Plot Twist Story Prompts: Recurring Problem
Every good story needs a nice (or not so nice) turn or two to keep it interesting. This week, have a character deal with a recurring problem or hang-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, Without a Trace, here.
Plot Twist Story Prompts: Recurring Problem
For today's prompt, have a character deal with a recurring problem or hang-up. For instance, your character may be really good at dancing...unless people are watching. Or perhaps she has all the best ideas, while lacking the self-confidence to share them or conviction to stand behind them when questioned. Heck, a character could just have vertigo and be put in multiple situations where this presents itself as an issue.
These recurring problems and hang-ups can be character development gold, because they reveal a trouble area for the character. As such, they're good for promoting empathy from the reader, who will likely root for the character each time they run into their problem and are ultimately unable to overcome it (at least, until the time is right).
This plot twist device can play a major role in the story when it's paired with a major character, especially the protagonist (though don't forget this can be useful for developing the antagonist as well). However, this plot device can also add a lot to one of your secondary characters.
So put some thought into giving one (or more) of your characters a recurring problem or hang-up and see where it takes your story.
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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
