Twists Aren't Required in a Story, Short or Otherwise
Short stories are everywhere. From the days of the pulps up through the constant anthology calls publishers big and small put out, to forums across the Internet specializing in everything from creepy pastas to fan fiction, these truncated tales take many forms. While I've got a handful of novels under my belt at time of writing, most of my published work has actually been in the form of short fiction. Because of that, there's a habit I've noticed among a lot of writers who tend to work in smaller word counts... namely, it's an attempt to put a twist into your story.
For some stories, that's a good idea. However, it's not something you need to do every, single time. Trust me, if you feel obligated to have a twist, pretty soon it becomes the focal point of your efforts instead of just telling a good story.
Check this out for some of my bona fides on the subject.
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Beware The Tricksy Twist
For folks who don't know me, I grew up watching anthology sci fi and horror programs. From The Twilight Zone, to Tales From The Crypt,to The Outer Limits, this was where I was most comfortable.
Anyone who is familiar with with these programs probably knows that they often deal in twist endings to make a point. From the infamous Eye of The Beholder (where the woman beneath bandages is beautiful by our standards and hideous by those of the day she lives in) to Werewolf Concerto (where it turns out that the man on the trail of the werewolf is, himself, the werewolf... and the beautiful femme fatale we've been suspecting the whole story is actually a vampire) twists were these programs' stock in trade.
Plot twists like these are no mean feat to pull off, especially when you're working in text rather than a visual medium. Using tricks like word choice, perspective, careful framing of a situation, etc., you can still pull it off. With that said, however, it's all too easy to become obsessed with the twist rather than treating it as a component of the story itself.
Let's take the video above as a perfect example. The entire story builds suspense about the character's appearance. She's tried everything she can, and she's desperate to fix what's wrong with her. All the while she's reassured by doctors and nurses whose faces we never see. It builds this sense of foreboding, but it also puts all of our focus on her. So when our protagonist finally reveals her movie star beauty, we're momentarily relieved that all her struggles have come to fruition... until we're slammed back down, realizing that this is the hideous visage she sought to change! She then flees, and we see the legions of people who all have the same face. We see the fascist speech given by their dear leader about conformity to a single norm. We see her terror that she won't be accepted... that through no fault of her own she's been culled. Rendered an outsider. An Other.
The twist exists as a hammer to drive home the greater points being made by the episode about beauty standards, society, acceptance, and a slew of other social issues.
However, before you focus on the twist in your story, ask yourself if the story is served by a twist. Does the twist disarm your audience, leaving them vulnerable to the ending you're about to hit them with? Or are you just jerking them around? Because a twist needs to serve the overall narrative, and improve the story as a whole. But it's all too easy for us to focus on the twist as the end goal in and of itself, rather than as a tool we're using to enhance the story.
How do you know if you're doing that? Well the symptoms might vary from person to person, but for me a sure sign was that I was focusing on reaching the twist so I could get to the good part. This left other parts of the story underdeveloped and anemic, thus rendering the twist even less effective because the story hadn't been good up until that point. Additionally, if a twist seems to exist only for the sake of there being a twist, it's going to have a much smaller impact on the reader.
Always focus on the story itself. If it needs a twist, then give it one that really slaps your reader in the face! And if it doesn't? Well, there's no law that says you need one... especially if it makes the story stronger not to.
In The Market For More Short Stories?
If you're one of those folks who enjoys short fiction (or unique novels) consider checking out some of my other work! Starting with my ongoing fantasy series The Silver Raven Chronicles!
- Part One: Devil's Night: A ghost haunts the streets of Kintargo. It's gotten bad enough that many Dottari won't go into the old district of the city. Tonight one of them finds out why.
- Part Two: From The Ashes: After a night of burning, the new lord mayor addresses the public of a city that doesn't want him here. Chaos and violence erupt, and a resistance movement is galvanized.
- Part Three: The Raven's Nest: The so-called Silver Ravens need a base of operations if they're going to resist the occupation of Thrune... while this smuggler's cove might do, there are complications involved in using it.
- Part Four: Circles in Salt: The Ghost joins the Silver Ravens in a bold assault on a prison complex. Who, or what, he is remains shrouded in mystery, though.
If you're looking for some additional reading in the mean time don't forget to check out my full Vocal archive, as well as some of my other stories linked below!
- The Irregulars: My official contribution to the Pathfinder Tales, The Irregulars follows an Andoran unit as they throw a wrench into the gears of Molthune's war machine.
- Waking Dogs- A World Eaters Tale: For my fans of Warhammer 40K, this is a story I felt compelled to tell about one of the infamous World Eaters remembering who he once was. It was also dramatized by the channel A Vox in The Void, for those who enjoy audio renditions.
- Crier's Knife: My sword and sorcery novel, we follow Dirk Crier as he sets out to collect his wayward cousin from parts unknown. Dark tidings lie ahead, but those who stand in his way will learn why the mountain folk say only a dead man crosses a Crier.
- Marked Territory and Painted Cats: Join Leo as he gets roped into other people's problems on the mean streets of NYC. A Maine coon with a bad habit of getting curious, explore the world of street beasts in these nasty little noir mysteries!
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