Plot Twist Story Prompts: Resolution Made
Every good story needs a nice (or not so nice) turn or two to keep it interesting. This week, have a character make a resolution and try sticking to it.
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, Magic Trick, here.
Plot Twist Story Prompts: Resolution Made
For today's prompt, have a character make a resolution and try sticking to it. The resolution could be something normal like trying to lose weight or quit smoking. Or it could something more unique like an assassin trying not to kill anyone or kleptomaniac resolving to quit stealing.
Of course, the fun for the writer and the reader comes in seeing the character struggle with the resolution. Maybe the characters can stick to their guns, but they should be tempted almost immediately after making the resolution—and then frequently after if they overcome the temptation.
Also, dive into how this resolution impacts other characters. Maybe the character resolves to exercise more, which makes his or her partner happy at first. But then, the workout routine turns into an obsession with the character constantly off at the gym and scooping protein powder at home, which begins to annoy the partner.
Resolutions are often made with good intentions, but good intentions don't always lead to good results. Keep that in mind as you dive into this plot twist idea.
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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.