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Write On! Can you guess what comes next? [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-06-05

Friends, Kossacks, Writer-persons, good evening.

There’s something on my mind, a shadow overhanging this diary. Perhaps you can guess what it might be. There’s a sense of foreboding, of anticipation. What could all these hints be leading to?

Foreshadowing! Okay, that wasn’t much of a build-up, I have to admit. First of all, I’d have to have something else to tell you, to drop the hints in the midst of, and second, I’d have to have a lot more patience and forbearance to hold off from revealing it for long. Plus, I wouldn’t want to waste your time and I don’t think you’d want me to waste it, either.

So, what is the point of foreshadowing in fiction, other than to give the reader Easter Eggs to find and for the writer to have a little fun? Often times, something in the story is so surprising, hard to bear, tear-jerking, heart-wrenching, or just such a big twist that it could be difficult for the reader to accept. Maybe the twist seems so unlikely it would undermine the story by destroying the readers suspension of disbelief, or maybe it would just be so sad that the reader wouldn’t want to accept, say, the loss of a beloved character.

In particular, on that last point, sometimes when a writer kills off a character it can feel contrived and manipulative, as if the author only did it to tug at the readers heart-strings. But, if the hints are planted well in advance, if there is a bread crumb trail of evidence leading to the shocking events, then what seemed contrived can feel fated instead, and the shock and awe of the stunning twist can leave the reader reevaluating what has come before in light of it, and realizing that earlier moments in the story that didn’t seem to have any great significance at the time were in fact preparing the way for what the author has now laid on the reader.

I’m sure this isn’t the first time we’ve talked about this subject. In fact, I don’t think it’s even the first time I’ve brought it up in this series. But the myriad ways writers can hide the seeds of these vast baobab trees is something that fascinates me. Recently I was reading a book that introduced a saying about ending up laying in the mud. Later, that’s just where the main character winds up.

Of course, sometimes things can still feel contrived, especially if the reader is also a writer and can see how the author is laying the groundwork. Like a magician watching another one at work, I would suppose. What do you think? Is it harder to fool another craftsperson? Do you enjoy looking back for the telling details that could have alerted you in advance? Are you too savvy, and always spot them no matter how well hidden they may be? What are some of your favorite examples?

Tonight’s Challenge

Since there wouldn’t be enough space to both lay the groundwork and deliver the surprise (and, plus, we’d all know a surprise was coming; it’s never harder to sneak than when you’re expected), write a scene with a few details that would make good hints for a later twist or turn. Try to keep it to a few hundred words or less. Or, write a scene with the words yard, creed, velvet. Either way, try to engage at least three of the senses.

READERS & BOOK LOVERS SERIES SCHEDULE

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