The plot twist. It’s the moment that takes you by surprise, shifting the character’s reality forever. I love a good plot twist! The tricky part is creating one that will take everyone by surprise. There are some people who are skilled at figuring out a story’s plot twist before it happens; these people will say “I knew it!” when the shocker is finally revealed.
One of the best compliments I’ve received about my stories is: “I didn’t see that coming.” I love surprising people in my books. That’s the thing about my stories – you might think something’s going one way, but the truth is it isn’t going that way at all. Much like life, things aren’t always what they seem, or things can change quickly.
A good plot twist isn’t just there for shock value, of course. It should always propel the story forward and add further conflict/tension for the character to overcome. The more extreme the plot twist is, the more impressed people will be.
In my most recently published book, Voice Of A Story Teller, my protagonist named Barak is a younger guy living in a post-apocalyptic world. All of the cities have been destroyed from wars and riots so people have chosen to live in remote tribes to distance themselves from others. The problem is that people don’t always learn from history, so wars start over land and resources just like before. Barak suffers from PTSD after surviving all of his friends in a war. Things get worse when a story teller enters the camp; she seems to steal everyone’s attention overnight and Barak believes she has an evil motive for being there.
Here’s an excerpt from the story:
The story teller’s melodic voice haunts the night air. All eyes are on her as she stares out at something in the distance. She sees a world that no one else does; that’s what she loves about herself the most. The fire’s embers crackle and cast a surreal glow over the seated bodies as they watch the precious authoress who has bewitched them.
The story teller walks closer to the fire in the circle’s centre. Her long white dress seems to glow in the orange light while she stands there tall and proud. She carries herself like a warrior, but she is nowhere close to being one. I clench my fists as the blood pumps faster through my body. She has never known the atrocities of war nor does she understand how it feels to watch your friends die on a bloody battle field. They have all forgotten the war. She made them forget.
You can sense his hostility for the people as well as the story teller. She represents everything he isn’t and he despises her for it. While the story’s lesson is clear, there are twists and turns that may surprise you. Do you want to find out what they are?
You can read Voice Of A Story Teller on ebook or in print. The Kindle price is only $2.99! The print book price is $10.99.
Thank you all for reading! ❤
(Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels)
Musings Of A Wildflower 
Plot twists can be tricky. I agree they shouldn’t solely be there for shock value. That’s exactly what the ‘Saw’ movies and other horrors like it have done though, they’ve basically turned the plot twist into a cliché for that whole genre. There’s got to be more outside-the-box thinking to keep it fresh now thanks to that haha
That’s very true. Character development is essential otherwise the plot twist will fall short.
It truly will and it’s a shame to see that happen when it does. That should be their lesson to learn for next time haha