Slack-style cliffhanger text story: Part 1: the file
A ready Slack-style chat for a cliffhanger that sets up Part 2, eight messages long and about 28 seconds as a video. Load it, change the words and export it as a labelled, fictional mock-up.
The full script (8 messages)
The first four messages open on the Free plan; the rest need a paid plan.
The script: Part 1: the file
Load Part 1: the file and you get eight messages: Pru starts with "A file appeared in the shared drive called 'READ ME'.", Quentin closes with "It is a 12-page report.", and the read-through takes roughly 28 seconds.
Message 1 is the longest at 10 words ("A file appeared in the shared drive called 'READ ME'."); message 2 is the shortest ("Who made it?"). Three lines ask a question, so the other person keeps answering.
How the Slack look carries the story
Slack-style chats are rows rather than bubbles: a square avatar, a bold name, a small time and the message text underneath, with emoji reactions as chips below. This look starts at the Standard plan, which is worth knowing before you plan a batch of stories. Switch on typing dots, reactions and an online status when you build the scene; read marks are not offered for Slack. Threaded replies are a signature of the real app; in a short story, one extra named person joining the thread often does the same job. This look uses ChatsRat's shared layout, so treat it as a style guide.
Writing notes: cliffhanger
Use one line that changes everything and put it second to last. The last line should be a reaction, not an explanation. A cliffhanger must be fair. Do not promise an answer you cannot give, and publish Part 2 soon.
What the Free plan shows
On a Free account you see four messages of Part 1: the file, ending at "What is in it?". To get to "It is a 12-page report.", four messages later, upgrade to a paid plan.
Tips
- Pause on Pru's "One line: 'Check the last page of the report.'" before moving on to the next bubble.
- Let the opening "A file appeared in the shared drive called 'READ ME'." breathe so a late scroller still knows who is talking.
- Put "Part 1" in the title and link Part 2 in the caption and the first comment.
- Make the ending your own by editing "It is a 12-page report."; add "fictional chat" to the caption.
- Try two new names in place of Pru and Quentin, then read the story out loud once.
Questions
Can I use Part 1: the file on the Free plan?
The Slack look needs the Standard plan or above, so a Free account cannot open it. The Plans page lists what each plan includes, and the Free plan shows the first four messages of a free look.
How long is Part 1: the file as a video?
About 28 seconds at a comfortable reading pace, counting eight messages with a short beat between them. Add a second or two for the ending card and a little more if you use a typing indicator before the last line.
What if I do not know the end yet?
Write the answer first, then cut the story just before it. A cliffhanger without an ending is only a loose thread.
Is this Slack-style chat a real conversation?
No. It is an invented story between Pru and Quentin, made as a mock-up. ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Slack, and the name describes a style only. Label the video as fiction.
This is fiction. The people and events in this story are invented. ChatsRat makes mock-ups and fictional conversations for creators, designers and teachers. Do not use it to pass off a made-up conversation as a real one, to impersonate a real person, or as proof of anything. See the Acceptable Use policy.
About the watermark. Exports on the Free plan carry a visible ChatsRat watermark, and every export carries an invisible mark that the verify page can read. Plans list what changes on paid plans.
ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app. App names on this page describe a style only.
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