plot twists
story work exercise
The following post is a Story Work exercise from the weekly series that is for paid subscribers. Going forward, I’m moving this series from Squarespace to Substack and by becoming a paid subscriber, you will receive reflections and exercises like this in your inbox every Sunday night at 8 pm et, plus access to our monthly group journaling session, The Practice. If you are interested in receiving this weekly flow of self-reflection ideas for your writing practice, and more access to a creative community, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
I grew up inhaling Agatha Christie novels from my mother’s vast collection of books. I’m sure this has a lot to do with my love of twists and turns and mysteries. In the books I read, and the movies I watch, I love a good plot twist. In my own life, not so much! I don’t do so well with interruptions and sudden changes. But there’s more to a plot twist than that. According to Jericho Writers, a plot twist is ‘a literary device found in all forms of storytelling, where the reader (or viewer) is lured into the intrigue of the plot and left reeling by a grand revelation or turn of events they didn’t see coming.’
As we’ve been reflecting on detours and pivots in our lives and in our writing, thinking about plot twists presents an interesting opportunity to stretch our creative perspective. In life, we can’t necessarily strategize our own plot twists because they are unexpected detours. There might be some foreshadowing, but most of our control is in how we respond and adjust. In writing, however, we can play and experiment with strategically using plot twists to enhance our storytelling skills.
As I was preparing this week’s exercise, I was intrigued with the idea of how I could incorporate this literary device in my writing, as a nonfiction writer. Maybe I could play around with the timing of how I reveal certain details, or the way I introduce unexpected developments and motivations. Just because I am writing self-help memoir, doesn’t mean that I can’t strategically place twists and surprises that keep the reader on their toes. The book I am writing is all about developing a creative mindset that empowers you to assign new meaning to your life experiences. This includes embodying main character energy, and navigating plot twists with curiosity and courage. I love the idea of conveying this message with my words, but also with the way I shape the reading experience.
I love this reminder from Jericho Writers, “Authors love to make you feel – whether that means making you laugh, cry, shocked, or even so angry you throw the book against the wall (then quickly pick it back up, because you simply have to know what happens next).” Ultimately what we all want as writers is to make the reader feel something, and this is another device we can use to do that.
Jericho Writers also offers some prompts to give you ideas for writing your own plot twists, whether they are based in fiction or your own life experiences. This week, our exercise is to choose one of these prompts and start writing a story.
Exercise:
these prompts were created by Jericho Writers
Choose one of the following plot twists (or come up with your own) as a prompt to start a true or fictional story.
What if…
The bad guy isn’t the bad guy after all? The MC (main character) is?
The MC falls in love with the friend helping them get the girl?
The imaginary world is the real world?
The MC isn’t the narrator? It’s all been from someone else’s point-of-view.
The good guys were never there to help after all?
The MC isn’t alone, as we have been led to believe?
The narrator is unreliable? The MC has been lied to all along?
They were pretending to be someone else? They are not dead? Or…are not alive?
What is Story Work?
Story Work is the name of my current book-in-progress and it describes a process of reflection, reclaiming, and reimagining. It involves looking at your life experiences as creative material that you have the power to shape. When you see your life as a story full of turning points and transformations, you can use creative thinking to reshape narratives that don’t serve you. By cultivating this ability, you can uncover compelling storylines and new visions for your life. My coaching clients and paid subscribers receive Story Work exercises every Sunday night. The topics cover universal life themes, with references from literature, philosophy, science, and spirituality; offering perspectives that spark ideas and get you writing.