What is foreshadowing?

A story is like architectural design.

The story’s structure is the blueprint. It’s the architectural plans that describe where all the design elements should go and how they connect.

Story design elements include: character, point of view, setting, conflict, tone, theme, and plot. These are like the stucco, plaster, wood, glue, hammer, nails, and screws that bring it all together.

And literary devices? They’re the paint, marble flooring, stereo system, air freshener, and furnishings. They’re what makes a person feel something the moment they walk into the building.

In our Structure Series, we talked about outlining and plotting your story by labeling each scene, sequence, and act with the emotions you want to evoke in your reader.

Using our analogy above, instead of just planning the use of the base elements to build the building, we’re going to blueprint it with stylistic elements. For example, we’re building the foyer. What type of flooring will we put in? Wood? Marble, Mexican clay tile?

What color paint and furniture will we design and match the floor with to create a tone and mood for the people entering the building?

Should we install an automatic lavender air freshener in the vent system to give it a certain calming effect?

What type of paintings and art shall we add to the walls and display on the tables?

While the emotional path for your outline depends on your genre, all stories should start with a sense of curiosity and anticipation.

Anticipation, curiosity, intrigue, and wonder are essential. They should always be part of the emotional outline for your first few scenes in your story.

And the best literary device to generate that first emotional spark?

Foreshadowing.

What Is Foreshadowing?

Foreshadowing hints at something to come, like an event, a person, or a truth, but it doesn’t reveal too much. It builds tension and curiosity by implying a mystery, a promise, or even a warning.

There are two primary types:

• Direct Foreshadowing
• Indirect Foreshadowing (more on that next week)

Let’s focus on direct foreshadowing today.

What Is Direct Foreshadowing?

Direct foreshadowing occurs when either:

• The narrator explicitly mentions that something significant will happen (without giving the details)
• Or characters speak about someone or something that’s about to appear, leaving some key pieces unsaid.

Here’s an example from the Prologue of The La Piscina Inn, a novel I’m currently adapting from my original screenplay:

“Before that eternal day almost a year ago, everything I believed to be truth was a fantasy. Everything I hoped would be truth was also a fantasy… a hope that caused me to question myself at every turn. That conflict arose because I inserted ‘fiction’ within the historical truths.

“Through that practice, though, I came to be one of the lucky ones… to live here… Because here, there is no fear of pain and death.

“Why?

“Because of her…because of her passion…because of her empathy…because of her destiny into truth and light. And I don’t say this because she is my love and my wife, I say this because she is Carly.

“And so, my dear reader of fiction, it is only you who will find your way to the La Piscina Inn, and only you who can meet Carly face to face…”  

See how I directly mention an event, a character, and even the emotional impact without giving away the details?

Bonus Device: Anaphora

In the excerpt, I also used anaphora, a literary device that repeats the beginning of successive clauses or sentences:

“…because of her…because of her passion…because of her empathy…”

This repetition builds rhythm, emphasis, and emotional intensity. We’ll explore anaphora further after next week’s post on indirect foreshadowing.

Why Use Foreshadowing in Every Genre?

Whether you’re writing a thriller, action-adventure, romance, or comedy, using direct foreshadowing at the beginning of your story is powerful. This technique triggers a reader’s curiosity. You’re planting seeds. You don’t weed, your reader does, so they can find the seeds and water them.

Your goal is to get your reader asking:

“Hmm… Who is that?”

“Why is this happening?”

“What will happen next?”

These questions create emotional hooks. These hooks include anticipation, curiosity, intrigue, and wonder. They’re all the things that keep readers turning pages.

So remember:

• Start your story with a hint.
• Don’t reveal too much.
• And make your reader feel the pull of the question:

“What happens next?”

Happy writing!

~M.C. Convery