Plot Twist Story Prompts: Don’t Say It

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, Someone to Save, here.

For today's prompt, make it so that a word or name that shouldn't be used is used. Maybe the word unlocks a spell, or the name unlocks a memory. Whatever it is, the word or phrase, it's not supposed to be uttered...but then it is.

(5 Tips for Mixing Magic and Romance in a Novel.)

So think about what the word or name is, and why people aren't supposed to say it in the first place. Is it the name of a lost child or loved one? Is it the name of a villain? Or an inflammatory word? Does the word or name hurt feelings, or does it actually make "bad" things happen? These are all things to consider.

Also, why does the person who says the word or name do so? Are they upset? Are they curious? Maybe they're tricked into saying the word or name by someone or something else. And, of course, maybe it's just an accident.

But once the word or name is uttered, people and/or things begin to change, and this is where the story takes new and unexpected turns.

So have a character speak an unspeakable word, 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.