How can I test if an idea I have for a plot twist is satisfying for (most) people?
So I have this idea for a plot twist and I really like it. I think I drop enough hints here and there to indirectly say to the audience: "Hey, I know what you might be thinking of, but maybe consider this possibility. Just saying, it might happen, you know..."
However, I'm not sure if other people would enjoy this particular plot twist I thought of, so I'm not sure if I should really commit to fleshing out this aspect of the story or drop it entirely.
So what I want to do is sort of write a synopsis of what happens in the story, as well as all the hints I'll be dropping, and give it around to see if people would enjoy it. Since it's very barebones at this point, as it's just a summary and not the actual story itself, they'll have to imagine most of it. It would be like reading the plot summary of a wikipedia page of a book/film.
Would this be a good idea to "test" your plot twist? Are there better methods?
(I can provide an example, if needed)
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1 answer
I do not think you would get accurate feedback, because in a synopsis like that the readers are not invested enough in the characters and story, and the twist is likely to leave them flat.
The key to a twist is if, on first read, a reader doesn't see it coming, but when it does they realize it all makes sense: and on second read the clues are there and the twist was there. The story has to be consistent with the twist; you (the author) did not ever lie to the reader (although characters may have), and you did not totally conceal the twist (although some events may be reinterpreted on second read and make more sense).
Consider "The Sixth Sense" [The "I see dead people" movie], and the twist at the end. Watching the movie a second time, the twist holds up, no lies were told, no actions made the twist impossible. You have consistency and the movie makes even more sense on the second viewing. That is what makes a satisfying twist. What makes an unsatisfying twist is if the story makes less sense, including direct contradictions to the twist (lying to the reader in exposition when readers have been given no clue that the narrator can lie).
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