Many writers foreshadow in their stories. It's a literary device in which authors uses to provide clues for the readers to be able to predict what might occur later in the story. The authors basically drop subtle hints about plot development before it happens.
For example, if a character must break up a schoolyard fight among some boys, it might symbolically foreshadow the family squabbles that will become the central conflict of the story.
Another example, is if a character jokingly says, they'll die to meet their favorite celebrity and sadly they actually DO die. Their death happens to be how they ended up meeting their favorite celebrity.
There are many ways to foreshadow and here are some examples of what they are and how:
1. Using dialogue is an easy and effective way to hint about the future.
“I've been puking every day for the past week; I just can't keep any food down.” Patricia said. She was in her office at her desk cradling her head in her hands.
“What have you eaten?” Betsy her best friend, and co-worker asked. She handed Patricia the files. “You’d better get it together we’ve got a huge meeting in one hour. This is a life and death kind of meeting.” She gave her friend a small smile. “You’ll be okay.”
Patricia groaned and reluctantly nodded. “You’re right. I don’t have time for this.” She stood and immediately felt the nausea rise in her throat. “I’ve got to go.” She murmured and rushed out of her office.
In the above sample, the opening sentence suggests that Patricia is sick. Now the hint is the reason she’s sick. It could suggest that she has the flu, or is possibly pregnant.
2. Using symbolism to foreshadow a future event.
Mike picked up the hand held mirror. He looked into it, only to see his large grey eyes staring back at him. Gently he placed the mirror on the sink. It slipped.
He blinked rapidly as he stared at all the broken glass on the floor. He sighed, now he would have to find time to clean up the mess before he left.
This is an obvious symbol to use when it comes to foreshadowing. Most people know of the bad luck myth when a mirror breaks. So starting off your story with a broken mirror, suggests that Mike is in for a very bad day.
3. Revealing the hint through description.
The cop surveyed the room. He was standing in the kitchen of a large house. He and five of his coworkers had a search warrant to search the place.
The kitchen was spotless and all the appliances were stainless steel. The floor appeared to be marble and had a black and white checkered pattern. There was an island in the middle with four chairs surrounding the wooden counter. To the far left was an ashtray with a cigar still burning; beside the ashtray were a coffee mug, and half a plate of scrambled eggs.
The kitchen had a two doors leading away from where the cop handed searched. He guessed one probably went to the backyard and the other to the pantry. Most large houses of this size had a pantry.
In this description the most important piece a reader should pick out is the smoking cigar. This suggests that whoever was smoking it hasn't gone far and may still be in the house.
 DamnBlackHeart · Wed Mar 23, 2011 @ 09:57pm · 0 Comments |
