What Do You Need to Know About Foreshadowing?

Historical and speculative novelist K.M. Weiland offers tips and essays about the writing life to help other writers understand the ins and outs of the craft and the psychology behind the inspiration.

***

This week's question is from @brucebenkoii1043:

"I’ve been listening to audible versions of your books and I am really making progress because of your help. I was wondering if you have any advice and tips on foreshadowing."

***

***

Enjoy my content?

***

***

Want me to answer your question in a future video? Ask it in the comments below!

#WriterWednesday #WW #AmWriting #WritersLife #Writetip #writer #storystructure #plotstories #howtowrite #writingfiction #writerscommunity #writers #writerslife #writersnetwork #writersblock #screenwriter #writerlife #writerscorner #writercommunity #writerssociety #writers_den_ #poetsandwriters #writersociety #womenwriters

[josephcillojr.]

I have found that foreshadowing is a thing I address in later drafts when I am more certain of the story and I am tightening things up. Unless you have a really solid idea of what will happen, and you may if you have a solid outline, foreshadowing is a thing to add, or revisit, in revisions. When it is handled badly, it is often a problem in the rewriting process. My favorite part of the rewriting process is sprinkling in the foreshadowing.

Another related tip is in detailing a plan of action. If things will go according to plan, we don’t need to know the plan. When the plan will go awry, which is often the case, let us know the plan. This will set up a dramatic irony, if the reader becomes aware of the problems before the character.

I remember in the movie, “The Sixth Sense, ” thinking that the characters were not acting in a realistic way and, frankly, being a bit annoyed by it, until the reveal at the end. Of course, that reveal was properly foreshadowed and if I had really been paying attention, I could have figured it out. When I watched the movie again, I saw just how many clues there were.

[WanderingWeirdly]

I'd like to think that the brain works in sets of threes when recognizing things:

Chance - Coincidence - Pattern

So I treat foreshadowing the same:

Setup - Reinforcement - Payoff

Seed - Water - Flower

[starklingspars]

I love what you said about writing chronologically helping foreshadow organically. I'm about to start drafting in a week or two and it inspired me as reminded me how much I love how the subconcious figures things beyond what my outline shows.

I haven't written a novsl in years so I need all the reminding I can get. Especially about the fun, magical parts of the drafting process! Thanks KM!

[bharatpritvi]

Very useful. Am in the middle of my draft and I think I have done all the stuff that you warn against... :-)

[dddtgames]

Exactly how do you weave subplots? What I really mean is how do you push yhe subplots forward while not feeling like it's meanindering.

[kit]

Out of order feels gimmicky to me. My plot is boring so I will confuse you to make it interesting.

[SinistralEpoch]

Fantastic differential between foreshadowing and telegraphing.

Also, unrelated, but I love your hair in this video. lol

[fabis]

Thanks for this video. I want to ask you if you can please make a video about the aspects of writing to consider when writing in English and it's your second language.

[mageprometheus]

Thank you. Another topic I think about a lot is red herrings.

[lemonblue]

Thank you :) I've never heard about foreboding spoken of that way and never thought about the other ones, except foreshadowing, of course.

[brucebenkoii]

Thank you so much for replying with a video. I didn’t realize how dynamic the topic was! You’ve helped a lot 😊

[pjblohm-craig]

I cannot tell you how elated I am that you are back to making videos. You have been such a huge help to my writing career. And I love these short ones too. Welcome back. I've missed you. PJ

[mcclanesd]

For the past couple of days, I've been settling into your book on Theme. Early on, you differentiate theme from moral. You flesh out theme, itself, of course, but I'm interested in a bit more of how the two are truly separate. Gardner discusses moral(s) at length--and his view that literature truly must put forth moral at its heart. Still, I am a bit perplexed on how they are both exclusive, and how to fully-mesh them together.

[Dark_Mishra]

I think subtlety is an aspect of foreshadowing more writers should improve on. Like mentioned in the video, there’s a difference between simply hinting at foreshadowing or blatant foreboding. This obviously differs between genres, but in a mystery, the foreshadowing clues for the readers don’t have to be the same clues the main character is discovering.