SUSPENSE PLOT TWISTS Sally Bosco SUSPENSE PLOT TWISTS

SUSPENSE & PLOT TWISTS Sally Bosco

“There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. ” … Alfred Hitchcock

For Effective Suspense… The task in writing genre fiction, then, is in a way is to convince the reader—if possible—that things cannot possibly come out right. o o o Create obstacles. Drop complications. Set your protagonist back. Destroy his or her ability to accomplish the goal. Demolish her will to carry on. Create The Dark Moment to cause the protagonist—and the reader —to feel hopeless. Defeated.

Pre-Plotting • Internal conflict drives your plot o How do you choose a conflict? Look at the most popular examples in your genre and determine what kinds of conflicts drive those stories.

Pre-Plotting Genre Characters and Plot Conflict Thrillers The protagonist is a Conflicts revolve good guy with a around warring personal reason to act. goals: two people or groups who have The antagonist is an evil irreconcilable guy with a personal differences and reason to act. refuse to give in or The consequences are give up. global or at least very The conflict needs severe. to be based on Ticking clock. emotion. Examples Rebecca by Daphne Du. Maurier The Da. Vinci Code by Dan Brown Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn Misery by Stephen King

Who longs for what? • Yearnings Inform Conflicts o Who wants what and what are they willing to do to get it, and � what will the other guy do to stop them? o � People’s reactions to situations, not the situations themselves, is a core element in plotting. o Readers have to care.

EXERCISE 1: SELECT A CORE CONFLICT FOR YOUR STORY. Who longs for what? What are those people willing to do to satisfy their longings? Who or what opposes them? Write out your singular conflict, making sure you align it with a mental or spiritual longing.

How did this approach work for you? o Did you experiment with different alternatives? o Did you � find a singular conflict that resonates with you? o Were you able to identify a conflict that taps into strong emotions? o Once you’re clear on your primary conflict, you’re ready to gauge people’s reactions to the situation underlying your conflict and to the conflict itself.

Perceptions Are Individual o. H �ow we perceive things is the single biggest predictor of how � we’ll act. o How can you plot if you don’t know how your people will behave? o How can you know how they’ll behave if you don’t know how they perceive things?

EXERCISE 2: PERCEPTION: CONFLICT, ADJECTIVES, EMOTIONS Your Working Primary Title Conflict Three Driving Adjectives Emotion That Describe How the Protagonist Perceives the Conflict Notes

Perceptions Are Individual o. H �ow we perceive things is the single biggest predictor of how � we’ll act. o How can you plot if you don’t know how your people will behave? o How can you know how they’ll behave if you don’t know how they perceive things?

CAPITALIZE ON PERCEPTION GAPS People believe what they see. o i� f you dress the part and act the part, you can pretty much � get away with anything—that’s the power of a perception gap. o You can build believable plots around commonly held beliefs.

EXERCISE 3: COMMONLY HELD BELIEFS LEND THEMSELVES TO PERCEPTION GAPS Commonly Held Belief: I know what I saw. Character #1 Perception Character #2 Perception Which character trusts what Which character doesn’t he saw? trust what he saw? Real-World Example: The unreliability of evewitness testimony. Scientific American reports that mistaken identity is a factor in more than ¾ of the Innocence Project’s success stories. Perception Gap, Opposing Force and Plot Point What opposing force takes advantage of this perception gap? How can this opposing force inform your plot?

SELECT YOUR NARRATIVE QUESTION o Your “narrative question” lays out the promise of the story. o It alerts readers to the underlying question that will be answered by the end of the story. o It is the single most important factor in determining whether your story gets read.

YOUR NARRATIVE QUESTION SHOULD BE… o UNUSUAL… publishers want stories that they haven’t seen before. o EVOCATIVE… sensory-based and relatable. o EMOTIONAL. … the best plots are infused with longing and conflict. o � INCIDENT BASED… start with action—any event that sets your plot in motion.

MEMORABLE FIRST LINES o “I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it. ” Dark Places by Gillian Flynn o “Your father picks you up from prison in a stolen Dodge Neon, with an 8 -ball of coke in the glove compartment and a hooker names Mandy in the back seat. ” Until Gwen by Dennis Lehane

EXERCISE 4: DECIDE ON YOUR OPENING Write out your narrative question to remind yourself of your overarching focus. Write a sentence or two that shows the narrative question’s relevance to your readers. Translate your narrative question into a dramatic theme.

EXERCISE 5: DECONSTRUCT A NOVEL IN YOUR GENRE Title, Author, Date of Publication and Genre Write out the singular conflict, making sure you align it with a physical, mental or spiritual longing. Describe the relationship between the central conflict you identified above and the prime motivator. Choose 3 adjectives that describe the protagonist’s core feelings about the central conflict. Describe a perception gap that drives the plot. Write the narrative question. How is the story structured? Is it linear or non-linear?

The Plot Twist There is one situation, in which everyone loves to be caught off guard—when a story takes an unexpected turn. o Plot Twists must: o surprise the reader o increase tension o reveal pertinent information about either the characters, the story, or both. o be counterintuitive.

TYPES OF PLOT TWISTS o Plot Twists… Something unexpected and intriguing—but not the opposite o Plot Reversals… Something unexpected and intriguing—and the opposite o Moments of heightened danger… Something unexpected and intriguing—and fraught with real, potential, or imagined physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual � risk.

SMALL PLOT TWISTS ARE OKAY o Not every plot twist has to be violent or shocking. Many are small. o Small doesn’t equal insignificant. Small refers to the kind of events that pop up all the time in our lives, the little interruptions in our routine. o� Choose the alternative that most effectively moves my story forward, adds the most information about my people, or provides noteworthy foreshadowing.

