Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Writer Wednesday - When Life Throws a Plot Twist

Hocus Pocus and All That 
By Maureen L. Bonatch 
When Life Throws a Plot Twist 
Scruff looking cute to roll with any twist life throws his way. 

Most people don’t like change, or the unexpected, in their life. We’re creatures of habit and routine. Perhaps that’s why we love them so much in a book, or at least I do. It’s a way that we can live vicariously through a character and get excited about this sudden turn in events. It’s certainly more comfortable to dissect in a character than in oneself.

Plot Twist Straight Ahead
I still recall watching the movie, The Sixth Sense, many years ago. I never saw the plot twist coming. The way it was effortlessly merged into the movie was impressive. (I won’t reveal it here, just in case someone hasn’t seen the movie.) But once the twist was revealed, I could think back through the movie and it made sense. The clues were there, if you knew to look for them.

Most recently I was impressed with the twists skillfully incorporated into the Netflix series version of The Haunting of Hill House. (Also—no spoilers here.)

Seamless Storytelling
It takes talent to incorporate an upcoming twist seamlessly through a story, especially in a book. Sometimes it’s a little more challenging to incorporate these into a story since you lose the visual in a movie. I’ve become especially adept at noticing these ‘red herrings’ (otherwise known as clues) in a movie. Unfortunately for my hubby, I tend to point them out. Then when the twist occurs, it’s only to validate what I already saw coming. Readers are meticulous like that—at least I am.

Often the author starts right when everything changes and the character must face a new normal in their life, even if they don’t want to. As readers, we’re dropped right into the action and go along on the journey as the character figures out what’s next. That’s usually what I like to write, and to read.

Destiny Calling
The story of Destiny Calling started not long after Hope faced a terrible twist in her life. We get to go along as she discovers that there’s more to the world than she realized, and that she plays a role.

Everybody Loves a Grandma
Unless she’s infected with a deadly, contagious spell…In Grandma Must Die we start off already aware of the magic that exists in the world, but we must help our heroine deal with another dilemma.

Enough of the Everyday
Any story can start with the things we do every day, but usually that’s not what we’re looking for. To have a story, there’s usually a twist, or a dilemma, that needs addressed, otherwise it’s just more of the same. But the author should do this so that the story doesn’t take a drastic turn that doesn’t mesh with the story. Or wrap it up just for the sake of ending the story with a, “they all lived happily ever after,” thrown in rather than work to tie up loose ends.

Many of us would like it if our own problems were solved so easily. But that’s us. We want to see our characters’ work for their success and their happily ever after.

Can You Name a Book, or a Movie with an Awesome Plot Twist?

**Blog previously featured on www.maureenbonatch.com**

© 2022 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Just a small-town girl, Maureen Bonatch leads a double life. She lives in a magical world as a novelist, and as a nurse leader in reality. Maureen’s first novella was a paranormal romance published when blogs were a new-fangled thing. She’s since changed her focus to writing paranormal cozy mysteries as M.L. Bonatch and urban fantasy as Maureen Bonatch. While she’s not busy writing or doing nurse-things, she’s a mom to her twin daughters, bicycling in the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby, doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, and dancing as much as possible. She believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and that caffeine and wine are essential for survival. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

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