# Foreshadowing in your first page



## Moonbeast32 (Mar 16, 2018)

So I love foreshadowing. I love complexity and symbolism, and i want to make my narrative as unnecessarily meaningful as possible. But as I attempt to start a novel, I'm stumped on how I should do that in the first page. Is the first page of your story important to setting up for later payoffs? If so, how soon must you begin considering words or phrases that will be repeated later? the first paragraph? The first line of spoken dialogue? Or perhaps the very first word itself?

I feel partial to following a chiastic structure: events and details ordered based on their importance and relevance, with the main idea being in the very middle of the prose, And the same ideas and events being repeated in reverse order until the narrative ends where it started.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on what the best way, or perhaps what your favorite way is to do this. I'm looking for suggestions and also ideas. I'd like to know how you handle it, if at all.


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## Blackstone (Mar 17, 2018)

It sounds like overthink to me.

I wouldn't worry about any of this stuff until a couple of drafts in. In fact, I would actively avoid it. First of all, be aware that only a minority of readers will pick up on your symbolism so it's hardly a priority anyway. 

Second of all, be aware that the more  mcguffins or whatever you put in early on before the story has been entirely fleshed the more narrow you are restricting the corridor. You may have planned your work and feel comfortable with your story, however I am a huge believer that until the book is written you will continue to make changes (and often will even after).

On a rewrite (second or third, depending on how happy you were with the first draft) that is a great time to have fun with dropping in symbolism. I did this with my last novel, actually constructing an entire recurring motif around a red bicycle (of all things) that I had no inkling of when I was drafting it out the first time. 

This kind of thing should be one of the few purely fun parts of constructing a book so I would leave it alone until you're at a place (mentally) to work on it without having to worry about it tripping you up later. 

As far as how good foreshadowing happens, I am a fan of the happy accident.


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 17, 2018)

Forget about foreshadowing until after the story is completely written. Then if you want to add something, you know what it is that actually happened. Stories have a way of going off course.


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## Cephus (Mar 17, 2018)

Agree with the rest, you don't want to fill in foreshadowing until you've got the story done, then go back in the next draft or two and start to fill in details.


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## writerJoe (Mar 19, 2018)

Forgive me if I'm way off on this, but do you really need to actively avoid foreshadowing the first time through? 

I see what you are saying about not wanting to box yourself in early on. I also get that it makes sense to not focus on it during your first draft, given that a lot is likely to change. However, if you've already envisioned a scene that has some sort of foreshadowing in it, couldn't you just go with it and then in future drafts reevaluate whether it still fits?

 Do you find that adding foreshadowing causes you more issues in the long run? If by chance an idea for foreshadowing pops into your mind during writing, do you recommend actively keeping it out and jotting down a note about it instead?


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## Cephus (Mar 19, 2018)

You don't have to actively avoid it, but since you have no idea how the story will actually work out in the end (no plan survives the actual writing), you'll just get a lot of details wrong and have to go back and fix it all.


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## writerJoe (Mar 19, 2018)

Yeah, I understand that a lot is likely to change by the end. Do you find going back and fixing things to be more cumbersome than going back and sprinkling in some foreshadowing here and there?


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 20, 2018)

I've included foreshadowing and had to fix it, and I've made gone back and added it in. The additions were easier than the fixes. Your mileage may vary.


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## bdcharles (Mar 20, 2018)

Moonbeast32 said:


> So I love foreshadowing. I love complexity and symbolism, and i want to make my narrative as unnecessarily meaningful as possible. But as I attempt to start a novel, I'm stumped on how I should do that in the first page. Is the first page of your story important to setting up for later payoffs? If so, how soon must you begin considering words or phrases that will be repeated later? the first paragraph? The first line of spoken dialogue? Or perhaps the very first word itself?
> 
> I feel partial to following a chiastic structure: events and details ordered based on their importance and relevance, with the main idea being in the very middle of the prose, And the same ideas and events being repeated in reverse order until the narrative ends where it started.
> 
> I'd like to hear your thoughts on what the best way, or perhaps what your favorite way is to do this. I'm looking for suggestions and also ideas. I'd like to know how you handle it, if at all.



