One of the skills needed to keep a plot interesting is to create questions in the readers mind. Why? Who? What? Where? When? Along with that is the ability to misdirect expectations. You want to avoid predictability. Consider this blurb from a recent review of my novel Beyond the Fifth Gate:"There are plenty of plot twists along the way and the ending is a real shocker which truly caught me off guard just when I thought I had it all figured out." (Read the entire review here)
Writing a plot that makes readers expect one thing and delivers a different reality is challenging but fun. It leaves the reader pondering and talking about your story. Today's prompt is designed to practice this skill.
Today's Pumping Your Muse Prompt:
Choose one of the following starting points and ending point and write a scene:
Starting Points:
*First day of school
*Learning to drive
*First date
*Finding a bone fragment
Ending Points:
*Making a profit
*Discovering a deadly secret
*Disappointment in the truth
*Character discovers a truth within
Use starting and ending points from the list or your own, but in the end leave your character and your reader changed.
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If you enjoy prompts, check out Pumping Your Muse. The prompts included in this creative writing book challenge the imagination to take new direction and if followed to the conclusion of the book, provide a detailed outline along with completed scenes and developed characters for one novel, as well as a solid start for a second novel. Also available in ebook.
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