A Word in Your Eye

Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 23: How to Write without Twists

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2009/11/01/writing-excuses-season-3-episode-23-how-to-write-without-twists/

Key points: Simple surprises and obstacles are not plot twists. Watching engaging characters overcome real problems is satisfying. Watching characters make progress is satisfying. Stories without twists often have strong setups with very clear conflicts and high stakes. Even stories with major plot twists often have straight-forward subplots.
( The Peppermint Twist? )
[Brandon] Let's do a writing prompt before this spirals completely into insanity.
[Jordo] Is it going to be Jane Austen and Diehard?
[Brandon] No.
[Dan] No?
[Howard] It can't be Pride and Prejudice and zombies, either, because that's been done.
[Dan] It's going to be Sense and Sensibility and terrorists.
[Brandon] You have lots of excuses why you are not going to write, but we're going to pretend you don't. Thanks for listening. This has been Writing Excuses.

Writing Excuses Episode 20: More Q&A from Conduit

http://www.writingexcuses.com/2008/06/22/writing-excuses-episode-20-more-qa-from-conduit/

Guest writer: Eric James Stone

The short and sweet? Do you need plot twists? Yep, but not necessarily always world changers. Speculations about the changing market. How do you make heroes as interesting as villians? Conflict and action!
( More details . . . )
And a voice announced, "We're all blimps anyways."

Amidst a flurry of thankyou, thankyou very much, the podcast ended.