I feel you! I love writing that subtly plants seeds of what's to come. I can't claim to be particularly good at it, but I have thought about it alot. I'd say the first page is very important for that. Even the very first line. How to do it? Repetition is useful and easy. A repeated phrase can hook two distant parts of text together. I've just subbed a short to an online magazine that does this, from line 1 and throughout, repeating the motif of the protagonist's full name at key turning points (inc line 1) that are expanded upon by what follows; eg:



> Casha Ampathy is a child with a terrible secret.
> ...
> Casha Ampathy, top of her class, has made a mahogany doll's bed.
> ...
> ...



So the repetitions are little markers for the reader's subconscious, hinting "I'm going to do something here! Take note!" and the words that follow are the seeds of foreshadowing or banging up the threat or whatever I want to do; what's the secret, where does the bed fit in, why's everything made of mahogany, watch for a dog - but most of all watch for Rainbow Ferris. I admit, frequently I just magguffin these in and make myself discover the connections as I write 

Repeated images are good too - the mahogany furniture here was an attempt at that. Of course, you need a good payoff to make it work. The notion of being top of the class is key too. What's impoortant about that? Read on and find out 

Those are just examples thrown out there. It's not for everyone, I know; I just like playing with words to sneak out a little impact from the reader. I'm not sure about chiastic structure in narrative though. That's a different thing. _Cloud Atlas_ by David Mitchell? I think of chiasmus as something that occurs within a few lines' worth of text. I suppose if you had a few of these dinged about the place, it could be a handy device.


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 20, 2018)

bdcharles said:


> I feel you! I love writing that subtly plants seeds of what's to come. I can't claim to be particularly good at it, but I have thought about it alot. I'd say the first page is very important for that. Even the very first line. How to do it? Repetition is useful and easy. A repeated phrase can hook two distant parts of text together. I've just subbed a short to an online magazine that does this, from line 1 and throughout, repeating the motif of the protagonist's full name at key turning points (inc line 1) that are expanded upon by what follows; eg:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Repetition and foreshadowing are totally different.



> fore·shad·ow /fôrSHadō/
> 
> verb
> 
> ...




I suppose you can repeat your bit of foreshadowing, but it's not necessary.


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## bdcharles (Mar 20, 2018)

Jack of all trades said:


> Repetition and foreshadowing are totally different.
> 
> I suppose you can repeat your bit of foreshadowing, but it's not necessary.



Repetition can be a means to achieving foreshadowing. It's not the only way to do it, and it's not the only thing repetition can be used for, but it's the one that came to my mind first.

EDIT: there's a pretty decent article about it *here*


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## Ralph Rotten (Mar 20, 2018)

Foreshadowing on page one usually involves a prologue, and the prologue itself is the foreshadowing.

But page one is kinda early to be setting up foreshadowing. Usually during the first seven pages I am busy trying to get the reader into the character's head and hold their attention. If there is an opportunity to foreshadow something mysteriously then good, but I dont go into those first pages looking to foreshadow because I'm focusing on the big issues.


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 22, 2018)

Ralph Rotten said:


> Foreshadowing on page one usually involves a prologue, and the prologue itself is the foreshadowing.



Really? I thought most prologues are giving back history.



Ralph Rotten said:


> But page one is kinda early to be setting up foreshadowing. Usually during the first seven pages I am busy trying to get the reader into the character's head and hold their attention. If there is an opportunity to foreshadow something mysteriously then good, but I dont go into those first pages looking to foreshadow because I'm focusing on the big issues.



I agree that the first few pages are trying to pull the reader in. At that point the whole thing is kinda foreshadowing, as nothing has happened yet. So how much deliberate foreshadowing can be added without turning the reader off, I'm not sure. It really depends on the specifics.


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## Ralph Rotten (Mar 22, 2018)

"Really? I thought most prologues are giving back history."

Some are, but even then they foreshadow what is to come.  In many books I have read the prologue is either foreshadowing, or a way to just start a book that starts off slowly (usually by using action to foreshadow or prequel what is to come.)

