#writing plot twists

Well, after a very long, unexpected House of the Dragon fandom break, we are now back to our regularly scheduled writing program! Funnily enough, this is kind of House of the Dragon related because today we are talking about writing plot twists. And not just any plot twists, plot twists that make sense and don’t leave your reader wanting to pull their hair out and throw your book across the room. Writing plot twists is a lot harder than it looks. I know that when I read a book with a great plot twists that I actually didn’t see coming, I always wanna give the writers a little round of applause because that is impressive my friends. Especially in the day and age of super common tropes and readers’ having particular expectations, it’s always nice when there’s a new innovative twist out there. Worry not, here are a few simple twists that will help you on your way to writing the best plot twist for your story!

WWTRD??

What would the reader do, my friends? In order to write a good plot twist, you need to try and put yourself in the shoes of the reader who will actually be reading this. This might seem like a pretty obvious tip, but it’s one of the most simple and effective ones out there! As you’re going through your story or even your outline, write down all of the ways that you would normally expect the story to go. What potential twists and turns immediately come to mind? Write every single one of those down and then make sure that your plot twist does not include any of them. Especially if you read and write in the same genre (like I do, fantasy and sci-fi all the way), then your brain probably works in the same way as most of your readers. Like I mentioned above, people who always read in the same genre are used to the conventions and standards of their genre. Unfortunately for us writers, that makes it a lot harder to come up with a plot twist. I recommend looking at the list of plot twists that we’re going to throw out and writing down the opposite of all of those. That’s always good advice, imo. If you feel like your story is getting too predictable, take it in the complete opposite direction. When even you’re surprised by what’s going on, you’re on the right track!

Bread Crumbs a la Hansel and Gretel

The original versions of fairytales are absolutely terrifying. I had to look into them for one of my English classes and boy, oh boy, childhood = ruined. Anyways, just like Hansel and Gretel with their little bread crumbs, you want to subtly guide the readers’ attention away from any potential plot twist, so the twist is all the more surprising. You always want to make your readers think they know what’s going on, then flip all of that on its head. There are a lot of different tools that you can use to do that like red herrings, false flags, or other types of MacGuffins. These decoys deliberately plant false clues, or other misinformation that leads the reader in the wrong direction. Sometimes, they even lead the reader to even think they have reached the happy ending only to reveal their devious nature. HOWEVER, you will noticed that subtly is bolded above because please remember the subtly. This is another one of my big problems with YA fiction because some YA writers seem to think that kids are like legitimately stupid. That’s why I don’t think, imo, there’s been a YA book with an absolutely great plot twist in a while because YA writers tend to spoon-fed their readers everything and try too hard to steer readers in the wrong direction. Readers notice when writers do this, and you don’t want it to happen.

BFFR

Be fricken for real, guys, and that means not only ensuring that your plot twist is believable and necessary but also MAKES SENSE. Plot twists making sense is a problem that seems to have popped up in the last five years in all genres not just YA, I would say. Authors seem to focus a lot on the part of the definition of plot twists that says sudden, unexpected and shocking change of direction whilst ignoring the part that includes realistic and reasonable. To me, the realistic and reasonable part is almost more important. If a super unpredictable plot twist pops up out of nowhere without even relating to the story, of course I’m gonna be surprised. Does that mean I’m going to be surprised? No, it does not. Which leads us to the most important lesson: SHOCK VALUE FOR THE SAKE OF SHOCK VALUE IS NOT GOOD. It’s just not. That means not resorting to gimmicks or having a plot twist just to have one. Just like everything else in your story, plot twists should serve to further the story in some way. Not every story needs a plot twist, and some stories are far better off without them!

Phone a Friend!

The key to a successful plot twist lies in striking a delicate balance—too predictable, and the magic is lost; too contrived, and the reader's suspension of disbelief is broken. So how can you write a great plot twist? We answer just this question in today's Reading Room post!

hey royals! today’s post is all about character design! but wait—plot twist! hahaha i totally got you there for a minute. yes yes today we are actually going to be discussing plot twists! they can be tricky to work with and to get just right with the perfect balance of intrigue, surprise, and believability. but never fear! queenie is back with pro tips!! (don’t listen to me i’m def no pro ok but i did my best)

the perspective of a reader

putting yourself in the position of your future reader is always a good strategy when it comes to approaching your plot. ask yourself: where would i automatically think the story will go? what twists or turns would i expect?

then you can immediately discard every single one of those predictions as potential plot twists. even if you think there’s only the slimmest chance that a reader could identify a twist before it happens, get rid of it. most readers have a similar thought process, especially when it comes to familiar genres.

instead, try coming up with the exact opposite of these twists you’ve identified as predictable. if the narrative begins to naturally lean into a certain event or outcome, push it in the other direction as much as you can and see what happens.

foreshadow & misdirection

nudging your reader’s attention away from the tentative direction of the plot will boost the element of surprise when you finally hit them with the twist. you want to make them think they know what’s going to happen and then upheave their predictions entirely.

you have many tools in your writer’s toolbox you can use to achieve this, like:

— red herrings. intersperse false clues or hints or pieces of information meant to confuse readers and steer them in the wrong direction.

