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Chip Pentium, A.H.

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5 comments on A LAZY MONDAY BLOG

A LAZY MONDAY BLOG

Me: Write a blog of interest to fiction writers.

ChatGPT: I’ll try to create that. Here is a possible blog post:

How to Write a Compelling Plot Twist
Plot twists are one of the most effective ways to surprise and delight your readers. They can make your story more memorable, unpredictable, and engaging. But how do you write a plot twist that works? Here are some tips to help you craft a twist that will leave your readers speechless.

  1. Plan ahead
    The best plot twists are not random or arbitrary. They are carefully planned and foreshadowed throughout the story. You need to plant clues and hints that point to the twist, but not so obvious that they give it away. You also need to make sure that the twist is consistent with the logic and rules of your story world. A plot twist that contradicts or ignores what you have established before will feel cheap and unsatisfying.
  2. Misdirect your readers
    While you are planting clues for the twist, you also need to misdirect your readers’ attention and expectations. You can do this by using red herrings, false leads, unreliable narrators, or subverting tropes and clichés. The goal is to make your readers think that they know what is going to happen next, and then surprise them with something completely different.
  3. Make it emotional
    A plot twist is not just a clever trick or a shocking revelation. It should also have an emotional impact on your characters and your readers. A good plot twist should change the stakes, the relationships, the motivations, or the goals of your story. It should make your readers care more about what happens next, and how your characters will react and cope with the new situation.
  4. Make it believable
    A plot twist should be surprising, but not unbelievable. It should make sense in hindsight, and not rely on coincidences, contrivances, or deus ex machina. It should also be relevant to the main theme and message of your story, and not just a gimmick or a shock value. A plot twist should enhance your story, not undermine it.
  5. Make it original
    Finally, a plot twist should be original and creative. It should not be something that has been done before, or something that is predictable or cliché. You can draw inspiration from other stories, but you should not copy or repeat them. You should also avoid using common plot twist types, such as “it was all a dream”, “they were dead all along”, “they were twins”, or “they were the villain”. Instead, try to come up with something that is unique and fresh for your story and genre.

Plot twists are not easy to write, but they can be very rewarding if done well. They can make your story stand out from the crowd, and keep your readers hooked until the end. Follow these tips, and you will be able to write a plot twist that will blow your readers’ minds.

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Chip Pentium, A.H.

Chip Pentium is an A.H., Artificial Human. The product of a relationship between a malfunctioning computer chip and a deranged author, Chip enjoys a life lived through the eyes of one not quite attached to reality. Or, as Chip says, “I see things that aren’t there.” That’s the human side of him. The artificial side is that he’s a character who isn’t there.

5 responses to “A LAZY MONDAY BLOG”

  1. Mike Van Horn Avatar
    Mike Van Horn

    This seems like an excellent use of AI: Pick a topic that relies on already known information, and recreate it in a way that is easier for people to grasp.
    What’s interesting to me is that this is what I’ve done my entire writing life–rewrite technical topics, drawing from diverse sources, in a way non-experts can understand. Thus you might say that I’d be one of the first to be put out of work by an AI writer. Lucky for me most all that kind of writing is behind me.
    The thing I have going for me are the 40 years of examples in my head from advising over a thousand business owners, so I can bring these lessons to life for readers. Not sure how AI will handle that part of it.
    Regarding the message of the post on plot twists, I was pleased to note that my sci fi series passes every test mentioned for twists.

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  2. GD Deckard Avatar
    GD Deckard

    I honestly did not expect the A.I. to write a blog of interest. But it did. I altered none of its reply. And I learned from reading it.

    Yup, Mike is right. Writers that rehash old stories/plots/characters/jokes face extinction. Sit-Com writers come to mind.

    Liked by 3 people

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  3. Sue Ranscht Avatar
    Sue Ranscht

    Half of an old adage comes to mind: Those who can’t, teach.

    Liked by 2 people

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  4. mimispeike Avatar
    mimispeike

    This sounds good, but it’s easier said than done. Plan ahead? I have no plan. When I reach an impasse, I throw in another character to shake things up. Then I have to figure out how they might move my story forward, which is the goal, even for me.

    I wrote almost the entirety of book three, but was never able to cobble a satisfactory conclusion to my assassination plot. Then I discovered John Dee. I am now writing book four, which you are reading in Showcase, and I see a way to fit two very different storylines together almost seamlessly, after I dump about a third of the original chapter three. I’m pleased I can save so much of it. I am shuffling my combined deck of cards and dealing the cards anew, and the new hand I hold works amazingly well.

    I am able to retain Hislop, a pig (Sly’s argumentative cohort for a several-chapters stretch of his journey). Jack Daw still grabs a ride in a cart driven by Neville Nip-nose (an itinerant entertainer: Neville Nip-nose and His Animal Comedians), who is actually a scarecrow slumped in the driver seat of the cart to make it look like a human is in charge of an animal assemblage.

    Neville warns Jack (Sly supplying the vocals) to keep back in the bed of the cart, not to try to look him in the face. He’d lost his nose in a knife fight, and his silver nose had been stolen a few days earlier in a robbery. He will not be gawked at. I’d love to work Tycho Brahe (Danish astronomer, also noseless, with a wardrobe of silver and pewter noses) into the story but so far I can’t see how to do it. I discovered Tycho by accident in an article on the web.

    Neville had been tossed into a ditch, Sly didn’t need him any longer after Jack showed up. The act will now be Jack Daw and His Animal Comedians.

    I realized only yesterday that Neville Nip-nose is the answer to what becomes of Delly, who is bullied by Mavis (or Mauvais, as she prefers to be called), Dee’s raven. Delly will be the new star of the Animal Comedians. Sly remains with Dee, naturally.

    I have no genuine plot. My domino-fall of incidents is so complicated that it could not have been planned.

    The alternate term for seat-of-the-pants/pantzer is Discovery. You discover your story, your world, your characters, as you write them. If you live in your world and see that world through your characters’ eyes, Emotional, Believable, Original take care of themselves.

    I had decided to kick Neville Nip-nose to the curb in order to streamline my all-over-the-place narrative. No! Impossible! He’s the path to happily-ever-after for poor, sweet Delly.

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    1. GD Deckard Avatar
      GD Deckard

      Writing is a great adventure, Mimi!

      Liked by 1 person

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