BRAIN LOGIC, TWISTS AND STORY ROLLERCOASTERS

My favorite movie, Clue, has a few oddities that tickle my brain. Getting from the conservatory on one side of the house to the study on the other side of the house seems truly odd since they have to go past all those rooms and windows. My brain asks, “How do they get past the windows?”

And what would compel Wadsworth, a Butler, to play Mr. Body in one of the solutions? I do like the nod to “Mr. Hoover” (think Hoover vacuums) being the clean-up part of the government.

And for all you people who understand color, Miss. Scarlett wears blue instead of red, and Mrs. White wears black. Have fun with Colonel Mustard, who should be in yellow maybe, but he’s in brown, and what Mr. Green and Mr. Plum wear.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing short stories, novels, plays, or shows for TV, remember to include little twists and turns to make the reader’s brain pay attention. If you keep a story serious all the time, your audience might not stay engaged. Adding a bit of humor, a small detail, or complexity breaks up tension, allowing you to increase the tension again in other parts of the book. These emotional changes keep the brain involved and your audience asking for another ride on the rollercoaster.