Plot Twist Story Prompts: Give Up

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, Big Deception, here.

For today's prompt, have a character quit or surrender. I'm sure this plot twist prompt will draw a chuckle or two, but hear me out: This prompt is for the character to quit or surrender, not the author. As the character gives in to defeat, the story will march forward with its own priorities.

(How to Map Out Your Hero's Adventure.)

Perhaps a farmer fights to keep his family's farm before finally giving in and selling. But maybe he discovers some sort of foul play after the sale and starts working to get revenge on the people who forced him to sell in the first place.

Or a band of characters are on an adventure and find themselves under attack from some group of soldiers. Perhaps the force is overwhelming and a few characters are forced to surrender and be captured. Is their story over? It doesn't have to be. In fact, it could move the plot in whole new directions for many of the characters.

Remember: The best stories are not those in which characters get everything they want when they want it. There will be times of great difficulty, and they may even temporarily give up or surrender; but then, the author pushes them back into harm's way and toward the end.

So have your characters give up and see what happens next.

*****

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.