— dead ends. blatantly dismiss theories and conclusions readers (and characters) thought they saw coming.

— misguided attention. planting actual hints or clues in the middle of a high-tension moment where readers would skip over it without a second thought. in a fight or action scene, for example, when the fast pace has the reader skipping right over a cleverly placed hint.

all that said, everything in moderation. if you misdirect or foreshadow too often, there’s a chance your readers will catch on and recognize it or think you’re “holding your hand” through the story to guide them to an obvious outcome. ofc, you want to avoid that. so be subtle, create a storyline that flows easy and naturally to an end point, then really shake things up with a plot twist!

having a purpose and making it realistic

yes, plot twists are meant to be sudden and out of the blue, but they still have to be within reason. the most effective plot twists are purposeful and believable—never introduce one just for the sake of it. it must serve the story in some way, pushing the plot along.

if it doesn’t, your readers will see right through it and end up feeling cheated. trust me, that is the last thing you want.

twists within twists

one method you can use is revealing one plot twist, which readers believe to be THE plot twist—and then follow up with the even bigger twist.

readers won’t expect such a drastic turn of events so soon after one twist was put in action. they might even still be reeling from the first twist, and this way you can maximize their hurt and confusion hehehe.

to perfectly execute this trick, your first plot twist has to be surprising, but not so shocking or dramatic. it should be just enough to send your reader spiralling slightly before you really blow their mind with the bigger reveal.

subplots with secret significance

subplots are a natural element writers rely on to provide additional interest, conflict, character development, and diversion, among other things.

all these things make subplots perfect vessels for plot twists! here are some ways to make a twist work within a subplot:

— the subplot may be crucial to or even become the main (or most important) storyline. this is the kind of turn that has readers thinking “oh, so that’s what it’s really been about all along…”

— subplots can interact or intertwine with the main plot in an unusual or unexpected way.

— it could end up being much more important than the subplot initially appeared to be.

— the subplot could distract from what’s really going on in the main plot, which means you can drop a twist in the main storyline that readers won’t have seen coming.

“no one is safe”

adopting this mentality will open up possibilities and have your readers sitting on the edge of their seats.

an important thing to remember when writing fiction is that things don’t always have to end well. not every story has a happy ending. not every character has to survive. the protagonist doesn’t have to succeed.

taking the “road less travelled by” in this case will help you subvert readers’ expectations and create a more engaging, compelling, and realistic story.

obviously you still have to tread carefully. you can’t just go on a character killing spree for shock value. it will stop working after a bit, believe me.

the ultimate test

the best way to test the effectiveness of your plot twists is to put them out in the field! what i mean is…

beta readers!!

the most important thing when conversing with your beta readers about plot twists is to talk to them about it AFTER they read your manuscript. if you tell them before, they’re going to be keeping an active eye out for plot twists which is definitely not what you want.

so, once your beta readers have finished reading your wip, ask them about the twists!

were they effective? if not, what didn’t work? did you see it coming? was there sufficient misdirection and foreshadow? were the plot twists believable but still surprising?

final word

So, two quick things before we start : 

ONE: Spoilers for Lightyear, Pixar’s newest film, an animated film within an animated film. 

TWO: I still really enjoyed this film. If you were a huge toy story fan and you saw the animated series and stuff, you’re going to enjoy this just because of the visuals alone, so don’t read this post and be spoilt just because some people are saying it’s not that good. With that said... I think the film can be enjoyed with these spoilers, perhaps even more because there’s slightly less frustration which I’ll explain in a moment so... it’s your call! 

It’s fairly common to see plot twists in stories. Some are good, some are bad, and some are just eh. It can just as much fascinate a reader as it can ruin your whole story for said reader. Basically, it’s difficult to write one, but here are a few tips for you.

A plot twist is a literary technique that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction. When it happens near the end of a story, it is known as a twist or surprise ending. It may change the audience's perception of the preceding events, or introduce a new conflict that places it in a different context.

- Definition of a plot twist, Wikipedia

First, try seeing your story from a reader’s point of view

While you plan, write and edit your book, take moments to see your story from a reader’s point of view. 

