drug industry no longer doubts mRNA’s worth. The question is now: What can mRNA do next?”
Analysis
Again, in the last sentence, Cross pivots from the main point of the paragraph, the mRNA vaccines’ unexpected sales numbers, to the point of the next one: what’s next for mRNA? Cross could have started his new paragraph with this sentence, but he would have risked losing his audience by ending the previous paragraph with a whimper. Instead, he kept them hooked.
It may not be appropriate to use the cliffhanger technique for every paragraph; you need to let your outline dictate that. (Note I didn’t do that at the end of the paragraph before this one.) But when you can, you’ll add forward momentum to your writing that will pay off by ensuring your reader gets your entire message. Review any of your current drafts to see where this technique may help you, and try it!