Plot Twist Story Prompts: Bad Diagnosis

Plot twist story prompts aren't meant for the beginning or the end of stories. Rather, they're for forcing big and small turns in the anticipated trajectory of a story. This is to make it more interesting for the readers and writers alike.

Each week, I'll provide a new prompt to help twist your story. Find last week's prompt, Unwanted Gift, here.

For today's prompt, provide a bad diagnosis. Now, there are a couple ways to come at this one. The diagnosis itself could be bad (like a terrible prediction, bad report on a checkup, or bad weather forecast). Or it could be a bad diagnosis in the sense that the diagnosis is wrong.

(Prophecy vs. Prophesy.)

For the bad news diagnosis, think about how that can change the dynamics of a situation or mindset of a character (even if nothing has changed beyond the actual diagnosis). Does it cause anger? Fear? Worry? Does the diagnosis prompt your character(s) to act? Sometimes a bad diagnosis prompts rash actions.

Also, if the bad diagnosis is a wrong diagnosis, how does that impact your characters and your story? After all, they might've been acting in good faith on a wrong assumption. Once that wrong assumption comes to light, it may also prompt some rash actions and reactions.

So provide a bad diagnosis, and see what happens next.

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Have you hit a wall on your work-in-progress? Maybe you know where you want your characters to end up, but don’t know how to get them there. Or, the story feels a little stale but you still believe in it. Adding a plot twist might be just the solution.

Click to continue.