Plot Twist Story Prompts: Stories Are Real

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, Comeback Time, here.

For today's prompt, let the myth, legend, or other stories be real. For instance, a young character may be told that there is a large talking beast in the forest outside of town. But the character begins to think it's just a running joke and not real...only it is!

(10 Myths Writers Shouldn't Believe About Fighting.)

Yes, the stories could be about monsters, beasts, and other creatures. They could also be about haunted houses, prophecies, or magical powers. The stories could lead to good outcomes or perilous predicaments. Of course, the more compelling might be the ones that are uncertain.

While the stories are definitely real, don't be afraid to do a double twist in which the real stories are actually fake (or could be considered fake). Did Dorothy really travel to Oz and return home to Kansas? Was the house really haunted, or was there another explanation? But even if you go this route, remember that it won't matter if you don't make the stories real...for at least a little while.

So let the stories be real, and see what happens next.

*****

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.