Narrative Techniques Series: #9 Plot twist
Do you know that moment when the plot of a book or a film keeps you in suspense? That is the plot twist, described in this ninth episode of the narrative techniquesseries.
The plot twist is the moment when something happens that you didn’t expect in any way.
The writer can often use plot twist in crime novels, but even in another type of narration to reveal to the reader a situation, or a truth, in an entirely new and surprising way.
What is the Narrative Technique of the Plot twist?
Plot twists are unexpected and sudden turns in the narration. It diverts the plot from its trajectory, giving new insights into events or characters, or overturns the perspective.
Their purpose is to surprise, increase tension and revive interest in the story. This narrative technique helps the writer to catch the reader’s attention and leads him to continue reading in one go.
Moreover, it must surprise the reader and make them ‘jump on the chair’ with an unexpected and unpredictable event. Therefore, to create a suitably strong one, it is necessary to keep important information hidden from the reader which we will then reveal in a single moment. The more unexpected the event is, the more the writer has been clever in hiding it from the reader, the better the desired twist will succeed.
The narrative technique of “Chekhov’s gun“ could be a very useful element to use in the narration to introduce something that foreshadows what will happen in the future.
For instance, think about Agatha Christie stories. During all their length, she misleads readers with erroneous suspicions, hiding the really useful clues with many details which have the sole purpose of confusing them.
What is the difference between suspense and the Plot twist?
As we have already said, a Plot twist is a narrative technique that leaves the reader breathless.
On the contrary, the suspense arises when the reader has all the useful information within a scene, greater even than that possessed by the characters themselves.
Often, the writer gives the reader even more information than the characters themselves have.
Plot twist and twist ending
The plot twist can have two different meanings.
It can be placed in strategic positions, allowing the writer to control the pace of the narrative and adapt it to the readers’ expectations.
If it is placed at the end of the story, it is called a twist ending.
It all depends on the result you want to have in your story.
The impossible could not have happened, and therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.”
-Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie)-
The innovative writing software of bibisco to use the narrative technique of the Plot twist
Plot twist or twist ending? How many details to give to the reader and what kind of plot twist to create?
There are many questions to answer before introducing this narrative technique in your narration.
Fortunately, the novel writing software of bibisco can help in this difficult task.
bibisco will lead you to rearrange your ideas and create the plot twist that best suits your story.
Conclusions
Whether you are writing a crime novel or not, you can use the narrative technique of plot twist to create more interest in your story, asnarrative techniquesseries. Your reader will be so captivated by the plot that they will not be able to close the book without finishing it.
There are many ways to realize a plot twist, and we will widely speak of them in the next articles of this Narrative Techniques Series.
