Tips for Writing a Twilight Zone episode

Here are some tips for writing a Twilight Zone episode. Keep in mind that some of the indirectness may be related to how TV audiences at the time were family-oriented and mainstream.

Story Conventions: 

• Things appear normal on the outside except to the main character.
• If there is violence, it is more likely to be suggested than actually shown.
• Something seems mysterious to the main character until the end
• There is a narrator who will introduce and close the show with commentary.
• Usually there is a tragic or horrifying end.
• Characters often doubt their own reality
• Not usually a huge or long fight or struggle.
• Using live actors rather than animation gives the whole series a realistic atmosphere

Here are some sample plot elements which you might find:

• something disappears or appears
• changing shape
• someone or something gains a magical power
• things becoming alive
• some kind of illusion masks the truth
• trapped
• Something harmless becomes harmful
• Breaking the rules causes unexpected harm
• someone has some secret identity
• something has a curse
• a bunch of coincidences suggest a pattern
• a secret enemy has taken charge
• Tomato Surprise ( or Tomato in the Mirror)

See also these two articles about how to write a Twilight Zone episode and Plot Twists you find in every Twilight Zone episode.