What twist(s) would you easily assume happens next? then eliminate everything that comes to mind from being a potential plot twist

Even if you think, “oh, but I’m the writer and I can see that easily because I’m the writer,” well, yes, you’re right, but the reader will probably be able to see the twist too

Also, I’m just saying that, sure, being surprised is cool, but figuring it out as a reader just before the twist happens, is cool too. It makes me, the reader, feel smart for basic reading comprehension.

(That’s my personal opinion, so feel free to do as you please)

What you shouldn’t do:

the only reason the plot twist is there is for the surprise value and doesn’t actually further the plot *cough* how the Game of Thrones tv show ended *cough*

Seriously, don’t do that. Your audience will just roll their eyes and feel unsatisfied. Also, about the GOT thing, yes, the plot twists were at the end so they shouldn’t exactly further the plot, but they should’ve neatly tied up the end of the story like a bow.

it makes little sense/isn’t plausible

That’s why you have foreshadowing and all the tools I mentioned and did posts about. You don’t want to trick/deceive/etc your audience.

What you should do:

Use foreshadowing

With foreshadowing, you need a balance between not giving away the surprise while still giving enough detail that your plot twist seems plausible

If you don’t think you’re able to write it in your first draft, just write it in a later draft. There’s no rush, and you’ll just have a clearer view of the plot twist/story

Also, don’t put foreshadowing (or something that seems like it) then not use it

“If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.”

-   Anton Chekhov, writing advice known as Chekhov’s Gun

Furthermore, use subtle misdirection

Red herrings

Dead Ends

Misleading the Reader

Matryoshka doll plot twist:

Basically, it’s a plot twist that seems like the biggest plot twist, but then there’s an even bigger one

Picture this: your plot twists are like Matryoshka dolls, you think you’ve reached the last matryoshka doll (aka the (fake) biggest plot twist) but then you open it and there’s an even smaller matryoshka doll (aka THE plot twist)

*surprised pikachu face*

Okay, okay, but how do you do it?

The first plot twist (though it doesn’t have to be the first plot twist in the story but you get what I mean) is unexpected, but not too shocking or big

The second plot twist is more shocking than the first one

It’s as simple as that

(Also, if the example with the matryoshka doll offended anyone, the purpose was really just to help explain it and not to be rude and/or offensive)

Death, death, death

Take the following with a grain of salt: all your characters don’t need a happy ending, a happy story. 

(Obviously, feel free to do as you please, and if you want to skip this, then do)

Though there are other ways of furthering your plot, (as shown in this post, that I couldn’t have done better), death is a common, and somewhat easy, plot twist

As I mentioned before, don’t kill of a character for the shock factor, it’s not worth it. It should have a reason, like furthering the plot, someone’s character developpement

Also, don’t kill a character because you’re done with them, as in, when they have nothing left to do. In my opinion, the best saddest deaths are when the character didn’t accomplish their goal

In addition, the only genre I can see where killing everyone off is acceptable would be grimdark and maybe? fantasy and comedy? However, at some point killing everyone (if they didn’t all drop dead at the same time) gets boring and doesn’t shock anyone anymore

What happens after

Let’s say you’re reading a book. At the beginning, everything is great; the writing is beautiful. “Wow, this couldn’t get better,” you think, and then a plot twist happens that is perfect in every way. The story did get better, and it has all your attention. BUT, after the plot twist, the story gets sluggish and boring and you’re left wondering what was so great about that book in the first place. Does it ring a bell?

If it didn’t ring a bell, I’m sending you to the library because you haven’t read enough books

(that was a joke)

Anyway, that would be your story too if you’re not careful, because sure, your plot twist might be great, but if after that (except if the plot twist IS the end of the story) you have to keep the pace on your story

Same goes for before the plot twist, actually. You have to keep your audience engaged to reach the plot twist

Lastly but not least, when you’re done writing that fabulous plot twist, get a beta reader to be sure it’s actually a fabulous plot twist (though I’m sure it is/will be)

And that’s it for today, we have reached the end, our only friend:)

Hahaha thanks Nonnie!  :D  

This concept sounds amazing!! I wouldn’t worry about  your readers being confused about the three different names for the one character… make it work for you. Sounds like it could work out as a brilliant plot twist for you.  Keep your readers thinking they are different people and then a big reveal that they are the same person the whole time. You could weave the perspectives through each other and the separation is a time gap instead of a different point of view.  The foreshadowing here would be fun to play with. 

However if you are steadfast that your readers need to know the whole time that the three names are the same person, you just need to lay it out obviously for them, you can always change this to something more subtle in editing.