Foreshadowing is leaving a trail of literary breadcrumbs along the way, giving them a sense of “Ah, I knew that was coming!” when they reach the climax of your story. It is a popular literary device used across all genres, from crime, thriller, and mystery writing to romance, historical, and literary fiction
Flashbacks and Flash-Forwards
Flashbacks are scenes that interrupt the flow of the narrative to recount something that has happened in the past or to glimpse what will happen in the future
- Unlike foreshadowing, which is subtle and creates anticipation by dropping hints, a flashback or flash-forward increases suspense by making the reader question the how or why rather than the what
This guide helps you work out your narrative arc, plan out your key plot points, flesh out your characters, and begin to build your world.
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Time dusk
Hints do not have to mean something has to happen right away
- You could casually be leaving clues throughout the entire length of your narration, leading up to the grand finale
- The more subtle your hints, the greater the satisfaction when readers can’t figure out what’s coming
Red Herrings
This technique is used to distract or mislead the reader
How to Foreshadow in Your Writing
Want your readers to feel a sense of anticipation and suspense but also prepare them emotionally for what’s about to happen
The Two Types of Foreshadowing
How much or how little you want your reader to guess at is entirely up to you.
Direct Foreshadowing
This is the most obvious way for an author to prepare the reader for an upcoming event in the narrative
- Usually done through a prologue, a dialogue, a statement by the narrator, or through a prophecy
- In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the three witches make three prophecies, and after the first comes true, the reader can expect the next two to become true as well
Chekhov’s Gun
If there is a gun on the wall in Act 1, it must fire by the end of the play
- No irrelevant elements should be placed in a text
- This simply means that if you choose to include and describe a vase of flowers on the sideboard of your protagonist’s living room, this vase should play some type of role in your narration later on
Foreshadowing Through Pacing
Set your reader on edge by describing several actions or events in quick sequence so that they’re left feeling that something is going to happen-they’re just not sure what yet.
- Pacing is important throughout your novel. Check the pacing around your foreshadowing-are you varying your slower paced, descriptive foreshadow with action or event based clues?
Foreshadowing Through Dialogue and Reactions
Pete, Kay, and their two boys, out for a day on the beach
- The boys are playing in the sand while Kay is searching through their bags
- She turns to Pete and tells him that she can’t find the boys’ armbands
- Despite recent swimming lessons, they shouldn’t be allowed in the water without their flotation aids
- What do you think might happen next
Take Inspiration from the Screen
It is relatively easy to create an emotional response in viewers with the tools available on screen.
- As authors we don’t have the same tools available to us to set a scene and create a certain atmosphere as screenwriters do, but there are plenty of literary techniques to help create an equally powerful scene of foreshadowing.
Include Clues in Your Title
Foreshadowing the plot of a novel and creating anticipation in your reader
- Include clues in the title of the book or a chapter to help you guess what the book might be about
- For example, the book could be called The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared or The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Foreshadowing Through Settings and Symbolism
Use the weather to foreshadow events
- A blue sky suddenly going dark, storm clouds moving in, the air feeling close and humid, thunder and lightning-these all help to build a sense of foreboding that something is about to change
- Equally, a sudden blue sky and emerging sunshine, birds twittering, and butterflies fluttering about are also helpful to set the scene and point towards a potentially positive change about to take place
Foreshadowing Techniques and Examples
Weather and dialogue as well as symbolism and setting can help build anticipation and create a sense of foreboding in these paragraphs.
Indirect Foreshadowing
Indirect foreshadowing can take many shapes and forms
- It can be purveyed by noting small changes in the environment, choosing a particular setting, including conversational remarks, or even mythical omens or superstitious beliefs
- In Bianca Marais’ Hum If You Don’t Know the Words, the protagonist Beauty is searching for her missing daughter. She starts noticing owls appearing around her in the evenings, at dusk to be precise. After the second sighting, she wonders what the appearance of a third might indicate.
