Plot Twist Story Prompts: Who Am I? (Part 2)

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, Music Moment, here.

Keen observers probably noticed that I already had this plot twist story prompt back in February (check it out here if not); but that version of this plot twist prompt was focused on a character with amnesia. For today's prompt, have your character question who they are. Like in an existential sense.

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

There are moments in any person's life when they may think, "Who am I? Why do I do the things I do? Could I do things differently? Should I? Would I?" And sometimes, in real life, a person may change things, or they may not. But in fiction, this is a great moment to give a character a believable reason to change their motivation and behavior in dramatic ways. 

For instance, let's say there is a great leader who is always putting herself first all the time and doing the right thing all the time. Then one day, she's called out for doing the wrong thing. Her entire persona was built on doing the right thing. ALL. THE. TIME. If she doesn't do the right thing all the time, who is she? What can she become? For better? Or for worse?

Have fun with this plot twist prompt, because you have a special opportunity here to let your character ask the pivotal fiction question, "What if?" And then, provide their own answer.

So have your character question who they are, 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.