Plot Twist Story Prompts: Dangerous Gift

Plot twist story prompts aren't meant for the beginning or the end of stories. Rather, they're for forcing big and small turns in the anticipated trajectory of a story. This is to make it more interesting for the readers and writers alike.

Each week, I'll provide a new prompt to help twist your story. Find last week's prompt, Forced Trust, here.

For today's prompt, give your character a dangerous gift. What counts as a dangerous gift could vary depending upon who receives the gift. For instance, a loaded gun would probably be a dangerous gift for anyone; but a quarter-sized marble may be a dangerous gift for a parent of young children, because it's a potential choking hazard. In some stories, a book (of spells or knowledge) might be considered a dangerous gift.

(Why the Surprise Ending Ultimately Frightens Us.)

Sometimes it's very obvious that a gift is dangerous in a story, but it's also possible the danger is lurking beneath the surface and isn't revealed until later. As an example, a character may receive the gift of a car to get around town. That's great, except maybe it has faulty brakes that quit working or an exhaust that feeds back into the car.

One more consideration for this plot twist: Is the gift given because with good intentions or bad? That is, did the giver know the gift was dangerous and hoped the danger would present itself to the receiver of the gift. Maybe an uncle who doesn't like his nephew leaves him a cursed artifact in his will.

So give your character a dangerous gift, and see what happens next.

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Have you hit a wall on your work-in-progress? Maybe you know where you want your characters to end up, but don’t know how to get them there. Or, the story feels a little stale but you still believe in it. Adding a plot twist might be just the solution.

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