In some ways I'm tempted to use this device to explain some of the abhorent behavior of my mc - after serving time for a revenge murder and still not satisfied ( he's got a list for two more hits and is searching out the main bad guy ) goes off on the hunt. He starts off a nice guy , but with a lot of baggage , namely a twin who's a control freak , and is locked up in a mental ward. ( This may sound a little like Faster , but it's actually more film noir ) The twist was that as he goes off to start his second hunt , after his stint in jail , he switches places with the twin in the mental ward. 7 years in jail took a lot out of him and he no longer has the anger or ability to procede. As much as I like this, it takes some of the sting out of the initial idea of how far the original mc would go to exact revenge - and I could be cheating the reader by informing them , voila , it wasn't him, him all along.
if you can make it work, plot twist are just devices, some are overdone but if your story is good, then we'll forgive you ahaha just watch the prestige, a great movie, with an over done plot twist, soo good you done even notice how ridiculous it could have been
I think it's a bit cheesy. As a reader, the impact of this plot twist would have as much of an effect on me as the old "it was only a dream".
I would strongly recommend against it. Sounds like it would really cheapen the main drama of your story, which is how 'dark' your mc is getting.
Thanks for the imput, guys.. and gals! I'm thinking the twin switch thing - though cool is dated. And could probably use something more subtle..... like my mc uses his twin's erratic behavior as an inspiration to help him deal with what he's doing, adding a good psychological twist to the story. I'm toying with that possibility.
Be genre savvy or don't do it at all. I tend to like stories in which twins play off each other and hold a special bond of dysfunctional behavior and love that serves to be the form of conflict. That said, never cheat the reader, its a lousy thing to do. I'd almost prefer that the twins meet up and have a reunion in which the first twin wound up in the ward in the first place. How else does a 'control freak' wind up in there? I don't think the 'my twin did it' if the twin is captured in the other is locked away, besides if they switched, then the other twin (first one put away) still did the crime and you have a change of character to pull off the switch. The 'twin did it' only works if you do it not for major crimes, but social tricks. Your set up also lacks the traditional system for a 'twin did it' thing. I'd prefer the two getting sent to the same facility, concocting an escape and go off cackling into the moonlight.
