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Rant: I thought every story needed a big twist ending until my friend called my writing predictable.
For years, I'd end every short story with a 'gotcha' moment, like the narrator being a ghost or the whole thing being a dream. My buddy read one last week and said, 'Cole, I knew the twist by paragraph two.' That hit me hard. Do you ever worry about being too obvious with your plot devices?
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evana7111d ago
Twists are fun but maybe the real trick is making the reader forget they're even waiting for one. Get them so wrapped up in a character's bad choice or a weird detail that the eventual turn feels like a natural part of the story's spine, not a hat you pull out at the end. It's less about hiding the ball and more about getting them to watch your hands for a different reason entirely.
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That "I knew the twist by paragraph two" line is the real gut punch. I heard a writer say the twist should feel surprising but also like the only possible ending once you see it. If it's just a random shock, it feels cheap. Your ghost or dream thing might be giving away the game too early.
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