Activity

Today, we are looking at the info from last lesson, and turning it into something.

Two paragraphs to be precise.

In which you are going to foreshadow your plot twist.

This shouldn’t be too time consuming or anything like that. You can use your own WIP, or just make up something for the purpose. The aim is to make sure that the readers get a chance to look back and say, ‘Oh man. I should’ve seen that coming.’

Quick reminder of the general things to keep in mind for a plot twist:

1. Mention the good possibility in the Characteristic Moment.
2. Mention the bad possibility in the Characteristic Moment.
3. Separate the Plot Goal and the Thematic Goal.
4. Drop hints as is appropriate to both the plot and the character’s development. (Though, they should be the same thing.)

Here’s an example from Flightless which is currently being edited/rewritten:

I stuff another scroll into my beg, one hand feeling over my desk for a quill. Snatching one up with a sealed jar of ink, I glance up at Mother. A few tears escape her eyes, and suddenly all of her poise vanishes. I’m pulled into an embrace and I bury my face in the crumpled shoulder of her dress. “I can’t let you leave like this. It’s dangerous out there. There could be dark magic or assassins or…well, King Jaseph may take offense.” She pulls back slightly, her watery gaze meeting mine. A crumpled copy of a smile touches her face, “Even if you’ve grown up, you can’t fix all of our problems.”

Some sort of resolve sets in me and I straighten up, “I’ll be back soon. I promise.” I turn to face the window, shrugging off my cloak and letting my wings unfurl. “And as for assassins, dark magic and King Jaseph, well…” I take a few more steps until I’m standing on the window ledge–an ocean of stars spreading before me. A deep breath fills my lungs. “They’ll have to catch me first.” I fall from the window.

What was the foreshadowing? Let’s just say that a lot of assassins turn up in the rest of the story, but here, the first mention was brief. It just sounded like a typical exchange between a worried mother and her daughter. However, when I occasionally have the thoughts come up, it allows for that plot twist to come in and be able to be seen. (Even if it’s nearly fifteen chapters away.)

Give it a shot! Two paragraphs that have your plot twist mentioned faintly.

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