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, The Ultimatum, here.

Plot Twist Story Prompts: The Message

For today’s prompt, deliver a message that changes the course of your story. The message could be something ominous, like an approaching army or a death in the family. Or it could be something exciting, like winning a prize or the prospect of a visit from a well-loved visitor.

(7 Lessons for Delivering a Powerful Message.)

The message is a well-used plot tool that helps build anticipation for the characters and readers alike. If the message delivers ominous news, then the characters and readers begin preparing for bad things to happen (whether they do or not). If the message is exciting, then the characters and readers prep for happy times (that may or may not come).

This is a great time for character development as well. There will be characters who react immediately to a message in a good or bad way. Meanwhile, other characters may react as if nothing has changed for them at all (even if secretly everything has changed). So the message, in storytelling, is a multi-functional tool.

So deliver a message 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.