Plot Twist Story Prompts: Music Moment

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, Difficult Decision, here.

For today's prompt, have your character interact with music. Maybe they hear a song that reminds them of their youth or an old flame. Maybe the music stirs patriotic pride or the ability to do something incredible. Or a song could cut down to the marrow of the character's soul.

(5 Things to Know When Writing About the Music Industry.)

Music reveals much about a character. If they're not moved by music, what does that say about the character? If they are, how are they moved? For what reasons? In which ways? Do they hum or sing along? A character's relationship to music may signify their relationship to bigger plot points, including how easily swayed they may or may not be.

As an example, a character who changes their mind on a topic because of a song may be passionate and creative, but they also may be mercurial, which may be a good thing at one moment but destructive in another. A character who is not swayed either way by music may be seen as cold and heartless, but they may also prove to be incredibly reliable when needed most.

So have your character interact with music, 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.