Plot Twist Story Prompts: Falling Down

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, Dangerous Gift, here.

For today's prompt, have someone or something fall down. If we're talking people, maybe they could fall through thin ice into cold water or find that they're sinking in quicksand. If we're talking things, maybe a spaceship is falling or a meteorite.

(20 Authors Share Their Biggest Surprise in the Writing Process.)

I have a few real examples from my own life. First, I was driving one calm, sunny day when suddenly a utility pole crashed onto the street in front of me (for no discernible reason). What really shocked me about it was thinking, "What if I had been traveling a couple seconds faster and it crashed down on me?" Second, I have had a few times in my life when I've passed out, which means that I just collapsed (and a few were in situations that nearly ended my life).

One element of a "falling down" plot twist is that it can seem rather random, but there's usually a real reason for why something happens. Maybe termites got at the utility pole; maybe blood pressure had to do with my falls. And because of the fall, your characters are forced to take actions and/or reconsider future actions as a result of what they witness.

So have someone or something fall, 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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