Writing
Twists
Twisting the ending of a story is like putting icing on a cake, a cherry on top of a sundae,
or nuts in brownies. It is the ultimate satisfaction.
I'm supposing that most writers go through the same learning process that I did. In the early days, my first
attention went to the opening line, the plot, climax, and logical end. (Which is the wrong order, but that's
another article.) Twisting the ending didn't occur to me for many years, and when I finally did it, it was by
accident. Now I like to twist almost every ending. If you learn to do it once, you can do it every time
thereafter.
The skill of a twisted ending is in misleading the reader to believe something different than what is really going
to happen. Sometimes the writers, themselves, don't know what their ending is going to be. If that is your case,
you will have a lot of trouble twisting the ending.
Stop and think about where your story is going. What is the logical ending? Next, think of an alternative ending
that would surprise the reader. Now, find a common denominator between the two endings where you can make the flow
similar, and then split the story line off in an unsuspecting direction at the last minute.
One good twist is to take the reader back to the beginning scene of the story. This is called the loop effect. For
example: I wrote a story where a man sat in the doctor's office and listened to patients giving personal
information. Knowing when a certain lady would not be home, he went to steal her jewels for the sheer excitement of
it. The loop ending says he would end up in the doctor's office again, waiting to hear more information. But
another good ending would use irony. He could have entered the house to rob it, and another thief slipped in when
his back was turned. The second thief thought the first one was the master of the house and he shot him.
Another example of irony: A man rescues a wolf and makes a pet out of it. The government decides the wolf is
dangerous and they take the wolf away from him. He files a lawsuit against the government and wins. (Okay. We can
call this a fantasy story.) He gets the wolf back and the reader thinks the climax has come and gone with the
courtroom scene and the reunion with the wolf. The reader is coming to the end of the book, just half a dozen
paragraphs left - and they learn that the man takes the wolf for a romp in the snow and the wolf tears his throat
out.
Make your readers think they know the ending, and then pull the rug out from under them. This is what made Alfred
Hitchcock so famous. When you watch his old movies, you'll never figure out who did the dirty deed until the last
scene. He was the master of twisted endings. Since his day, multiplied thousands of writers have learned to follow
in his footsteps.
Have fun doing the twist!
by Deborah Owen - 11th November 2008
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Ms. Deb is the CEO and Founder of Creative Writing Institute. As a non-profit organization and the first fully
mentored writing school on the net, CWI offer can offer writing classes at a 40% discount. Drop in and see for
yourself: http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com
Source: http://creativewriter.me.uk
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