#187. How To Write An Unforgettable Plot Twist In Your Novel With Samantha Skal

Fiction Writing Made Easy

Savannah Gilbo

Education, Fiction, Writing Tips, Arts, Bestseller, Writing, How To, Author, Writing Community, Books, Novel, How To Write Fiction, Writing Fiction, Writer, How To Write A Book

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Master the art of the jaw-dropping plot twist and transform your readers from passive page-turners into gasping, can't-put-it-down fans. Ever gasped out loud while reading a thriller? That moment when everything flips upside down and you think, "I should have seen it coming!" 😱 That's the power of a well-crafted plot twist. Creating these goosebump-inducing moments isn't magic—it's a skill that any writer can master, even if you’re just starting out. And who better to learn from than someone ...

Transcript

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0:00.0	Once you figure out what your villain is doing and why, think about what your protagonist will assume is going on, because assumptions of motivations is another way to think about twists.
0:10.2	I'm assuming this very logical thing about why this person is doing this thing and I am wildly wrong.
0:14.8	And the wildly wrong reveal is your twist.
0:16.9	So if I'm in my awesome dress and I'm in this basement in Prohibition era and there's
0:23.1	barrels of whiskey or whatever all around, I'm going to assume that it's about the whiskey. But maybe
0:27.6	it's not. Maybe it's about the building. Maybe it's about who this person was.
0:33.5	Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast. My name is Savannah Gilbo and I'm here to help you write a story that works.
0:40.3	I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming.
0:44.3	So each week I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, actionable, and step-by-step strategies that you can implement in your writing right away.
0:52.3	So whether you're brand new to writing or more of a
0:54.4	seasoned author looking to improve your craft, this podcast is for you. So pick up a pen and let's get
0:59.7	started. In today's episode, we're exploring what it means to write twists in mysteries and thrillers.
1:08.1	And I have a special guest today who is an expert in this topic. Her name is
1:12.4	Samantha Scall and she is the director of Thriller Fest, the co-founder of Shadows and Secrets
1:17.5	writing retreats, which get this, is a series of thriller and mystery-focused writing retreats in
1:23.5	Salem, Massachusetts, of all places, and in their most haunted hotel. How cool is that?
1:29.2	And she's also an author accelerator book coach who specializes in coaching mystery,
1:33.7	thriller, and suspense authors from planning through revision. And Sam's superpower as a coach
1:39.2	is brainstorming twists, and that's exactly what she's going to talk to us about today.
1:43.9	So in this episode, you're going to
1:45.2	hear us talk through things like what it means to write a twist and how this might show up a little
1:49.9	bit differently depending on if you're writing a mystery or a thriller. We're going to talk about
	...

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