Plot Twist Story Prompts: Unlikely Friendship

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, Getting Revenge, here.

For today's prompt, let two characters form an unlikely friendship. The characters could be from two different worlds (for instance, a kid in high school and a retiree) or complete enemies, but somehow they find themselves forming a friendship against all odds.

(Creating Memorable Friends for Main Characters.)

Conflict is a powerful driver in fiction, and it's easy to find conflict, because there are so many people with different motivations. However, there are few things more heart-warming than an authentic friendship forged by characters who seem to have no chance at being friendly. And maybe it's because the unlikely friendship plot twist gives us hope in our own lives.

Take a look at your own story and think about two characters who have nothing in common. Then, figure out a way to make them interact. It's probably going to awkward at best and antagonistic at worst. But then, work to find a way forward for them both by finding some kind of shared bond. Because that's a very human story.

So let two characters form an unlikely friendship, 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.