A plot twist is the best part of reading. Readers never know exactly what to expect when they read new books, so your plot twist has to leave a lasting impact. When a plot twist is not shocking or exciting enough, your audience will be left unsatisfied. So, how can you create a plot twist that leaves your audience on the edge of their seat?
Even though you want your plot twist to shock your readers, your plot twist should still make sense with the details you’ve provided. If you have never mentioned or hinted at aliens in your novel, your plot twist shouldn’t revolve around aliens. The plot twist must be supported by the plot you previously created. You can ensure this happens by foreshadowing the twist throughout the novel.
The best way to shock your audience is to avoid overused cliches and tropes. When using these, your audience can immediately recognize the plot twist that’s coming up. For example, if your novel is about a small-town man who falls in love with a businesswoman from the city and then halfway through the novel, the woman leaves the small town and breaks up with the man. The audience knows the plot twist will more than likely be that the businesswoman will return to the small town, confess her love, and stay there forever. This is an overused cliché, and most readers will immediately know how the story ends and what the plot twist will be.
However, if you still want to use that trope or cliché, you can still create a shocking plot twist by subverting your audience’s expectations. When your audience is expecting one thing to happen in your novel because it feels as if it is what is meant to happen, not doing it is sure to shock your readers. For example, if it seems like your fantasy protagonist is the one who is going to save the world in the end, but he doesn’t, your audience is not going to expect that plot twist. It also avoids the cliché that the main character is the one who is meant to solve every problem they encounter.
A common way to create a plot twist that still shocks readers even when the concept is frequently used is to have a character have hidden motivations that the audience and protagonist are unaware of. No matter how many times I read a book where this happens, it always takes me by surprise, especially when some of the shady stuff they do is explained away by the protagonist or something logical. This then makes re-reading the novel and trying to find their suspicious activity that we overlooked the first read through.
Another frequently used way to create a shocking plot twist is by incorporating a subplot that will distract the readers from the main plot. This will then catch your audience off-guard when the plot twist for the main plot is revealed. The plot has been put into the back of our minds; it would be completely unexpected. Because of this, we are once again invested in what happens next.
Creating a plot twist may seem difficult as you begin to write your story, but most of the time, your plot twist will come to you naturally without having to force it. Sometimes, you inadvertently include details in your plot that will benefit you later. Take your time, go over your plot, and the twist will come to you.
