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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/16188
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/16188
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Disclaimer: This is a new question, not an extension of my other questions concerning twists.

When I develop fiction, I start with a premise and a theme. I have a general idea of where I'm headed, and the events that get me there. I add in character and stakes, which help flesh out the story until I have a fairly detailed outline of the book. And then I arrive at the plot, and the twists/complications.

Unless I plan on it from the beginning, my plots at this point have no twists in them, and very few complications, none of which are intentional. And of course since the events are already detailed and sorted, inserting a twist - which turns the plot in a different direction - will mean I will have to completely redo most of the events (I generally know what the climax and resolution will be already). And if I want more than one twist, I will have to redo them several times. I would prefer to be able to have twists without rewriting the outline several times.

The obvious answer to this problem would seem to be to incorporate twists _first_, before any other development. The problem is that the other development is what makes most of the story - the thing that gets twisted, in other words. Hence my question:

At what point during development do I add in twists/complications? And how can I do so when I already know how I want things to end?

Note: This question is based on my understanding of a twist as something unexpected, which affects the current situation and may change the outcome, possibly of the entire story.

Original score: 8