Plot Twists and Clever Fixes: Creative Solutions to Story Problems
The teen writers had a short narrative to work with. The protagonist was in a fix. What should she do or not do?
The key to every engaging story is to have interesting characters and an intriguing problem that pushes a character to the corner with little choice. It is extremely hard to come up with an engaging problem but it is even harder to find an interesting fix to the problem.
Last week at the club, the teen writers were provided with a randomly written fictional narrative.
The Choice
Lena stood frozen, her breath shallow, fingers trembling over the keyboard. The anonymous email had arrived an hour ago.
"Your school’s funding is being stolen. Proof attached. What will you do?"
Attached were pages of financial records—names, dates, amounts. The school's principal, Mr. Donovan, was quietly shifting school funds into a personal account.
Lena felt sick. She wasn’t just any student; she was the Student Council President. If this was true, she had a responsibility to act. But how?
She saw two paths:
🔹 Go Public—Post the evidence online. If everyone knew, there would be pressure for justice. But... what if the school’s reputation was destroyed? What if it backfired?
🔹 Report Privately—Send it to the school board. Let the adults handle it. But... what if they covered it up? Would she just be silenced?
Her phone buzzed. A message from her best friend, Ravi.
"U good? U seem weird today."
Lena stared at the screen. Should she tell him? Should she tell anyone?
She looked back at the email. The cursor blinked.
Pondering about should she do next?- Taking the story forward
This was tough one. Not many straightforward options. Any obvious routes meant risk to her. Yet she can’t go without reporting it. Her stature as Student Council President made her responsibility to report anything untoward.
Various ideas came to the table. Each one having the potential to take this story in a very compelling direction. They haven’t been listed here as these ideas belong to the teens should they want to write this story further. Having said that, it was wonderful to see a lot of out of the box thinking.
The session ended on a thoughtful note however, when one of the teens raised the point about Lena verifying the source of the email. Was it a reliable source? :) While that set some thinking and doubting their proposed plots, some others chose to assume that it was a reliable source!
Student writers often find themselves nervous thinking about whether they really have the power or ability to write. The advantage with imaginative fiction is that there is more power to the writer. There exists the freedom to choose what is convenient and what is not for the plot, as long as the output is meaningful and engaging for the reader to read. The only caveat is that if it is based on real events, people or places, verified facts need to be in place.
This fictional narrative will be an option for the teen writers to pursue further. If anyone chooses to write further, chances are that it may appear in the next edition of the Young Writers’ Club magazine! Stay tuned.
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Musings from the Young Writers’ Club is a Talking Circles’ Publication