Elliot Kessler

Foreshadowing is almost always a fun experience for the audience. When done right, foreshadowing can help build tension in your story, hinting at what’s to come and getting your audience to speculate on future events. Speculation always builds excitement for the rest of a story, and it builds talk between entries in a series. Foreshadowing is a great way to engage readers. Here’s how you can use it in your stories.

There are two kinds of foreshadowing: direct foreshadowing and indirect foreshadowing.

Direct foreshadowing explicitly states that something is going to happen in the future. This is typically executed through character dialogue or comments by the narrator. For example, the narrator in “War of the Worlds” by H. G. Wells comments about Earth and society after the war foreshadows the end of the world and the defeat of the Martians. Another example is Merlin in “Le Morte d’Arthur” by Thomas Malory anytime he opens his mouth and spoils the book for the reader.

Indirect foreshadowing is vague, like Percy Jackson’s prophecies or Harry Potter’s prophecies. They mention events, but the specifics are left in mystery. The audience doesn’t know exactly what will happen, which adds to the intrigue and mystery.

There are many things you can use for foreshadowing. For instance, you can use moments in the story as metaphors. Maybe you can put a game of chess early in the story that reflects how the plot unfolds. Or maybe you can have the same event that happens later occur at the story’s beginning but scaled-down and less at stake.

Another way of foreshadowing for sci-fi and fantasy stories is by using prophecies. Generally, prophecies are used in lazy ways, resulting in lousy foreshadowing and a bland, half-baked story. Being vague about the prophecy doesn’t help matters. By vague prophecies, I mean predictions so broad and basic that they can be applied to most, if not all, stories. Good prophecies are specific and can only be used in their respective story, but they are still mysterious enough to keep the audience guessing.

Another great way of using foreshadowing is to flip what was set up on its head. An excellent example of this is the “Star Wars” saga. Anakin, believed to be the prophesied Chosen One, is said to defeat the Sith and bring balance to the Force. This is a basic Chosen One prophecy we see everywhere, but things don’t go as planned. Instead of defeating the Sith, Anakin joins them, making the Prophecy seem like a hoax. But then we see him turn back to the light in “Return of The Jedi” and destroy his master, bringing balance to the force as was foreshadowed.

Making events look like they’re going in the opposite direction the foreshadowing was pointing is always a fun way to keep your audience on your toes, and it works in “Star Wars” very well. (Then Palpatine returns, rendering both the prophecy and Anakin’s redemption irrelevant. But don’t say that’s Disney’s fault because that happened in the Legends timeline too. I’m getting off track.)

“The Rings of Power,” Amazon’s new show set in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, has an example of good foreshadowing and lousy foreshadowing. First, let’s look at a good example.

The Stranger was an exciting and mysterious character. When we first meet him, he has fallen from the sky and is lying in a crater of fire. Excellent start. At first, it seems like he might be Sauron, whom most of our main characters look for. It adds up and brings on much speculation. Even the last episode of the series toyed with the setup, giving us three followers of Sauron, who think the Stranger is their long-lost master.

But something else is set up, too. We see the Stranger whispering to fireflies. He helps the Harfoots, ancestors of the Hobbits, and becomes a legend among them. He bends nature to his will. He writes in runes. This is all similar to another familiar character from “The Lord of the Rings.”

The reveal that the Stranger is Gandalf doesn’t feel random. It is set up that he might be Sauron, sure. But the setups for his true identity are stronger. This makes the reveal make a lot more sense, and it brings more tension to the show as a whole. It’s enjoyable, even if it doesn’t coincide with Tolkien’s lore. It was set up well enough that fans figured out he was Gandalf from the first three episodes. It wasn’t simply impressive detective work. It was good foreshadowing.

Now, the bad example: Sauron.

The reveal that Haldbrand was Sauron the whole time was done terribly, and that’s because it wasn’t foreshadowed. Nothing was pointing in the direction that he might be Sauron. Some fans might have speculated that he was Sauron, but every character was, at one point, thought to be Sauron. The difference between Halbrand and the Stranger was that the Stranger could have been Sauron, which would have made sense. The Stranger was set up to be Sauron. But Halbrand had nothing pointing in that direction. He was set up to be the Aragorn stand-in. He was set up to be the lost king with a tragic past coming to regain his crown. But now, he’s the Dark Lord and oppressor of the free peoples of Middle-Earth. It felt like he was chosen at random to be Sauron. If he could be Sauron, why not Poppy? She was foreshadowed to be Sauron as much as Halbrand was. It was surprising, sure, but not how you should want your audience to be surprised.

Foreshadowing can be a very important tool in storytelling. It quickly builds tension and intrigue, creating a mystery for the audience to talk about. It’s fun and engaging, drawing readers in. But be careful when you use it. Too much or too little can ruin the whole thing.

Thanks for reading! Have a great day.