Barbara's Meanderings

Here is the question for the week:

THIS WEEK'S AUTHOR BLOG HOP QUESTION FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 2nd IS ABOUT: Writing scenes(Part One): How would you define a 'twist'? Do you use a twist in every scene or just at the end of the book? Question provided by affiliate author L. P Robinson (Part two is next week!)

When there is a "twist" in a story you are talking about a plot twist. You are going along reading about the story and you are able to predict what is going to happen most of the time. As a reader you are lulled into believing you have predicted the ending. Then suddenly the character does something totally different and you no longer can predict the ending. Sometimes it comes at the end of a chapter and it a very effective hook to move a reader to go onto the next chapter. Or it might come at almost the end of the story where suddenly two groups who had been enemies make a 360 degree turn and become friends. You as a reader are stunned and it makes for very effective writing.

I wouldn't use a twist in every scene, but sometimes you want your reader to be shaken up a little, so you will use it at the end of a chapter. Probably a twist is most effective at the end when the reader coasts along and then suddenly there is this big change and the reader flounders around a little uncertain how to handle this. Of course, good writers find a way to ground the story and end it in a way that will be satisfying.

Actually, this goes beyond the question, but one of my pet peeves is getting to the end of a book and nothing has been settled. I have found this in many, many books that have been given great reviews. Yes, the writing has been good and the world building in a lot of them is good too, but at the end you are left with this desolation, because nothing has been resolved. None of the things you thought were going to happen have occurred and you are left with the question: Why did I read this? I like a story where there is some resolution of the problems a character has had to face. Or when a character in which you have invested your time is able to find happiness. This is not necessarily a happy ending, but at least it validates the time you spent reading some of these extremely long stories filled with useless adventures going nowhere. One example of this is The Passage by Justin Cronin. I won't tell you the ending since it would spoil anyone else's reading it, but once you read it get back to me and tell me if you didn't have this same reaction. This is not taking away from the writing, but even well written books suffer from this problem.