5 tips for engineering the twist
BY Heather Darwent
19th Mar 2026
In this blog Heather Darwent, author of thrillers The Things We Do To Our Friends and A Sharp Scratch, shares her advice for engineering the perfect plot twist in your writing.
Though I favour minimal planning, I always know my twist before I start writing. I obsess over it, examining it from every angle, taking it apart and putting it back together to ponder over how I can make it bigger, better, more unique.
I love to work toward that elusive moment, to deliver that perfect ah-ha moment! It’s easier said than done, of course, and it’s so hard to find a twist that truly blows your mind. That said, I’m unashamedly obsessed with the twist.
When I read a good twist, I feel such an immense sense of satisfaction. There are so many authors who’ve crafted brilliant twists: Janice Hallett, Gillian Flynn, and Elizabeth Day are just a few. They feel somewhat effortless, but I know that, behind the scenes, each author has put in substantial, careful work to make it happen.
The way I see it, the twist grows in first drafts – it has to – this is where you are able to throw everything at it and see what sticks. Then, in subsequent drafts, you can build it up with complexity and red herrings.
Here are my top tips for that crucial engineering work to make sure your twist hits in the right way. Because I write thrillers, these are focused on that genre, but really, they can be applied to most genres.
1. Build the sense of discombobulation
Make sure readers consistently sense something is off, building anticipation for the twist.
There’s something not quite right, and although the reader can’t pin it down, anticipation builds until the twist is revealed. Frieda McFadden does this well; her most recent book kept me feeling that something was off, sustaining the suspense until the payoff.
2. Use secrets as currency
Identify which secrets fuel your story and consider dynamic ways to reveal them to maximise intrigue.
The twist usually relies on secrets, but I focus on how they are revealed. While dialogue is a primary and naturalistic device – a suspect admits or is confronted – it’s worth considering other ways to let the mystery unfold, layering suspense up to the twist.
- Can a character discover an object?
- Can a photograph give a clue to something?
3. Let characters make offhand comments that echo later
Plant statements or observations that will gain meaning after the twist.
I love to work in offhand comments that grow in resonance as the plot progresses. Sometimes it might be a word or remark that gains meaning as the story. progresses, or something another character later recalls, signalling significance to the reader.
Dialogue, especially well-formed lines that have something just slightly intriguing to them, often sticks in a reader’s head and so comes together well to deliver that all-important revelation.
4. Deliver the twist at a structural turning point
Place your biggest reveal where it will have the most impact in the story's arc.
When foreshadowing has slowly built, it’s crucial to consider where the twist will fall structurally. Some books reveal the twist relatively early – see Magpie by Elizabeth Day – which is fine, but you must then decide what will drive the tension afterwards. I carefully choose the right moment for my main twist and often add smaller twists earlier or later, once the central storyline is established.
5. Contrast public behaviour with private moments
Reveal true character when they drop their façade, heightening the impact of the twist.
I’m so interested in how we present ourselves and how that contrasts with our interior life. It usually does, and I think there can be so much intrigue in this. When the twist arrives, I love pairing it with the shedding of a character’s mask. Witnessing a character fully reveal themselves, free of artifice, is fascinating – go all in!
These are just a few things to think about when you’re planning on integrating a twist into your work effectively. Ultimately, it relies on trust between author and reader. Invite the reader in, give them the clues and be confident that you’re going to pull off.
Good luck!
Heather Darwent is a former student of our Edit & Pitch Your Novel and Writing Your Novel – Three Months courses. She now gives editorial feedback to students on our online Writing Crime Fiction, Writing a Psychological Thriller and Deep Dive courses.
Heather's Sunday Times bestselling debut The Things We Do to Our Friends was published in 2023. Her second novel, A Sharp Scratch, is out now in paperback with Viking.