If you write fiction like me, you probably find yourself guessing the endings to most films and novels, and you spot plot twists coming a mile away.

If we believe Christopher Booker’s theory that there are only seven basic plots, then we also have to believe that a story’s ability to surprise hinges on the execution of its premise and the author’s storytelling skills. But with so much novel and screenwriting info available on podcasts, blogs, and in books, and writers attending lectures and hiring coaches and developmental editors, why is it that very few stories surprise us seasoned writers? I believe the answer to this question is complex.

It’s likely that writers want a safe bet and feel pressure to follow the genre and industry rules. After all, if you’re gonna put several years of your time and energy into a creative project, you want your investment to pay off in the form of a contract with a traditional publisher, or Amazon book sales. So, what do you do? You write what your target audience expects.

There’s also the reality that writing a novel or a screenplay is overwhelming. Because of this, many writers rely on proven formulaic strategies, such as Save the Cat, or they follow Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, to prevent their stories from becoming unruly.

I also believe that writers workshop their pages too early. Although I am a big proponent of critique groups, I think writers benefit by keeping their ideas pure until they fully know their story. I never submit my pages to my group until I’ve completed my first draft. If a writer doesn’t know her story, groupthink can creep onto the pages. The story becomes not someone’s truth, but a story based on consensus, and that, in my opinion, leads to boring storytelling and predictable stories.

But if I had to guess why most stories fail to make their writer/reader’s jaws drop, I’d say that the number one reason is trust… writers not trusting themselves and not trusting their writing and editing process. Many don’t use their first and second drafts to explore and figure out their story. They’re scared. They want to write an outline, follow it, polish what they’ve created, and press publish or send. They want to follow a list of steps, like they’re following a recipe, and end up with a unique, memorable masterpiece. The problem is, most great bakers and writers stand out because they improvise.

So how do novelists improvise?  Is it as simple as writing however much and long it takes to get their authentic story out, without censoring, having faith in the end result, knowing that this is just the way of it? Yes and no. Trusting yourself enough to write that unique, messy first draft is only the start. Once you have that messy first draft, you have to know how to curate it so that it’s entertaining and readable. You have to find that ever-important throughline, you need to cut unnecessary backstory, and you have to make the story suspenseful and the characters compelling so that even writer/readers will want to read on. Everything that I am saying might seem natural if you’re a pantser.  But if you’re a plotter, it’ll probably feel like a huge leap of faith. And it is… to pretty much all writers. Both pantsers and plotters alike.

When I first started writing, I read a craft book that focused on the topic of creativity. I can’t remember the book’s author or the title, but one line stuck out and has remained with me. I am paraphrasing. The author said that if you can take three completely unrelated things and write a believable story about them, that’s a mark of true creativity. This is a concept that I think about when I’m writing first drafts. I tell myself that even if what I’m writing feels random, as long as I can ultimately tie these random scenes, ideas, characters, and themes together into a story, I’m good. Actually, I’m more than good. My story will likely stand out even to bibliophile writer/readers like me. When readers get to my ending, they’ll be speechless.

Thanks for reading my post! How do you make sure that your “surprise” endings and plot twists are doing their jobs and are blowing your readers’ minds? Do you guess the endings to most novels? Why do you think that is? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Always, keep writing!