Ask An Author: "How do you use foreshadowing?"

Each week, a new author will serve as your Camp Counselor, answering your writing questions. Kat Zhang, our final counselor, is author of the Young Adult series, The Hybrid Chronicles, and is a frequent participant of NaNoWriMo.

How do you use foreshadowing? — Anonymous

When I think of foreshadowing, I think of it as a way of dropping hints for the reader. For example, if the showdown between your Hero and the Big Bad happens in an old warehouse, and just as the Big Bad is about to kill the hero, he falls through the floor, that’s rather sudden. You could try to “soften” that unexpected shock by having characters chat casually (a few chapters before the showdown) about how that warehouse was recently condemned for having rot in the floors, or a termite problem. That way, when the Big Bad falls through the floor, fewer people will say, “Really? That’s convenient.” 

You can also use foreshadowing to cause tension. If the main character’s little brother accidentally hurts himself badly with a hunting knife, that itself causes a lot of conflict and stress. And you can start raising that tension scenes before the injury actually takes place by having the main character and his mom argue about how the main character is always leaving his hunting knife lying around, and how that isn’t safe. The reader is practically waiting for something bad to happen, which can make the actual accident all the more unfortunate.

Official word-count validation has begun! Make sure to claim your win (and some awesome winner goodies) by following these steps.