Review: Foreshadowing

Now, I don't claim to be an English major, or even particularly smart, but I can and do write and can and do watch movies and there is something in both that is often overlooked yet can be incredibly satisfying for the reader/viewer: foreshadowing.

Foreshadowing is a technique that involves putting clues or hints in the early part of the text that refer to events that will occur later. A prime example of this in cinematography is the work of SImon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), and if you don't know who I'm talking about, you should be ashamed, ashamed and terribly aware of your own failure as a human being. Or, you could just go and watch them now, and be awesome.

Anyway, both movies contain cues as to what will happen later in the movie. I chose them because they are both particularly obvious ones: where words and phrases from early relaxed events are literally repeated verbatim in later, more dramatic moments, transformed in meaning by the new dangerous situations.

Why is this important? It's very satisfying. People like to think they're smart, and also like patterns and structures. When they pick up on words or events that happened before the in the movie, they both feel as if their attention has paid off (passing a test, almost) and that there is a pattern, a logic behind the movie. For similar reasons did Shakespeare write in iambic pentameter. It formed a constant rhythm and pattern throughout his works, making them satisfying on a structural level.

Foreshadowing, ladles and germs. It serves many purposes; apart from the above, it also adds a sense of dramatic tension that helps build suspensethroughout the book. The trick with foreshadowing in wirting, though, is not to make it too obvious. Movies can get away with blatant foreshadowing ala Simon Pegg because the audience's attention is only kept for approximately 100 minutes. In books, however, foreshadowing only works if it is subtler, more meaningful, and there is a longer gap between the initial suggestion and the final culmination.

Review: Show, don't Tell

In my brief time studying Journalism I did learn a few important lessons, and one of them was this: show, don't tell. When writing, and desirous of putting for a particular sentiment or emotion, it is vital to use the scenario and the background to create a particular emotional effect, rather than making it explicit in the form of emotive statements. For example, from Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert's Dune prequel:

(Paraphrased) 'Rhombur strode down the corridor, suddenly determined. For too lomg had his people suffered under the lash of the oppressor. No longer could he sit back and wait for others to fight his battles for him. Finally he would live up to his ducal responsibilities blah blah blah..."

The above is slamming home the point, not allowing the reader to draw any personal conclusions. There is no subtlety because the reader has no space to feel anything - it is all laid out in front of them. When expressing emotions, avoid using explicit modifiers; rather let the reader infer the emotion from the event.

Emotion is obviously one of the most powerful aspects of good writing, so be careful. Like with hugsm start off gentle. Let the event speak for itself.