How To: Write A Book [DETAILED EDITION]

STEP THIRTEEN: Well I Didn't See That Coming

I'm sure you all learnt when you were five or six that every story has five parts: the opening, the build up, the dilemma, the resolution, and then the end. For me, the dilemma/ plot twist was always the most interesting part.

Now when executed correctly, a plot twist can elevate a book into a totally new realm of amazingness. But a plot twist also requires a little bit of planning. The amount of times I've seen writers on Wattpad just plonk in a random plot twist which doesn't match the story makes me want to cringe (I myself have done this many times).

Because the beauty of a plot twist is that while it takes your reader by surprise, it also seems like the most natural route the story could follow. Your plot twist has to work within the world of your book, and the best writers will leave little, tiny clues throughout the build up to this plot twist which the reader will only understand afterwards.

When thinking of a plot twist, try and imagine what would surprise you if you were a reader, and then work off on a tangent. No one wants the predictable storylines like 'he was actually my father' or 'secretly the bad boy plays the piano', because they're not really surprises anymore. You want your reader to audibly gasp when they read your plot twist.

My best advice: grab a hot drink, sit by a window and brainstorm until you come up with a masterpiece.