Snapchat-style cliffhanger text story: Part 1: the timer
A ready Snapchat-style chat for a cliffhanger that sets up Part 2, eight messages long and about 22 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 timer
Load Part 1: the timer and you get eight messages: Lina starts with "My phone has a countdown I did not set.", Cody closes with "Do not turn it off.", and the read-through takes roughly 22 seconds.
Look at message 1, "My phone has a countdown I did not set.", which runs 9 words, then at message 2, "How long?". Two of the lines are questions, and each one pulls a reply out of the other side.
How the Snapchat look carries the story
Snapchat-style chats show lines of text marked by name instead of bubbles, so the screen feels fast, flat and informal. You need Standard or above to use Snapchat; Free accounts will see a prompt to upgrade. Switch on typing dots and read marks when you build the scene; reactions and an online status are not offered for Snapchat. This look has a typing indicator and read marks in ChatsRat, but no reactions, so keep the scene to words. Expect the shared ChatsRat layout rather than a dedicated drawing.
Writing notes: cliffhanger
Keep the final three messages shorter than the first three. Speeding up is how a chat story builds urgency. Keep it fiction with invented adults, and do not use real events or real people as the mystery.
What the Free plan shows
The Free plan opens the first four messages and two people, so Part 1: the timer would stop at "What is it counting to?". The other four, through "Do not turn it off.", need a paid plan with a higher message limit and up to four people.
Tips
- Hold message 5, "It just says '0'.", a beat longer than the rest.
- Put "Part 1" in the title and link Part 2 in the caption and the first comment.
- Change one word of Cody's closing "Do not turn it off." so the ending is yours, then caption the video as a fictional chat.
- Rename Lina and Cody to keep the story original, and keep every character an invented adult.
- Read Cody's answer "How long?" out loud; if it takes more than two seconds, trim it.
Questions
Can I use Part 1: the timer on the Free plan?
The Snapchat 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 timer as a video?
About 22 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 Snapchat-style chat a real conversation?
No. It is an invented story between Lina and Cody, made as a mock-up. ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Snapchat, 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.
More like this
All chat storiesStory script libraryAbout the Snapchat-style chat page