What is foreshadowing in writing?

Today's writing prompt will work to develop foreshadowing through the use of a sunrise or sunset. But as you write it, don't use the word sunrise or sunset. Instead, I challenge you to show it--show whether it is morning or evening.

What is foreshadowing in writing?

In writing, foreshadowing is a literary device that refers to words or phrases that serve as hints. I like to think of it as a trail of "breadcrumbs" that work as hints that pique interest and set the stage for a story to unfold. These hints raise questions in the reader's mind and create a trail of possibilities that lead them to think that something is going to happen. However, the hint does not reveal anything for sure. Instead of spoiling the suspense, foreshadowing adds to it.

Foreshadowing Poster

Today's Pumping Your Muse writing prompt  

By their inherent characteristics, sunrises and sunsets represent a beginning or an end, but by showing them, a writer can create an element of foreshadowing. For example, in a vampire story the sunrise works like a ticking clock. If the sunlight touches the vampire it will die. But if the sun is setting, it marks the awakening of the monster that lives off the blood of innocent unsuspecting victims.

Beyond vampire stories the sun can still be used for foreshadowing. If the sun rises brightening layers of fog that hang over a tiny village like a shroud, the word "shroud" creates an eerie sense that something could go wrong in that tiny village. Or that something has already gone wrong and is still hidden beneath the shroud. If the sunlight then glistens off the steeple of a church it draws the readers attention there. When the bell in the tower starts sounding an alarm the reader wants to know why.

Likewise, if the sun sets behind a bank of dark storm clouds lined up like an enemy army, it offers a hint that the night could be filled with trouble. But it doesn't have to portend trouble or danger. Foreshadowing can also be a way to introduce a lighthearted or happy scene. For instance, the way the morning rays of sunlight dance like petals of color on the surface of the small lake foreshadows something more playful, or happy.

Write a scene that incorporates a sunrise or sunset and an element of foreshadowing of things to come.

Wired for Story

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About The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions. 

 

The Inheritance is available on Kindle, paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction), Smashwords and Google Books. When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support. 

 

Coming soon! Dragonborn by Donna Sundblad

Dragonborn conjures up a winning fantasy with dragons, humans, time travel, and magic. Follow the journey of the young prisonguard, Ervig Greenfields, as he seeks out dragons to remove a curse. The dragons offer him access to the Labyrinth of Times, which will purge the dark magic. But there’s a catch. Erving must take the Dragon Oath that requires allegiance--to fight alongside dragons for centuries, never to return to his own time. He and a handful of others take the selfless oath and become Dragonborn. The Dragonborn and their dragons become seeds of change, in this epic tale, of sacrifice for the greater good. Ride along with them as they slip through a tear in time to the past to change the future.