Editing Plot twist (section)

{{Short description|Narrative technique}}
{{other uses|Plot Twist (disambiguation)}}
A '''plot twist''' is a [[literary technique]] that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the [[Plot (narrative)|plot]] in a work of fiction.<ref name="SingletonConrad2000">{{cite book|author1=Ralph Stuart Singleton|author2=James A. Conrad|author3=Janna Wong Healy|title=Filmmaker's dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1JcYAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA229|access-date=27 July 2013|date=1 August 2000|publisher=Lone Eagle Pub. Co.|isbn=978-1-58065-022-9|page=229}}</ref> When it happens near the end of a story, it is known as a '''twist ending''' or '''surprise ending'''.<ref name="KayGelshenen2001">{{cite book|author1=Judith Kay|author2=Rosemary Gelshenen|title=Discovering Fiction Student's Book 2: A Reader of American Short Stories|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A7Wov3lQ4K8C&pg=PA65|access-date=27 July 2013|date=26 February 2001|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-00351-3|page=65}}</ref> It may change the audience's perception of the preceding events, or introduce a new conflict that places it in a different context. A plot twist may be [[Foreshadowing|foreshadowed]], to prepare the audience to accept it, but it usually comes with some element of surprise. There are various methods used to execute a plot twist, such as withholding information from the audience, or misleading them with ambiguous or false information. Not every plot has a twist, but some have multiple lesser ones, and some are defined by a single major twist.

Since the effectiveness of a plot twist usually relies on the audience's not having expected it, revealing a plot twist to readers or viewers in advance is commonly regarded as a [[spoiler (media)|''spoiler'']]. Even revealing the fact that a work contains plot twists – especially at the ending – can also be controversial, as it changes the audience's expectations. However, at least one study suggests that this does not affect the enjoyment of a work.<ref>Jonah Lehrer, [https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/08/spoilers-dont-spoil-anything/ Spoilers Don't Spoil Anything]. ''Wired Science Blogs''.</ref>

Many television series, especially in [[crime fiction]], use plot twists as a theme in every episode and some base their whole premise on the twist; for example, ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' and ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]''.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}