EXERCISE 6: TRACK YOUR PLOT TWISTS / REVERSALS / MOMENTS OF HEIGHTENED DANGER Chapter/Pages Content Plot Twist

EXERCISE 7: PLOT TWIST CHECKLIST: What does my reader expect to happen next? What else could logically happen? What is the opposite of my baseline expectation? Could something physically, emotionally or spiritually frightening or dangerous occur? Which of these options drives by story forward in the most emotionally truthful way?

DOUBLE CHECK: Will my plot twist surprise the reader? Will it add tension or intrigue? Is it Credible? Can I logically integrate evidence? Am I showing the incident through action and dialogue?

SUBPLOTS Four effective techniques to come up with meaningful subplots: o Assign a minor character an unexpected role. o Enhance a seemingly unrelated element in the story. o Mirror your protagonists’ emotional conflict. o Focus on a nonfiction element of your story. o Use setting as a subplot.

MORE ABOUT SUBPLOTS o The best subplots are filled with conflict, move the story forward, and add dimension to your characters. o The subplot should support your theme. o Subplots typically move at a different pace from your primary plot. o The more frequently you insert a scene related to a subplot, the more leisurely the pace. o At some point you subplot should meld into your primary plot.

EXERCISE 8: CHOOSE TWO SUBPLOTS Answer the following questions about your project. Your protagonist longs for: Your conflict revolves around: Your protagonist’s core emotional driver is: Your premise is: Your plot summary is: Is there a minor character who can help your protagonist satisfy his longing? Is there a minor character who might hinder your protagonist’s progress?

EXERCISE 8: CHOOSE TWO SUBPLOTS (continued) Is there something going on in your protagonist’s life that’s unrelated to the primary plot, and that he has to deal with? Does your protagonist feel a strong emotion that can be duplicated, perceived or reflected in someone else? Is there a non-fiction element that might showcase your protagonist’s skill, character or ability? Can you use setting to reflect your character’s inner turmoil? Subplot #1 is: Subplot #2 is:

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EXERCISE o Did anything surprise you? o Did you revisit any aspects of your primary plot? o Did you identify new plot points that require you to plant new seeds? o Did you find yourself getting to know your characters better? o Were you able to select two substantial sub-plots? o Were you able to delineate the references to each subplot so that the pace is harmonious with your genre and style? o Did you balance your plot twists so you have an engaging mix?

END WITH A BANG Three ways to end your story: o � Seamless integration… Readers don’t anticipate how smoothly the subplots align with the primary plot, so it feels like a twist, even though it isn’t. o Unreliable narrator revealed… This device keeps readers wondering what is really going on. o Wider lens… an unexpected, but logical alternative view of your story, the kind of dramatic change in perception that occurs when you leave a tunnel and look back.

EXAMPLES OF UNRELIABLE NARRATORS

EXERCISE 9: END WITH A BANG – CHOOSE YOUR WRAPUP TECHNIQUE Working title: Plot premise: Ending technique Seamless integration: Unreliable narrator: Innocent, unknowing or misunderstood Unreliable narrator: Guilty How can you use this technique in your project? Unreliable narrator: Emotionally taxed or mentally ill Unreliable narrator: Incapacitated Unreliable narrator: Paranormal Wider lens Can you add a thematic link at the ending? Try to ensure that it aligns with your characters’ longings and emotional drivers, and your narrative question.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EXERCISE o Were you able to come up with ideas for each ending alternative? o Did anything surprise you? o Which option did you decide was best? Why? o Once you selected your ending, were you able to add a thematic link?

EXERCISE 10: Formula for Organizing Plot Twists Subplot 1 Plot Points Main Plot Pg 300 -325 All issues resolved. Subplot 2 Plot Points All plot points resolve into a logical solution Pg 280 Subplot 1 Plot Point 4 Pg 280 Twist/Reversal Pg 200 Subplot 1 Plot Point 3 Pg 210 Twist/Reversal Pg 120 Subplot 1 Plot Point 2 Pg 140 Twist/Reversal Pg 40 Subplot 1 Plot Point 1 Pg 70 Twist/Reversal Pg 80 Subplot 2 Plot Point 1 Pg 1 Start in the middle of the inciting incident. Pg 280 Subplot 2 Plot Point 4 Pg 240 Subplot 2 Plot Point 3 Pg 160 Subplot 2 Plot Point 2

ABOUT THE EXERCISE o If you insert plot twists more frequently, � you’ll develop a faster pace, whereas if you integrate plot twists less often, you’ll establish a more leisurely pace. o � Two subplots work well in most novels; integrate more and you � risk confusing your readers; develop fewer and you risk over-simplifying your story. o � To avoid becoming confused when plotting a novel, treat each plot—the primary plot and the two subplots as entirely separate mini novels. The Plotting Road Map allows you to lay out separate storylines for each. o Start by planning your primary plot. Then, after you determine your two secondary plots, repeat the process for each of them. o � Write about an incident relating to Subplot 1 and Subplot 2 every forty pages or so, alternating between them.

SUMMARY LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET, CONSECTETUER ADIPISCING ELIT o Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Maecenas porttitor congue massa. Fusce posuere, magna sed pulvinar ultricies, purus lectus malesuada libero, sit amet commodo magna eros quis urna. o Nunc viverra imperdiet enim. Fusce est. Vivamus a tellus. o Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Proin pharetra nonummy pede. Mauris et orci. 39 ADD A FOOTER MM. DD. 20 XX

THANK YOU! Sally Bosco Website: Sally. Bosco. com

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