Good writing is twisty. It really is”it’s all about getting a reader to look at something one way, then twirling them around and getting them to see the issue in a completely different context.
Case in point (and spoiler alert): Watching season 7 of The West Wing and there’s a whole plot of the President-Elect Santos coming into office amidst the turmoil of President Bartlett’s decision to send troops to a modern-day Vietnam situation (they’re going to play referee to the Chinese & Russians in Khasickstan).
In this particular episode, the writers do a masterful”masterful”job of making you think Santos is screwing up: dissing Barlett’s decision, etc. Then the writers have the two men do a face to face¦and you’re waiting for fireworks¦sparks¦I mean come on, Santos is bad-mouthing Bartlett to the Chinese¦and, at first, you think it’s coming¦it’s coming¦and SUDDENLY you realize Bartlett & Santos set it up. They’re working together to get a solution and avoid war.
Genius.
GENIUS!
I gotta figure out how to pull one of these twists out of my hat¦