How to Write a Good Book

Part Six- Plot Twists

NOTE: ALL EXAMPLES UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED are 100% original from my brain, and my creativity. It would be amazing if you don't copy my examples word-for-word, but I'm flattered you think it's a good idea.
Plot twists come in various forms- good, bad, fantastic, evil... But you've got to learn what's acceptable and what's not in the land of Plot Twists.
Good Plot Twists
These plot twists usually happen when the previous event was bad; like the princess was captured for a long amount of time, and the hero eventually found her. These types of plot twists are fairly common throughout the book world.
Fantastic Plot Twists
To me, a "fantastic" plot twist is when you expect one thing to happen, but the opposite happens instead (also known as situational irony). Such as, a beloved main character is plummeting to their death, but then a giant bird flies underneath them and they fly to safety.
Bad Plot Twists
Bad plot twists are very common in books, as they are used often in a character's specific situation. Let's say your main character's only hope is to escape and fly away on the back of a dragon. Bad plot twist: the dragon died. These types of plot twists force your characters to think hard and come up with new strategies to fix the conflict.
Evil Plot Twists
I have a love-hate relationship with this kind of plot twist, which involves situations so horrible it forces a reader to have emotions. Like a death of a character. Those are either incredibly sad or infuriating, which is what the supporting/main character(s) feel too. The thing is, I LOVE putting these plot twists in my own stories. But when it's in someone else's story... It's either done incorrectly or completely pointless to kill off a character. Keep in mind the death/situation MUST HAPPEN FOR A REASON, it can't just be completely random.
Now some fun examples of do's and don'ts for each kind of plot twist:
Good Plot Twists
Do: The princess leaned out of the windowsill, staring into the last rays of the dying sun. Today was her last day on Earth if the Prince didn't come for her by sundown. She tapped her foot in anticipation. How long did it really take to travel by dragon? Suddenly, a great shadow swallowed the hills, a great mass of wings and scales flying towards her at last. (This gives effective scenery and a feeling of anticipation)
Don't: I'm not sure HOW to give an example for this, but just don't make the plot twist so obvious that anyone could see it coming from a mile away.
Fantastic Plot Twists
Do: Selina could hear the rushing waves below her, crashing on sharp rocks protruding from the ocean. The smell of salt water and the feel of the ocean's breeze overwhelmed her senses. She was going to die, impaled on one of the various rocks below her. She was almost there, falling at an incredible speed toward her watery grave. BAM! She landed on a pillow-like flying object. A bird. A huge bird, to say in the least. She flipped over on her stomach and watched as the torrents of waves became further and further away.
Don't: Using the example above, don't tell the readers beforehand that there was a huge flock of monstrous birds waiting at the edge of the cliff. That would be TOO MUCH foreshadowing. Besides, when a character faces a life or death situation, they usually don't take in every detail of their surroundings, unless the narrator isn't part of the story.
Bad Plot Twists
Do: It was any minute now. The banging grew louder and louder on the door, and Jeff didn't know how much more the door could take. He flinched when he heard the moan of an agitated zombie. The banging continued for a few minutes, then suddenly stopped. He heard slow footsteps and moans getting closer to him. He took in his surroundings: he was in a dimly lit dusty attic, with large crates and spider webs. There wasn't a single door or window in sight.
Don't: When you have a bad plot twist, just make sure your twist makes sense. A barrage of zombies can't just randomly burst in if your story isn't about zombies.
Evil Plot Twist
Do: "Colin?!" My voice faltered. He was no where to be found. A nine year old, wandering through dangerous woods, all by himself was the worst possible thing. I searched every place I thought Colin would've liked to explore. Not a single footprint or sign of disturbance anywhere.
Don't: DO NOT KILL OFF YOUR MAIN CHARACTER, UNLESS IT'S FOR A GOOD REASON. Also, Evil Plot Twists don't always HAVE TO be involved with death. Someone could be swept up in a portal to never return, or even a runaway from home. In my opinion, there are two kinds of death: Implied Death, and Direct Death. Implied Death is like the example above; a boy lost in the woods, and too young to survive on his own, which implies that he will most likely die. Direct Death is when your character experiences/sees the death happen with her/his own eyes.

(WARNING: SPOILER ALERT FOR THE BOOK ALLEGIANT COMING UP NEXT!)
Okay, Divergent/Insurgent/Allegiant book fans, I'm here to tell you what was bad about the book Allegiant. No, not the writing itself, but the split Tris/Tobias chapters. None of the other books were written like that, so it made Tris' death SO OBVIOUS. Why would you have split chapters if your main character narrates the whole two books before the last? That was just too obvious. SORRY, but it was.