Plot Twist Story Prompts: Item Retrieval

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, On the Spot, here.

For today's prompt, make a character retrieve an item. The item could be relatively innocuous (like some ice cream from the store), or it could be a big deal (like collecting a rare antique). The character may know the relative value of the item, or she may over- or underestimate its worth.

(Literary Scavenger Hunts: The MacGuffin & Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and Others.)

The item itself could be important to your characters, but how they intend to retrieve the item can present many opportunities for your story. For instance, is it just a "simple" pickup? Is it a more complicated handoff? Is there the potential for things to go wrong? Consider all the possibilities.

Also, remember that your "item" could actually be a person or an animal. In that scenario, the story could really begin after your characters retrieve the item and have to deal with their new found cargo.

Finally, keep in mind that your characters may never actually retrieve the item. Or the item may not be what they thought it was. Often, it's the chase that readers love. The item itself is usually just an excuse to get the characters moving.

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