Uniquely Unexpected

Readers hate obvious storylines and cookie cutter characters. We’ve all heard people complain “There are no original stories, everything has been done.” If that is true, why are readers still purchasing books?

Your story will automatically be unique because you as an individual are unique. You’ll create stand out characters based on your own dreams and fears. You can make them even more unique by giving them an unexpected quality, either in their appearance, abilities, or quirks.

But how do you create an unexpected ending? How do you keep the reader from guessing what will happen? Hopefully, you are creating so much tension and there is so much at stake that the reader can’t see an out for your characters. However, your ending still needs to be believable on some level.

So, how do you accomplish this?                        

1)      Write down the ending you expect.

2)      Cross it out and don’t allow yourself to use this ending.

3)      Come up with at least three alternate endings.

4)      Choose the best one or some combination for a twist.

Remember, your story will be as unique as you are, but blow it up. Make the characters and plot bigger than life. Just remember fiction readers want believability not reality. Good luck and Happy Writing!

How have you struggled with uniqueness? What have you done to make your work better?