Plot Twist Story Prompts: Knock at the Door

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, Strength Gone, here.

For today's prompt, have a knock at the door. This can be one of the most exciting sounds when the knock is expected. But it can also be one of the more unsettling sounds when it is not (especially at night).

(Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Ignoring Your Weaknesses.)

Unlike an email or text, a knock at the door is very personal because of its much closer proximity to your characters. And it produces automatic questions: Who is at the door? Are they there for good or bad? Do they bring news? Is it time for your characters to panic or run? Or is it just a door-to-door salesperson?

The knock is the inciting incident, but the real fun is figuring out what happens after the knock. Does a neighbor need to borrow a shovel? If so, why? Or is it the police? If so, why? Or is it a clown? And if so, don't open the door.

So have a knock at the door, 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.