plot twist short stories

One idea could be that the character who seems to be the hero is actually the villain all along. For example, in a story about a detective solving a crime, it turns out that the detective was the one who set up the crime in the first place to gain fame.

Surprise is key. For example, in 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson. At first, it seems like a normal small - town lottery. But then it turns out the 'winner' is actually going to be stoned to death. The sudden shift from a seemingly positive event to a horrific one is what makes it a great plot twist.

A time - related plot twist can be interesting. For example, a character believes they have been living in the present day but then discovers they are actually in a post - apocalyptic future where time has been distorted. This forces them to re - evaluate everything they thought they knew.

One interesting one is about a couple camping in the woods. They hear howls all night. In the morning, they find a huge paw print. They decide to leave but get lost. As night falls again, they see a pair of glowing eyes. Just as they think it's a wild animal, a ranger comes out. But then the ranger's face twists and he says 'I'm the real danger here'.

First, think of a basic story idea. Then, introduce elements that seem normal but lead to a sudden change. For example, a trusted friend could turn out to be a traitor. Or a seemingly solved problem could come back in a new way. Make sure the twist makes sense within the story's context.

A great way to do it is to introduce an unexpected element near the end. Maybe a character who was thought to be good turns out to be bad, or a solution to a problem comes from an unlikely source.

The element of surprise. When you read a story and suddenly something completely unexpected happens, it catches your attention. For example, in 'The Necklace' by Guy de Maupassant. A woman borrows what she thinks is an expensive necklace, loses it, and spends years in poverty trying to replace it. Only to find out at the end that the original necklace was a fake. This sudden revelation makes the story very appealing.

They often play with our emotions. We might be feeling sympathy for a character, and then the plot twist changes everything. It makes us re - evaluate how we felt about the whole story. In a good scary plot twist story, the author builds up a certain mood and then shatters it with the twist, like in 'The Monkey's Paw' where the wishes turn out horribly wrong.

One is 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson. At first, it seems like a normal small - town lottery event. But the plot twist is that the 'winner' of the lottery is actually stoned to death as a sacrifice. It's a very dark and unexpected turn.

Another is 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' by Ambrose Bierce. A man is about to be hanged on a bridge during the Civil War. As he falls, he seems to escape and makes a long journey homeward. But in the end, it turns out that all of his escape was just a hallucination in the split second before his death. It's a really mind - boggling plot twist.