Story Structure and the Final Twist

cmtruesd · Jul 10, 2012

I'm a huge believer of story structure. You know, the whole 4-act structure with 1st plot point, midpoint, 2nd plot point, and all that. I follow L4rry Br00ks' storyfix blogs on the subject religiously. Some of his information, however, seems a little confusing to me. In several of his blog posts, he insists that the second plot point (the transition between the third act to the final act) must the be LAST point for new information to enter the story.

With that said, I have a great final "twist" in mind for my story that happens right during the climax. While it's kind of an "AH HA" moment, there is no actual NEW information entering the story. It's all already been said, but my MC is finally putting it all together to figure out the big picture. My reader, hopefully, will be on the same page and just now figuring it out as well.

I guess my question is whether or not I'm breaking any rules here. Would you, as a reader, feel cheated if there's this big final twist at the end? Do you believe the final twist should be at the 75% mark, which propels the character into the final act? Or would you enjoy such a twist, even if it is at the end?

I hope I'm making sense... I've had a lot of (too much) coffee today.

KateJJ · Jul 10, 2012

If all the information is already there, go for the twist. It's only if you bring up "Oh, and your father was a dragon!" in a story that has no dragons previously that the twist feels wrong.

I follow the 3-Act Hollywood formula (as exposited by Lou Anders on the Writing Excuses podcast when he guest starred in season 6) which says that at the midpoint, halfway through act 2, you're done asking questions and have to start answering them.

I'd suggest listening to that podcast and googling "Dan Wells 7 point story structure": I've found the two very complimentary. I believe they're describing the same ideas as your 4-act structure, but with different words, and sometimes hearing things different helps.

cmtruesd · Jul 10, 2012

KateJJ said:
at the midpoint, halfway through act 2, you're done asking questions and have to start answering them.

I like that! I've never heard it put that way. Thanks for the resources... Off to check them out!

jmare · Jul 10, 2012

My WIP has a couple of twists. The major twist is at the climax and it changes the entire tone of the story. Well, hopefully it will. The second is more ambiguous and comes right at the end and will hopefully leave the reader wondering what is real and what is not.

As long as you don't pull any deus ex machina shenanigans (unless the story is about such things), you should be fine with a twist. The only thing to watch for is not being so obvious that the reader knows it's coming from early on or so subtle that the reader feels as if it were deus ex machina shenanigans.

katelynlea123 · Jul 10, 2012

Some of my favorite books have a twist at the end. I'm a bit of a Dark Tower junkie, at the end of the series King throws a HUGE twist in that literally had me staring at the last paragraph for like five minutes after I finished it all starry eyed and mind-blown. So go for it. And as for rules, don't be afraid to break them. Rules suck.

cmtruesd · Jul 10, 2012

katelynlea123 said:
Some of my favorite books have a twist at the end. I'm a bit of a Dark Tower junkie, at the end of the series King throws a HUGE twist in that literally had me staring at the last paragraph for like five minutes after I finished it all starry eyed and mind-blown. So go for it. And as for rules, don't be afraid to break them. Rules suck.

I agree, rules do suck

I guess I need to learn that while some rules are very helpful, others are meant to be bent a little bit.

KateJJ · Jul 10, 2012

The key with rules is, first learn to follow them, then learn to break them. That probably doesn't make any sense but they are rules for a reason. Not always a good one!

What I suggest you do is find a couple beta readers. Preferably people who don't know you very well, maybe off this site or somewhere else. Write the ending with the twist, give them the whole thing, have them read it and ask whether the twist ruined it or made it sing.

Your description makes me think it's the good kind of twist, the sort that leaves people going "my mind is blown" not "huh, what, what do you mean we're all living in a yellow submarine?" but you'll want some readers to confirm that for you.

kkbe · Jul 10, 2012

Foreign to me. I've been writing blind, speaking of which, I finished a novel a while back, so great, so many plot twists and nifty almost-twists, a lot of tension and a climax was coming, you knew it was and then, oh Jesus, last page--actually, last paragraph of the thing was this insane bombshell that just left me breathless. . .

What was that? I can't label that, I don't have a word for that, I don't think I could deliniate it or diagram it or stick it into some formulatic model. All I know is, that book ended and I just sat there saying Holy Shit, Wow. What the hell just happened.

I don't know if the author followed "the rules." I don't think it matters. To me, it would be more of a safety net for the writer, a 'can't miss' kind of blueprint, but as for writing with or without, I don't care how weird or wild or quirky or off-the-wall crazy your novel is, if you write great and your story's interesting and/or compelling, people are gonna read it and respond in a positive way.

lorna_w · Jul 10, 2012

twist is fine, deus ex machina isn't.

Guidelines for plot are wonderful, imo, except when they aren't.

ralf58 · Jul 10, 2012

Personally, I think it's better when writers read a lot and absorb a feel for how stories work and then write out of that instinctive knowledge rather than following formulas.

Lydia Sharp · Jul 10, 2012

If it truly is an "aha!" moment, and not something completely new and/or unrelated to anything up to that point, then I think you're fine. "Aha!" moments have to make sense in retrospect. So in that way, what Larry says is true. It isn't a new story element, just a new realization by the character.

L.C. Blackwell · Jul 10, 2012

If you look at the way many mysteries are plotted, they only make sense to the reader in retrospect. In other words, the hints were there, but didn't at all make the conclusion foregone.

The best kind of twist is that "oh, my!" moment where everything suddenly makes a huge amount of sense--but you didn't really picture how that would work out, right until the author exploded it for you.

As for that particular rule: "no new information," phooey, schmooey! Add any information you want, if it makes sense in context to the rest of the book, and doesn't jerk the reader out of suspension of disbelief.

cmtruesd · Jul 10, 2012

Thanks everyone for the great responses! I think I'm going to go for the twist and try it out on my poor, unsuspecting betas

I'll see what they think and go from there.

jaksen · Jul 11, 2012

Well, I just wanna throw one thing in here: you know you've got a good 'twist' or ending, whateveryouwanttocallit, when you surprise yourself.

That's the best, the absolute best.

brianjanuary · Jul 11, 2012

The second plot point is different from a twist (although, like the midpoint, it can be a twist). In well-constructed stories PP2 comes after a low point, an all-is-lost moment when the hero thinks he has failed his mission and it looks like the antagonist will win. Then comes new information or a lost ally shows up to help (or both), etc. that gives the hero new strength and courage to carry him into the third act, which is the climax, where the hero "storms the castle" and defeats the villain. There's a lot of room in Act 3 (roughly 25% of the story) for all kinds of twists and turns and revelations, if you'd like.

Story Structure and the Final Twist

cmtruesd

practical experience, FTW

KateJJ

coffee and pistols at dawn

cmtruesd

practical experience, FTW

jmare

My own worst enemy

katelynlea123

cmtruesd

practical experience, FTW

KateJJ

coffee and pistols at dawn

kkbe

Huh.

lorna_w

Hybrid Grump

ralf58

shhh, I'm writing

Lydia Sharp

for the love of love

L.C. Blackwell

Keeper of Fort Blanket

cmtruesd

practical experience, FTW

jaksen

Caped Codder

brianjanuary