#AtoZChallenge - 4-24-2017 - Letter T
T for Twist in the
Tail
Short stories make enjoyable reading. Those with a surprise
ending are more delightful. Sometimes, the ending sneaks up on the reader and
sometimes it springs out at the reader in a sudden move.
H.H. Munro, who wrote under the pen name of Saki, was adept
at satire. However, some of his stories were also great examples of the twist
in the tail. “The Open Window” is one such. All along, the story builds up in
one direction, and suddenly with an adroit sleight of hand, the author makes it
double back on itself, as it were.
For a long time, the surprise ending also went by the name
of “the O’Henry Twist”. This was certainly apt, because the short stories of O’Henry
were bound to have an ending absolutely different from the obvious one. My
favourite stories are The Gift of the Magi and The Last Leaf. Both are touching
and moving. The fine skein of wry humour running through these tales is an
added treat. The unexpected turn of events is what makes the story stay with
you even years after you read it.
In modern times, Jeffrey Archer is the master craftsman who
deftly weaves a tale with a practised hand. So much so, that one collection of
short stories is actually called A Twist in the Tale! So the reader knows what
is coming, but is still surprised. What makes Archer an ace at his craft is his
masterly handling of full-length novels in the same vein. The older novels are
replete with the famous twist. Kane and Abel is a case in point. First Among
Equals is exemplary because the twist comes literally in the very last
sentence.
Any story is an interaction between the writer and the
reader. In stories with a twist, it becomes something like the former leading
on the latter, in a way. I personally indulge in this exercise because I want
to engage with the reader not only as a storyteller, but on another level also.
If I can make the reader turn back the pages to check for clues and hints about
the coming twist at the end----my job is done! That is why this is my favourite
writing technique.
Absolutely engaging as usual. I owe it to you completely for this A-Z journey <3
ReplyDeleteI simply jogged your elbow a bit---you would have done it anyway!
DeleteNice! I read those two stories when I was growing up (they were in my lit book, I think?) but I hadn't remembered the "Last Leaf" one for quite a while. Thanks for bringing it to my memory. :)
ReplyDeleteVisiting from the A to Z Challenge. See my “U” post here: https://lydiahowe.com/2017/04/25/u-is-for-uncle-izaac-atozchallenge/
I absolutely love stories with twists in the end (not the kind that is shown on indian tv - there the twists come but the serials never end :p).
ReplyDeleteI have attempted to write stories with twists - often illogical. I have labelled them as weird stories. Do come over and read them when the challenge gets over. Would love your feedback :)
Cheers,
CRD
Am certainly going to visit your blog!
Delete