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ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
FELIX CHEONG was the recipient of the
National Arts Council’s Young Artist of
the Year for Literature Award in 2000.
He is the author of 22 books across
different genres, from poetry to short
stories, from children’s picture book to
non-fiction.
Felix has represented Singapore at festivals all over the
world: Edinburgh, West Cork, Austin, Sydney, Brisbane,
Christchurch, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Ubud and
Singapore.
He completed his masters in Creative Writing at the
University of Queensland and is currently an adjunct
lecturer with the National University of Singapore,
Curtin University, Murdoch University and University of
Newcastle.
Copyright 2017 by Felix Cheong
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DOING THE TWIST
OBJECTIVES
By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
1. Understand twists and describe why readers like stories
with twists.
2. Apply three ways to create suspense.
3. Apply techniques of foreshadowing.
4. Identify what makes a good ending of a story.
ZOOM ETIQUETTE:
1. Keep your mic mute.
2. Type questions in chat box.
3. Q & A at the end of workshop.
GROUP EXERCISE
Watch this short film, “It’s Payback Time”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ0aksbiiXw.
Discuss:
1. Where is the twist in the story?
2. What are some hints (foreshadowing) of the ending?
3. Is the ending unexpected?
4. Why do we like stories with twists?
Copyright 2017 by Felix Cheong
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WHAT IS A TWIST?
A twist happens when:
1. The reader expects the plot (or character) to go one
way and suddenly it goes in the opposite direction
2. Something familiar is made strange
3. Something strange is made familiar
To do a twist well, you need to:
1. Set up the reader’s expectations:
To do this, you need to describe the character and the
setting well. You need to make the character’s motivation
clear.
2. Withhold key information:
To do this, you need to know the ending and work your way
back to remove some details.
3. Use signposting:
To do this, you need to hint at what is to come, through
repetition and adding of details.
Copyright 2017 by Felix Cheong
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THREE WAYS TO CREATE SUSPENSE
1. Puzzle: All the details are given to reader but not
shown how they are connected.
2. Truncating: Some details are left out and revealed
only later.
3. Time bomb: The main character is given a fixed time to
resolve a problem.
INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE
Read the following short story. Discuss:
How does the writer build up the reader’s expectations?
_________________________________________________________
What information has the writer withheld?
_________________________________________________________
How has the writer made use of signposting?
_________________________________________________________
Copyright 2017 by Felix Cheong
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Just in Case
By Felix Cheong
“What do you mean, out of stock?” Jessica Poon almost
screamed at the salesgirl.
It was not normally her scene to make a scene. But she
only had two more months and she had already tired her
soles out by trudging the length and breadth of town.
This bookstore, of all bookstores, should carry it. It
was the only reason why it was popular.
“Ma'am, we sold our last copy of Math assessment books
yesterday,” said the salesgirl matter-of-factly, so
deadpan she could have survived a zombie apocalypse as
one of them.
Jessica was understandably ballistic. She had already
bought the ten-year series for - in alphabetical order -
Biology, Chemistry, Chinese, Economics, General Paper,
Literature and Physics. For good measure, she had even
collected the Malay language papers - just in case.
“To be prepared is to be well-prepared,” her late father
had once drummed into her. “Always remember to have
enough reserves - just in case.”
As a scenario planner in the Government, Mr. Poon had
long inculcated in his children the virtues of
stockpiling for a rainy day. He himself was a living
example of this mantra. When, at 45, he died of a heart
attack - sudden but not altogether unexpected - he had
already amassed more than 20 insurance policies, and
policies that covered other policies. By then, he had
Copyright 2017 by Felix Cheong
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already had two coffins custom-made - one if his height
remained the same and the other, if he suffered from
osteoporosis - just in case. He even had five suitors
lined up for his widow - just in case.
Of his four children, Jessica was the only one who took
after him. As a toddler, she would squirrel away toys and
cartons of milk all over the house - just in case. As a
teenager, she would have double of everything, even her
pink IC - just in case.
As Jessica sat herself down at the nearest coffee shop,
catching her breath, she felt a kick in her belly.
Fondling her baby bump, she leaned in and whispered.
“Don't worry, Joshua. Mummy will get you your Math
assessment book. Everything will be ready when you come
out.”
Joshua must have been placated, for he gave her a second
kick – just in case she had not felt the first.
Copyright 2017 by Felix Cheong
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END THE ENDING
A good ending should:
Avoid coincidences. Why?
Avoid “I woke up and it was a dream”. Why?
If ending with a twist, foreshadow it.
DISCUSSION
Discuss what is wrong with the ending in the following
plots.
A
Boy meets girl.
Boy falls in love with girl.
Boy asks girl to marry him.
Girl says yes.
They live happily ever after.
B
Boy meets girl.
Boy falls in love with girl.
Boy asks girl to marry him.
Boy marries girl.
They live happily ever after.
Boy wakes up to realise he’s been dreaming.
C
Boy meets girl.
Boy falls in love with girl.
Boy asks girl to marry him.
Copyright 2017 by Felix Cheong
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Girl says yes.
Before the wedding, girl discovers she has cancer.
Boy marries girl in hospital.
Boy prays to spirit of mysterious tree which, once a
year, grants a wish if offered a soul in exchange.
Girl recovers but boy dies.
Copyright 2017 by Felix Cheong
