Plot Twist Story Prompts: Hidden Admiration

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, Refuse to Yield, here.

For today's prompt, have a character who seems to be against something or someone reveal they are actually for that something or someone. Like maybe there's an older person who keeps complaining about the loud music kids listen to nowadays...only to reveal later in the story that the same older person listens to that music when they're alone.

(5 Ways to Surprise Your Reader Without It Feeling Like a Trick.)

Another way to come at this is if a character feels like another character is constantly against them and their efforts, but they realize (or maybe they don't) later that the other character was always on their side and/or rooting for them. For instance, the mean teacher really wanted the intimidated student to succeed; or the constantly rude dude was always interested in dating the story's protagonist (much to their surprise).

For this plot twist to have its desired impact, the writer has to really build up the impression that the character is against X, Y, and/or Z. While the reader might suspect the hidden admiration, it should feel like an earned surprise for the other characters in the story.

So have a character who seems to be against something or someone reveal they are actually for that something or someone, 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.