Like I said; there's nothing wrong with foreshadowing, I just wouldn't spend my efforts trying to sound mysterious on page one.  I see this too often with aspiring writers and rarely does it work.  Write the story, make the characters real, make the world real, get the reader involved, then if there is any room left throw in some foreshadowing.  But too often I see foreshadowing that early in the book just leaving the reader confused.


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 22, 2018)

Ralph Rotten said:


> "Really? I thought most prologues are giving back history."
> 
> Some are, but even then they foreshadow what is to come.  In many books I have read the prologue is either foreshadowing, or a way to just start a book that starts off slowly (usually by using action to foreshadow or prequel what is to come.)
> 
> Like I said; there's nothing wrong with foreshadowing, I just wouldn't spend my efforts trying to sound mysterious on page one.  I see this too often with aspiring writers and rarely does it work.  Write the story, make the characters real, make the world real, get the reader involved, then if there is any room left throw in some foreshadowing.  But too often I see foreshadowing that early in the book just leaving the reader confused.



Oh, I agree that I wouldn't spend a lot of time trying to foreshadow on page one.

But prequel and foreshadowing are two different things.



> pre·quel /prēkwl/
> 
> noun
> 
> a story or movie containing events that precede those of an existing work.


So this is about a *past* event. 



> fore·shad·ow /fôrSHadō/
> 
> verb
> 
> be a warning or indication of (a future event)


So this is about a *future* event.


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## Blackstone (Mar 22, 2018)

Jack of all trades said:


> Oh, I agree that I wouldn't spend a lot of time trying to foreshadow on page one.
> 
> But prequel and foreshadowing are two different things.
> 
> ...



Not to over-complicate things, but I think a prequel is slightly different to a prologue and that the terms aren't strictly synonymous...

A prequel is generally a self contained story - per your definition - that while related to the 'main course' is not necessarily an essential part of it. A prequel would always have its own plot, frequently its own characters who may or may not resurface later in the series, perhaps a different location and always set in a time period prior. 

A prologue being part of a single text (though not necessarily essentially linked to the storyline) I find has more free rein in style but less in substance. Many prologues function similarly to prequels in providing a narrative or story-within-a-story to contextualize the following work but some are not. 

I have encountered prologues that are nothing more than letters written by one of the characters. Sometimes it's just an info-dump (especially in high fantasy, for some reason) or just some kind of 'setting the tone' monologue or micro-essay or whatnot. Point being many prologues are not prequels, however even the ones which are not do tend to include some form of foreshadowing. 

I would struggle to see the point of a prologue that did not foreshadow in some way, however I could feasibly see the point of a prequel that did not. For instance we often get things marketed as prequels that are really spin-offs. These may or may not foreshadow the parent work or even have really anything to do with it at all other than being set in the same universe and perhaps share one or two of the same characters, but I would be hesitant to say those kinds of rough links count as foreshadowing.


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 22, 2018)

Blackstone said:


> Not to over-complicate things, but I think a prequel is slightly different to a prologue and that the terms aren't strictly synonymous...
> 
> A prequel is generally a self contained story - per your definition - that while related to the 'main course' is not necessarily an essential part of it. A prequel would always have its own plot, frequently its own characters who may or may not resurface later in the series, perhaps a different location and always set in a time period prior.
> 
> ...



I never said that prologue and prequel were the same thing.

I did say that prequel and foreshadowing were pretty much opposites.

I also said that I thought most prologues were about back history. 

Can a prologue foreshadow? I guess.

Do most prologues foreshadow? I have no idea. I've never really looked into that.

My experience with prologues is they introduce the universe where the story will be happening, and maybe introduce a character or two. That doesn't exactly count as foreshadowing to me.

Maybe your experience is different.


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## Blackstone (Mar 23, 2018)

Jack of all trades said:


> I never said that prologue and prequel were the same thing.
> 
> I did say that prequel and foreshadowing were pretty much opposites.
> 
> ...



I don't think I was targeting that at you. I just happened to notice the word suddenly went from 'prologue' to 'prequel' and I thought it should be pointed out they are not the same thing.

