MASTERING PLOT TWISTS

By Jerry D. Pate

This week’s contribution comes from Jerry Pate, new member to our Columbia II Chapter. He takes some lessons in character & plot development from “Mastering Plot Twists” by Jane K. Cleland (full citation below).

“A Three-Question Assessment Model Delves into People’s Longings:

1. Who longs for what?

2. What are those people willing to do to satisfy their longings?

3. Who or what opposes them? (Pp 22-23)”

“Actions and Reactions Propel Your plot:

Incidents exist in a vacuum until the people involved react. Once people care about a situation though, an otherwise benign incident transforms from ho-hum to captivating. If people don’t care, a conflict is averted but you have no story. If they feel passionate about an issue, the opportunities to create conflict abound  (Pg 25).”

“Homing in on the Relationships Between Key Elements:

      Once you know what a person longs for and what they’re willing to do to satisfy that longing, you can identify a worthy opponent –which, by definition will create a conflict. You can ensure that conflict is significant enough to carry your story by confirming it aligns with a prime motivator…

“Examining works you admire enables you to identify patterns. Adapting this approach to your chosen genre equips you to make informed decisions about your plot… (Pg 53).”

“CAPITALIZE ON PERCEPTION GAPS:

Whatever we believe, it rarely occurs to us that we might be wrong, just as it rarely occurs to us that other people, as fair-minded and principled as we are, might look at the same events or facts and reach different conclusions. Yet it happens all the time. I call this dichotomy a “perception gap,” and capitalizing on its potential reveal meaningful information about your characters is a reliable way to develop believable characters and intriguing plots….

“Perception gaps encourage readers to delve into your characters’ motivations, to become more involved in your story, and to place themselves in the incidents you describe… (Pp 73 & 74).”

“ICE DOWN TRDs FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT

TRDs = Twists, Reversals & Danger

“At their best TRDs tap into strong emotions. However, you can’t randomly select emotions to tap into. Only those emotions that ripen organically from your stories and characters will work…”

Cleland suggests using the acronym ICE as a guide:

· Intrigue. Your goal in developing TRDs is to create tension through the unexpected. The word intrigue combines two irresistible facts that drive readership: curiosity and appeal…

· Credibility. Credibility requires more than creating believable situations: credibility demands trust. Readers must trust you are revealing emotional truth through believing incidents, and those incidents must relate to your [overall] narrative question…

· Evidence. One of the most oft-repeated pieces of writing advice is to show and not tell. As Mark Twain put it: “Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.” Don’t report on events: present them. By consistently challenging yourself to provide evidence of what you’re describing, you’ll be certain to write episodes readers can see, hear, feel, smell and touch. It is these sensual references that bring your story to life…(Pg 152).”

Full citation:

Cleland, Jane K. Mastering Plot Twists. Writer’s Digest Books: 2018. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: ISBN-13:978-1-4403-52331.