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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/3214-.html
Short Stories: August 12, 2009 Issue [#3214]

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Short Stories


 This week:
  Edited by: Ben Langhinrichs Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

"Come on, baby, let's do the twist!"
          - Hank Ballard (made more popular by Chubby Checker)

Greetings! I'm a new editor for the Short Stories Newsletter, and I hope to share some of my thoughts on writing short stories, and perhaps about writing in general. I suggest you treat these not as pearls of wisdom dropped from on high, but rather musings of a fellow writer, written to inspire, provoke or stimulate your personal muse. I welcome your thoughts, feedback and suggestions. - Ben Langhinrichs Author Icon


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Letter from the editor

Whenever he saw a dollar in another man's hands he took it as a personal grudge, if he couldn't take it any other way.
          - O. Henry

You are reading a story which with great characters and a predictable, but pleasant, plot when suddenly, the story twists around and goes in a completely unexpected direction. Do you toss the book over your shoulder in disgust, or sit up a bit straighter and pay closer attention? It depends on how the author has handled "the twist".

O. Henry was a master of the twist. The Gift of the Magi, probably his most famous short story, relates the story of a young couple with almost nothing to their names except their love for each other, facing a Christmas with no money for gifts. Della has beautiful hair, so Jim longs to buy an expensive set of Combs which they have seen in a store window. Jim has a watch, an heirloom, and Della longs to get him a fob befitting its elegance. Each stumbles on the idea of selling their treasure, Della, he hair, and Jim, his watch, to get the money with which to purchase the wonderful Christmas present for the other, but when they have, the twist is that Della does not have long hair to comb, or Jim a watch for his fob.

Stories in every genre and style have twists, some small and some mind-bending. But even with all this twisting and turning, there are some tips that may help your twists make for an exciting rollercoaster ride rather than a sickening thud and a lost reader. Some thoughts about how to make a plot twist effective:

*Idea* "Foreshadowing" plants seeds which make the plot twist more believable in retrospect. The reader will be happier with "Oh gosh, I should have caught that clue!" than "Nobody could have predicted that - I was cheated!"

*Idea* Twists within a genre are more likely to be accepted. If the beautiful starlet who has been flirting with the stud since the beginning suddenly runs away with his brother, the reader will accept it more than if she is suddenly abducted by aliens. On the other hand, you can get away with a clever twist of genres if you plant enough seeds via foreshadowing.

*Idea* As with a mystery, you can use "red herrings" to distract the reader from the true purpose of these early seeds. A bonus with this is that if your story is not a mystery, the reader is more likely to fall for red herrings. Mystery aficionados are much harder to fool.

*Idea* A twist can act like a ratchet, and increase the suspense, or it can act like a punch line, and end the suspense. Be careful which you put where. If your punch line is in the middle of the story, it may be hard to get the reader's attention back.

For an extensive discussion of the mechanics of twists endings in stories, see the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twist_ending.

Come on, baby, let's do the twist!


Editor's Picks

Illusions Open in new Window. [E]
Not everything is what it seems... especially to an alien telepath.
by 🌕 HuntersMoon Author Icon


         It's all about survival.


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by A Guest Visitor


         A twist within a twist, all in a very short story.


 The Forgetful Wizard Open in new Window. [E]
A forgetful Wizard is badgered by his wife
by George R. Lasher Author Icon


         Humor and magic mix well in this twisted tale.


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by A Guest Visitor


         A twist based on the main character, and a slightly unreliable narrator.


 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor


         Once you get past the psionic powers and the levitation, this is a good old-fashioned detective/mystery, with a twist, of course.


Afternoon at the Carnival Open in new Window. [ASR]
A strange afternoon at an unusual Carnival. (990 wds) (Published--twice!)
by LJPC - the tortoise Author Icon


         An unusual twist for a scary story, which often offer only an implied twist at the end.


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by A Guest Visitor


         A clever twist regarding a character's hidden motivations.


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by A Guest Visitor


         Here is a switch of genres that works fairly well (just to demonstrate that my suggestions should always be taken with a grain of salt).

 
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Ask & Answer

Since this is my first newsletter, I had to come up with all the picks myself. I'd very much like to hear your suggestions for short stories that seem worthy of more attention, whether they are yours or somebody else's. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

I also welcome any feedback on this newsletter, or suggestions for future issues.

Let's make this a dialogue, and not simply a soliloquy.



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