Anyway.

I do think a prologue by definition has to contain foreshadowing. By the definition that a prologue is a 'warning or indication' of future events I struggle to imagine a prologue that would not be foreshadowing the work to follow in some fashion, whether explicitly as in Shakespeare's Henry V or implicitly in the forms I mentioned - a letter, mock newspaper article, etc. 

So introducing a character via prologue that will recur in the actual story would be providing an early indicator of that character's appearance and presumably something about them that will become relevant later - I think that's definitely foreshadowing. 

The key thing is whether it's done well or not.


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 23, 2018)

Blackstone said:


> I don't think I was targeting that at you. I just happened to notice the word suddenly went from 'prologue' to 'prequel' and I thought it should be pointed out they are not the same thing.



Since your explanation came right below your quote of my post, I thought you were explaining it to me, specifically.



Blackstone said:


> Anyway.
> 
> I do think a prologue by definition has to contain foreshadowing. By the definition that a prologue is a 'warning or indication' of future events I struggle to imagine a prologue that would not be foreshadowing the work to follow in some fashion, whether explicitly as in Shakespeare's Henry V or implicitly in the forms I mentioned - a letter, mock newspaper article, etc.
> 
> ...



I disagree that a prologue naturally contains foreshadowing.

In my book series, I use the prologue, which I understand many readers skip, to review past events and give a general overview of the character dynamics. No foreshadowing of the book at all.

To me, foreshadowing is about plot, not characters. 

Since many readers skip prologues, it seems a waste to include foreshadowing.

Many prologues would work better as first chapters, in my opinion.


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## Terry D (Mar 23, 2018)

In my first novel I used a prologue to introduce a character and an artifact which would become significant to the plot very late in the book. I didn't want them to seemingly appear out of nowhere near the climax for fear of creating a _deus ex machina_. So, I used the prologue to foreshadow the appearance of Father Behan and his artifact. I also included the character in one short scene later in the book just to say, "Hey, don't forget this guy."


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## Blackstone (Mar 23, 2018)

Jack of all trades said:


> Since your explanation came right below your quote of my post, I thought you were explaining it to me, specifically.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sounds like we have a fundamental disagreement about the definition of the word, then. I am using it in its broadest term (as I tend to as a rule with any literary jargon) which would not exclude providing details about characters, settings or even objects that become important later in the story in advance - as determined by the story. This is what 'foreshadowing' means to me, it's basically a catch-all for any information provided in advance about something, done without fully revealing what that something is/what it means. I appreciate others may have their druthers. 

I do not write Prologues-with-a-capital-P myself as a general preference but I do like to plant a seed of something - often inanimate, sometimes not - early on and essentially accomplish the same thing. I find the traditionally-written prologue to be an invitation to disregard and often corny, however do often write first chapters which are in advance of the main thrust which I allow could be considered a prologue by some. I also like to begin stories with diary entries, etc for an epistolary feel which may take the role of a kind of prologue sometimes. 

I maintain that it is impossible to write an effective, relevant prologue which does not utilize some form of foreshadowing, of course allowing for reasonable disagreements about what meets the standard of the term.


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 23, 2018)

Prologue -Wikipedia 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 

Prologue 

A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος prologos, from πρό pro, "before" and λόγος logos, "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. 


foreshadowing -Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com https://www.vocabulary.com/.../ ... Foreshadowing is an advance sign or warning of what is to come in the future. ... Foreshadowing is used as a literary device to tease readers about plot turns that will occur later in the story. A fortune teller might use foreshadowing, warning that a short life line is a sign of some impending disaster.


Since the job of the prologue is to establish context, background details, etc, while foreshadowing is to tease, I see them as different things entirely.

Throughout a book, characters will be introduced. Those introductions are not foreshadowing. Similarly, places will be shown, and that is not foreshadowing.

They can be teases of things to come, but are not inherently so.


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## Ralph Rotten (Mar 25, 2018)

"...often some earlier story that ties into the main one"
Tis what I meant when I used the term *prequel *in an earlier post.


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