by Rachelle J. Christensen
One of the things I love most about writing is the capacity to learn. I love learning! At times it seems overwhelming because there is so much that I need to learn, to master, and I’ve already been working hard on my craft for over a decade. On the flip-side, writing will never be stale to me because there is always room for improvement. Thank goodness I enjoy a good challenge—usually!
Some of my favorite books are those that have an unexpected twist and they aren’t found only in mystery/suspense novels. I’ve found the unexpected in every genre of fiction and each time it has made the story more memorable because of how the twist affects the characters, the plot, even the setting.
I’m a critical reader, so I take note of how predictable a plot might be, what surprised me pleasantly or unpleasantly. It’s been suggested that if we look at things from a different angle, a whole new world opens up. I agree, and I think that if we turn scenes on their ear, so to speak, we often discover something fabulous just waiting for us to incorporate into our plot.
Often, when I’m writing and/or revising, I’ll come across a scene that needs some work. If I dissect my scene and then turn a few things in a different direction, new life flows into the scene. It might be something simple. Perhaps my character has sudden insight into a problem, a car stops working on the way home from the mechanic, or the power goes out on a perfectly sunny day, but each of these things creates a shift in the scene with more questions that must be answered. When you create the unexpected in your writing, you invite the reader to become more invested in the story.
After I’ve gone through the first few drafts of a novel, I like to go back and examine each chapter to see if there are any weak spots. When I find those spots, I ask myself if everything is going along just as expected. If it is, then I know I need to shake things up by re-examining the scene for different possibilities. Instead of having my character run down her usual trail, I’ll have her spot something—a deer, an abandoned tent, or a sack lunch in the weeds—that takes her off-course.
There are bigger ways that we can create the unexpected. The villain could turn out to be the hero or vice versa. A person of trust might betray the character or a safety net ends up making someone more vulnerable.
I’m sure that you can think of a number of books and characters in those books who did something unexpected. Those twists make stories memorable. I encourage you to look at your story from a different angle and see if there is something fabulous hiding there, just waiting to be discovered.
About the Author
Rachelle enjoys singing and songwriting, playing the piano, running, motivational speaking, and of course reading. Visit www.rachellewrites.blogspot.com to learn more about upcoming books.
