Reading and Writing Devices  -  Foreshadowing.

A while back I was involved with a fairly tough critique partner who wrote in a vastly different genre than I. He was writing a 200K suspense/murder/mystery/drug & mind control novel while I was writing a simple horse story for fourth graders.

His biggest beef about my writing – foreshadowing. And of course real danger for my main character, an eleven year old girl who had a telepathic connection to her pony.

It was not a good fit.

My biggest mistake was that I let it get under my skin. But I eventually got over it. Then I did some research. For one thing, after re-reading some of his chapters, I recognized that his foreshadowing technique was actually almost pre-telling what was coming. I’m really not sure what category that falls into. Okay, so if a character, say a law enforcement officer, is approaching a potential bad-guy-hideout and slips the safety strap off his pistol, I’m going to look forward to a possible gun-battle. However, if the cop loosens his revolver, saying to himself “I’m sure I’m going to need this because this guy I’m after is crazy and I know he has an arsenal of weapons in there.” Well, that’s giving it away and since I know for sure what’s coming, I may just skim to see what’s next. (No that author didn’t write those words, that’s only an example. And he did get an agent.)

I did more reading.

A well-known children’s author who has won all sorts of rewards did the same thing in the first chapter by actually telling what the stakes were and how bad it could be right there in black and white. Instead of me looking forward to what might happen – be it good and wonderful, happy and funny, scary and adventuresome, I was no longer curious. I already knew. Sadly I couldn’t find the energy to keep reading. It was already told how dangerous it would be to approach the only means necessary to solve the big problem.

The best text for learning the technique of foreshadowing from both a writer’s perspective and a reader’s is THE LOTTERY, by Shirley Jackson, way back in 1948. And it still stands as the benchmark. Only a few glimpses, solitary items, which don’t really seem to add to the story – until the end.

What is foreshadowing? It’s an element in the story that you have no idea is there until the danger rises its scary face, or until the funniest thing in the world occurs. (Not all stories need to have death, murder, and mayhem involved to be really, really good.)

Foreshadowing is a passing glance at a picture on the wall, which may turn out to hold some secret vital to the outcome. And after dancing all around that non-remarkable painting, the reader is delighted to discover the clue hidden there. But if the author overstates the presence of the art, the reader will become frustrated when the MC doesn’t see it, or become bored with the whole story, and toss it in the corner without finishing.

In my children’s book, LEGEND OF THE SUPERSTITION GOLD, which is my third Black Pony book, I dedicate a chapter to putting shoes on the pony, while dropping information about the upcoming trail ride along with a few stories about the Lost Dutchman Gold. Why the whole chapter? Well, it’s short and full of horsey stuff. Plenty of dialog between Annie and the pony. A humorous dismissal of the legends by the farrier (in my opinion one of the strongest pieces of foreshadowing in the book). AND every single element in that first chapter is seen again – several times. Not only that, the shoes themselves become in integral part of the plot. But you don’t know that until you read further.

My second chapter is dedicated to a pair of spurs and how they come to be in the possession of the main character. The spurs once belonged to Annie’s grandfather. Her uncle has very little success in using them and passes them to her. The connection won’t be noticed until mid-point of the book, but will be totally understood at the climax. But you never will know that until you get there.

Other bits of foreshadowing include Annie looking at hieroglyphics – and feeling a strange presence. Midnight warns her a few times that ‘The Others’ are nearby as well. True, I have a rather slow chapter where the whole thing is dedicated to a few of the stories, which anyone can google, about the haunted Superstition Mountains and its hidden treasures. But, they are all seen again. Besides, to at least a few of us, those stories are juicy and wonderful.

But, if at any point in the story I would have written ‘X is about to happen’ you may not have been interested anymore. Why do I point out that riding in the soft sand of a dry wash could be dangerous? Because a flash flood is coming! That was likely the most telling foreshadowing in the whole story.

I’ll never say that I’m anywhere near as good at foreshadowing as Shirley Jackson, or in fact dozens of other authors out there, but the fact remains. You will never know what part of a scene foreshadows the coming event until after that event has occurs and it all comes together in a satisfactory ending.

A few examples of books using foreshadowing from Goodreads include, THE AGE OF MIRACLES by Karen Thompson Walker, published by Random House; Mo Willems’ THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA; Though this next one has mixed reviews because of adult content, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger, is pegged as a great book for foreshadowing.

One of my personal favorite authors is Linda Ulleseit, who writes a series of The Winged Horses. You know something is up when an outsider falls in love with a filly, and there is dark talk of a long forgotten village, but you don’t know what it is until it happens. And you know something is about to happen when a young rider is torn between a soon-to-be barn leader with an attitude - who will do anything to win, and a timid rider who has a fear of flying, but you are blown away by what happens – and you didn’t see it coming, until you read it again, and again, and again. (Yes, I read it that many times.)

Goodreads has more if you wish to look them up. Of course mine is one of the best (in my opinion). http://tinyurl.com/p6wm6kf

How well to you foreshadow the events in your story? Do you let it all out before it happens, or drop invisible hints that show their glory at the end?

I’d love to hear your stories and examples.

Most of the time I write my little stories first with pencil and paper, then type and save into my blog file so I can edit, polish, and serve up at a later date. But sometimes the words flood, sorta like the rain this week, I mean this month.

So many meanings for rain: Send us showers of blessings, Into every life a little rain must fall. You get the message. Too much we flood and are unhappy. Too little we suffer drought. 

Indoor folks huddle in their warm, dry homes and wish the sun would come out so they can play. Or they cuddle up with a blanket and a good book and escape. Or they just go to work. 

