Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop ✒ Writing Tips

Lesson 11: What is meant by the perfect plot twist?

5. Poetic justice: Poetic justice occurs when a character is rewarded or punished for his her actions. It is a widely used ending for most literary works. 

6. Red Herring: Red herrings are also known as false clues. In this type, the reader is going in the wrong direction through his/her assumptions because the writer has cleverly planted false clues into the story. And through the plot twist, the reader finally realizes the actual track on which the story is headed to.

7. Unreliable Narrator: You can have a lot of fun with this type. An unreliable narrator is someone who seems believable and trustworthy at first, the reader begins to visualize the whole story through his/her eyes but after a plot twist, he/she is revealed to be untruthful.

What are common examples of plot twists used in literature/movies?

Here are examples for some of the seven types discussed above :

Anagnorisis:

1. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. In a pivotal battle, Luke discovers that Darth Vader, his ultimate nemesis, is actually his father.

2. Angels & Demons. Robert Langdon is shocked by the revelation that the late pope's aide is actually His Holyness's son — conceived through artificial insemination.

3. Shutter Island. During an investigation of a disappearance from a remote asylum, U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels realizes that he himself is the missing patient — and the husband and murderer of the woman that he had been trying to locate.

Red herring:

1. Fight Club. The narrator of the movie meets Tyler Durden, a soap salesman, and together they start a local "Fight Club." In time, he realizes that he himself is Tyler Durden.

2. Gone Girl. Amy Dunne is revealed to be alive — and also the mastermind behind the framing of her husband, Nick Dunne, for her own "death."

3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Dr. James Sheppard, the first-person narrator of the novel, comes out as the murderer in the case that Hercule Poirot had been investigating.

Unreliable narrator:

1. Atonement. Not until the postscript is it revealed that Briony Tallis had fabricated the previous sections of her story to give Robbie Turner and Cecilia Tallis the happy ending that they never got because of her.

2. Life of Pi. Pi Patel tells a story about cannibalization and survival on the open sea that may or may not be about zoo animals.

3. Never Let Me Go. Kathy, the narrator, holds back the truth that she and all of her classmates at Hailsham are actually clones who are raised to have their organs harvested.

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Some important things to keep in mind before you craft a plot twist:

1. Do not introduce the plot twist whenever you like. It should occur at the climax of the story. are usually most effective after some careful setup. You need to lay the ground rules before you twist them.

2. Don't be obvious. The plot twist should be unexpected such that on the first read, the reader is not able to guess it but afterwards it makes sense as to why the twist was inserted there.

3. Don't show your card too soon. Foreshadowing is essential for a plot twist but that doesn't mean that you will drop off clues everywhere in the story. Otherwise, the reader will be able to guess what will happen, and it won't be a twist at all. Withhold the information until it cannot be withheld any longer. This helps to increase the tension within your story.

4. Use plot twists sparingly. Do not overuse plot twists or else your story will go completely off track and there will be no particular direction for you to continue on. The less you use this literary device, the more surprised your reader will be.

5. You can use your plot twist to propel your story into action. In the middle of your story, characters can grow stagnant. When they're plodding along towards a vague goal, it's easy to get stuck in the mundane. This is the perfect time to insert a plot twist. 

6. They can also be used to reveal more about a significant character, such as by planting plot twists within a character's backstory. This way, you can reveal something about the character that catches the reader off guard. Perhaps the character killed someone in the past. Maybe they are the long-lost daughter of the antagonist. Once the reader finds out, it changes everything.

7. Another way to introduce a plot twist is within a flashback. When done correctly, a flashback should always reveal something of interest. But, your flashback can also change the entire trajectory of your story. However, you have to be conscious of the time and setting of your story when introducing a flashback.

8. And when you are finally writing out the plot twist, go through all the types of plot twists, select the one which would fit your story best and set it in action.

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References (just in case you want to check out the resource material from which this chapter was crafted):

https://blog.reedsy.com/plot-twist-ideas-examples/

https://nybookeditors.com/2018/02/all-about-plot-twists/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_twist

https://filmschoolrejects.com/plot-twist-checklist/

https://rachelpoli.com/2017/06/20/the-importance-of-plot-twists-mystery-month/

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Hope this chapter was helpful. If you have any further questions, feel free to comment.

~Imaan.