Foreshadowing
is a literary device where a writer drops hints early on in the story as to
what will happen later. Foreshadowing is also known as Chekov’s Gun as he wrote
in several letters: ‘If you say in the
first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third
chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't
be hanging there.’ When clever writers use foreshadowing, it is to build tension and is interwoven seamlessly into the narrative. It’s only upon reflection after the book is
finished that the foreshadowing can be discerned.
There are different types of
foreshadowing. Flash-forwarding moves the reader forward, down the timeline of
the story, giving a clear picture of what is coming such as in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. This of
course can be played with and events may not turn out exactly as indicated –
think of The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come in Dicken’s A Christmas Carol.
Another type of foreshadowing
which intentionally misleads is the use of what is termed a Red Herring, where a
deliberately laid clue deceives the reader into assuming the wrong conclusion. Hounds of the Baskervilles as well as The Da Vinci Code both use this
technique. Crime novels and mysteries are naturally fertile ground for adding an extra layer of intrigue.
Having a character make a
prediction is another way to foreshadow events. This method has been used from ancient Greek times (Oedipus) right up to to the present (Dom DeLillo's White Noise). Making use of
signs/omens to forecast events is also a type of foreshadowing. Such signs,
such as crows etc., can be quite symbolic.
Generally foreshadowing is figured out when the
major events of your story have been planned because these are the ones you
want to highlight. You then set about deciding the details of exactly how you are going to
introduce foreshadowing. NB: foreshadowing should never give
away the ending!
My
favourite use of foreshadowing is in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Does anybody else have any favourites?
Writing Update
I can hardly
believe it but my novel is with my two beta readers (go beta readers go! And
no, I’m not sucking up.). So I’m breathing out while girding my loins (now
there’s metaphor for you – must be left over from the Middle Ages where a
knight with ungirded loins was in dire peril) for the feedback.
I was
taught to give feedback using a method known as the crap sandwich i.e. you say
something positive, hit them with the mean stuff, then finish up with another
positive. Giving encouragement allows people to take on board what you’re
saying with grace; it also softens their defense reflexes allowing the
criticism to be heard.
What
to
do while I wait for feedback is a new question for me. And one I'm
enjoying.
I've been so absorbed in writing the current book that mulling over
which project to move off the back burner next is proving to be a great
motivator.
Today’s
Haiku:
COFFEE
HAIKU
penguin
business men
huddle
with heads together –
eat hot
paninis
This is
from my book Gold Dragon Haiku which
is available as an ebook at the Amazon Kindle Store and will be on a free
promotion from June 7th - 11th.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/GOLD-DRAGON-HAIKU-ebook/dp/B00CLJ0RGK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367505326&sr=1-1
Here’s a
link for anybody wanting to learn more about foreshadowing:
Join me on my Twitter journey at:
teagankearney@modhaiku
And to all story lovers out
there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.
This is so interesting. Ok this maybe a really dumb question, please kept in mind I am a beginner! I think of myself as in kindergarten when it comes to writing!You start a story with a dream that takes place in another time. The woman having the dream at some point believes she is the young girl in the dream and the dream is telling her what could be if she is not careful or she doesn't believe in dreams. Is this a form a foreshadowing, I never heard the word before. Always learn something new from you! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's usually foreshadowing if it's hinting at what's going to happen. If it doesn't happen, it could be a red herring or superfluous information. Both are also great ways to keep readers guessing at what you're going to do.
DeleteI absolutely love foreshadowing. My new novella is filled with it. Heck, it practically screams the twist from the get go. But most aren't going to get it. And writing those sort of moments are the most invigorating thing for me as a writer.
ReplyDelete