A good plot twist changes what you thought you knew without making the story feel like it cheated.

The surprise is only half the job

The reveal has to surprise you, but it also has to feel inevitable once you look back. The best twists leave evidence in plain sight and trust the audience not to notice it yet.

Setup before payoff

If the story needs a character, object or rule for the twist to work, introduce it before the reveal. A surprise feels earned when the pieces were already on the table.

Let the audience be clever

You do not need to hide everything. Sometimes the most satisfying reveal is the one a reader almost guessed.

A twist should make the story richer after it happens, not simply louder.