101 Writing Tips from an Exhausted Reviewer

Foreshadowing

NARRATION [DIRECT]:

This one is when the author directly addresses the reader in telling them something dangerous is about to happen.

Mary followed the lamb into the barn, eating her lollipop.

Little did she know that the lollipop would be her last meal ever.

DIALOGUE [DIRECT]:

This is when, instead of the narrator, a character tells the reader that something dangerous is about to happen.

"That lollipop will be her last meal," the lamb said. Then, cackling as demonically as a demonic lamb can cackle, he slammed the barn door shut.

PROPHECIES/POEMS:

For those who have read Percy Jackson, there is always that prophet who gives a bit of a rhyme to the characters, before sending them on their way. The rhyme warns them about an upcoming death, or the secret clue that they will need, or even just tell them that they cannot trust their friends.

It is directly spelled out to the reader, but it's done in a vague and twisty way that makes it difficult to predict exactly what is going to happen. We just know that something is going to happen.

Mary had a little lamb

Whose fleece was white as snow

However, there is a catch

One that she will never know

He will follow her to school one day

But, from there, where do they go?

To darkness, to danger, to painful screams

And the never ending depths of sorrow

CHARACTER INSTINCT [DIRECT]:

This is when the character, once again, lets you know that something bad is going to happen. However, this time, it's in their instinct. They just know something is going to happen.

As Mary followed the lamb into the barn, she felt a strange tightening in her stomach.

Something just felt wrong. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Instantly, we know something bad is going to happen. And now we are nervous for her.

What have I done to this children's rhyme?

THE LITERAL STORY TITLE [DIRECT]:

Some authors literally tell us what is going to happen in the title.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

It tells us that we are about to read a love story in a time of cholera.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

We know someone on the Orient Express is gonna die.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Again, I wonder what happens at the end of this book!

As for my example:

Sheep Don't Follow; They Stalk

Now, those are some examples of direct foreshadowing. But what in the dear name of pillow cases is indirect foreshadowing?

Indirect foreshadowing isn't about creating foreboding or tension. It's about giving the reader the clues they need to solve the twist of the story. However, it is done in a secret, subtle way, so that only the true detectives can really work it out, as opposed to the general audience. That way, when the reader rereads the book, they realise that you gave them so many hints to work it out -- you were just too clever and subtle about it for them to notice!