THE SKINNY
Plot twists are one of the keys to keeping an audience's attention in stories. They provide surprise, evoke humor, draw in listeners and invite them to strap themselves in to enjoy the ride.
THE STORY
This week I had a chance to take in "This Much is True", the monthly storytelling performance at the Hop Leaf in Andersonville. It was a cozy evening of engaging and entertaining stories heard while sipping your favorite micro brew.
The common technique used in three of the stories I heard, was a surprise plot twist. One story was about romance, another about child care on an airplane, and the third was about a father trying to bond with his daughters - - yet each drew the listener in more deeply when the plot took a surprise twist. For instance, how will the dad deal with frogs that appear within freshly poured concrete? How will a mom cope with a hand puppet that has a yucky surprise inside it? And how will a man react to news that his girlfriend to be has had relations with another man?
THE SCORE
When you think about all of the sitcoms you've seen in your lifetime, how many times have you said to yourself, "Oh, this is the one about the mistaken identity," or "This is the one about the lie that comes back to bite the main character?" Personally, I find myself groaning at these moments when I get sucked into watching an old Friends or Frasier episode.
So what are the surprise plot twists we can employ in our stories to make them more interesting and keep our audience engaged? Are we communicating the same blah, blah, blah message, or are we challenging our audiences to take a journey with us with unexpected highs and lows, laughter and tears, joys and sorrows?
