Plot Twist Story Prompts: Dangerous Challenge

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, Interrupt Moment, here.

For today's prompt, give your character a dangerous challenge. Possible challenges might include jumping off a bridge, crossing a busy street, or playing Russian roulette. The challenge is dangerous, so there's the chance of injury or death when facing it.

(6 Tips for Writing a Home Invasion Thriller.)

But why would your character take on a dangerous challenge? Do they just run with a wild group of friends who like to jump off bridges, cross busy streets, and play Russian roulette. That's one possibility, and maybe your character has to decide if that's the lifestyle they really want to follow.

However, the dangerous challenge could also be something your character faces to get to the next level of their own story. Like maybe they meet someone with knowledge who won't part with it...unless your character completes a dangerous challenge for them. Or, perhaps, the dangerous challenge is one way to get out of a bad situation.

So give your character a dangerous challenge, 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.