Outdoor folks throw on a slicker (that's Southern Talk for rain-coat) and rubber boots and slog on. Or they huddle inside and complain. Or they watch the rain from the window and try to rejoice that they don't have to water the garden. Or they just go to work.

And writers write.

But we must have the rain, both as water for survival, and as a metaphor for troubles so we can more appreciate the sunnier side of life. Sure, when the storm rages we are afraid. But doesn't it always stop - eventually - to let the sun come back out? And don't we see the rainbow as a .... well, I'll leave that metaphor for you to imagine.

Yes, the week of solid rain has me a little down. But a new flower just bloomed in my little garden. Was it because of the rain, or in spite of it?

It's a matter of attitude for all of us. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you complete your daily tasks because of the rain, or in spite of it?

Revision is a process that I imagine every writer tackles in his or her own way. Of course there are those magnificent geniuses in movies who type the last word, then dramatically pull the paper from the printer and say, “Done!” Not in the real world. I’d be willing to bet they don’t even do that in a writer’s room where several talented heads get together on the same project.

Some authors I’ve spoken with on the subject don’t begin revisions until they get the entire first draft on paper. Some work on a few chapters, run them through their critique process and get busy re-doing right away. Then they repeat the process with each new chunk of material. And there are about a thousand levels between. I know a young adult author who writes in rhyme – a whole novel, that is. She actually did say, “When it’s done, it’s done.” Her editor doesn’t even force the rewrites. But she completed the process along the way, so in fact, she did revise and plug her holes.

A few days ago I started thinking about where my latest WIP was going. I’m still somewhat of a newbie, but I’ve been picking up techniques and tools along the way. I’m not quite finished with this mid-grade horse story, but I’m worried about all my points coming together. And I don’t want to waste weeks of writing and critiquing just to turn around and redo because I missed an important piece of a plot. So I pulled out the toolbox and started digging.

My first and favorite tool is an outline. The beginning chapters are done loosely while the outline is coming together. I have a firm idea of the opening scene and the closing scene and some big plot points along the way. But a really good story often writes itself once it gets going, so I steam away and tighten up my outline as I go.

Outlining works for me because I have the story all on one page. More important, I keep track of the plot. I do have to go back and work on character building and scene painting, but without a strong plot, who cares. I can also see sub-plots and plot twists emerging as my outline develops. And I can keep track of major changes I have made or need to make. Now the work is getting fun. Still hard work and a challenge, but it’s exciting to see it come together.

My second favorite tool is my spiral. Maybe I should clarify. It should be a spiral that I carry around with me to jot down notes and ideas, but really it’s a collection of scribbles on the backs of envelopes, old receipts, napkins, and anything else I can find to write on when the Muse drops a word on me. Basically, keep track of every idea. I have a good friend who relies on sticky notes. I think she the sticky-note people in business all by herself. But it works for her. Every intriguing new sentence, character trait, action, or scene idea goes down on paper – or my little voice recorder on my phone – to be incorporated in my story when I get back to the keyboard.

Of course I print hard copies and take them to a neutral corner and read. I’m not sure why, but mistakes just pop out on paper, but lie hidden on the screen. And since it’s nearly Arbor Day, I sorta feel guilty for killing trees. But I do recycle, and I plant trees, too.

For revision and all the other skills needed to bring an idea into a great book, I look to the professionals who’ve been there and written about it. I figure if their books are still in print after a few years, they must have something good going on. Some of the plans in the vast ocean of writing craft manuals simply don’t work for me, or it’s the same thing said in a different color (but it’s still a rose). I do use a few which I found by googling a keyword. So the one I’m using today to find and patch holes in my plot is a story development and revision worksheet that can be found online at jamigold.com.

The worksheet asks a series of questions for a character driven plot and the first time I looked at this, months ago, I couldn’t even begin to answer them. What moral choice did my character have to make? No clue. What were her external and internal goals? I only thought I knew. Write a few more chapters and revisit.

So, now that I’m within sight of the ending scene, the answers to these questions are much clearer. And they show the gaping, bleeding holes in my plot. I also see that there are several characters in my story who need to arc and so they also need action, character building, and great scenery to bring them out. Now I’m ready to answer these questions for all my characters. And I discover I have a main plot, two sub-plots, and a great plot twist. I’ve also tagged all my characters with an arch-type, but that’s a different story.

Giving all credit to Jami Gold, who incidentally writes paranormal and I wouldn’t even try to do such a thing, here are the questions I had to answer about the arcing characters of my story:

How will the protag change? How does the struggle to complete the action affect the character?

What moral choice will the protag have to make?

What does the character learn about him or herself?

What external goal does the character want to reach? (here’s some action)

What’s holding the character back?

What does the character have to overcome?

Next: How does the plot reflect the character’s struggles?

What initial problem grows out of the character’s weakness?

What opponent is competing for the same goal? (Here’s where I found the sub-plots and juicy plot twists)

What’s the characters plan?

What immoral act does the character do as a result of his/her weakness?

What’s the criticism or justifications for the choice?

What’s the final battle? (Is there really a final battle for every character who needs to come to grips with a problem they may have with the protagonist?) That was fun to discover.

What is the character’s new self?

The list goes on, and of course there is a great lesson to go along with it. I have spent the last two days working through this, story-boarding, jotting down notes, and adding text in red to my outline (meaning that’s the stuff I need to work on)

My little heart went pitty-pat when I found all the holes in my plot which needed to be patched and I simply had to share. I encourage you to visit jamigold.com. It’s simply another great tool to add to the toolbox.

I’d love to hear how you wrap up your plots and character arcs.