How to Use Foreshadowing in Writing -

Foreshadowing builds anticipation for readers in what could occur, adding unexpected striking apprehension to your writing.  Suspense is created in mystery novels, with misleading or distracting words and phrases for readers.  When foretold unusual and surprising events seem believable, using foreshadowing that prepares the readers.  When used at the beginning of a story or chapter, readers may expect coming events or an experience in a story. There are various ways of creating a foreshadowing.  A writer may use dialogue hints to indicate a cause for changes in events or traits in the future.  Any event or action in the story may signal to the readers about future events or action.  Title or a chapter title can suggest what will happen.  In fiction the atmosphere of suspense creates a mood, or it conveys information the tone giving readers interest to know more.  Clues both subtle and direct in the text seem believable; readers feel prepared for the plot events when they happen with foreshadowing.  When there is a possibility of conflict foreshadowing can be used, it advances the story.   Unusual details, differences in progression, a unique emotional significance; can suggest and later prove significant for plot or character.

Examples of foreshadowing:

John Steinbeck’ East of Eden, based his novel and named his characters Caleb and Aron to foreshadow their respective fates from the known story of Cain and Abel.

Agatha Christie’ Murder on the Orient Express, conversation overheard by Poirot between Mary Debenham and Colonel Arbuthnot on the way to Stamboul, Ratchett tells Poirot someone is going to murder him, Princess Dragomiroff tells Poirot her arms are not strong and looks at her arms.

Ray Bradbury’ A Sound of Thunder, the science of time travel takes hunters back in time. Travis insists that interrupting any of the natural processes in the past could have irreparable repercussions for the future.  When the hunting party returns to their time, Eckels notices a strange smell in the air. It's faint, but something is different. He looks around him trying to figure out what has changed. The immediate thing that he noticed had changed was the sign upon the wall. The words were spelled differently, and Eckels begins to panic, seeing firsthand the repercussions of his stroll off of the path. The death of a single butterfly has dramatically altered the world they once knew.

John Milton’ Paradise Lost, turning to their daily obligations, they are reminded that they have power and free will.  They may be able to attain a purer state through obedience.  Eve's dream is confirmation and emphasis on what the reader knows must and will happen.  Further, by bringing up the dream at this point in the text, Milton makes the reader analogous to God. Both God and the reader know that Adam and Eve will fall, but neither the reader nor God is the cause of that fall.    

How to Write a Compelling Novel, Plan |

Compelling writing is emotional and engaging with many obstacles.  The protagonist is selfless in bravery and there for the benefit of others.  An almost impossible urgent mission is another element of an excellent thriller.  Dialogue for each character should be unique for their identity, driving their actions consistently.  Each character should have purpose and pursue something.  Provide interesting relevant details, evidence and subtle differences in the level of importance.  Develop the story with clear points readers may have experienced and bring your story to life.  Show the audience through clear description with action and conflict, so they can see the purpose and become involved.  Connect with the audience in a path through obstacles with focus to an outstanding outcome and change.  Readers participate in the decisions and action for what could happen next.  Resolve questions or conflicts.

Compelling novel examples:

Albert Camus’ The Plague, It may be a human instinct to search for meaning in every tragedy.  As Dr. Rieux says, of the plague's survivors, "For some time, anyhow, they would be happy. They knew now that if there is one thing one can always yearn for and sometimes attain, it is human love."

Caleb Carr’ The Alienist, Theodore Roosevelt, in a highly unorthodox move, enlists the two men in the murder investigation, counting on the reserved Kreizler's intellect and Moore's knowledge of New York's vast criminal underworld. They are joined by Sara Howard, a brave and determined woman who works as a secretary in the police department.  - amassing a psychological profile of the man they're looking for based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who has killed before. and will kill again before the hunt is over."

John le Carré’ The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, Setting a standard that has never been surpassed, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a devastating tale of duplicity and espionage.

Cormac McCarthy’ The Road, is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.

How to Develop a Theme in Writing

Theme is the cause for incidents the reader is reading about that occur; cause shows or relates to events affecting the antagonist.  Theme is why direction is taken to advance to exciting new surroundings, a situation or characters that can develop more action.  The leading characters goal is achieved through effects, overcoming obstacles in pursuit of a goal.  As each incident cause becomes known, it can give further direction for responses that advance the story.  The protagonist may inspire fear or losses through a length of forceful events, to influence the antagonist.  The antagonist may in part or completely halt afflictions to their main objective, due to the duration of events then the protagonist achieves the goal. 

H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, theme is of compliance through fear of destruction, from a technologically advanced civilization.  This invasion of inhuman monstrous aliens, were physically grotesque and only able to processes thoughts destroying all but themselves.

Jules Verne’ Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, theme is man surviving the conflicts living an undersea life.  In the midst of undersea dangers, the leading character previously unknown, demonstrates his means of naval technological superiority and sinks a ship.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, theme is guilt of a selfish man in the giving environment of Christmas.  Ghosts revealed to the lead character, the terrible aspects of his human nature upon his victims.  Change came to the leading character through his new connection to mortality.

Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, theme is vengeance of a man further incited by his enemies.  The lead character changes realizing his punishment of others through deception must end with forgiveness.

How to Revise, Edit and Proofread Your Writing

Your writing will be more interesting if the subject is not the first thing in every sentence you write.  A variety of sentence types, long or short are more interesting to readers.  Beginning the story with a question drives scenes that follow.  Each scene has a different obstacle, intriguing creating suspense to the end and then answered.

Revising is the review of the rough draft content, organization, and tone, then adding, deleting, and organizing as necessary.  During revision the writing should be consistent, clear and concise, to who you are writing to and why.  Write with purpose to attain or accomplish and enough understood description; the tone can present settings, situations and separate characters in their efforts or actions.

Editing enhances for detailed content, organization and style in paragraphs and sentences.  The order of cause and effect convey logical patterns of thought.  Information consistently supports all points with sufficient evidence advancing toward the overall goal.

Organized paragraphs have a clear introduction and conclusion each written in a logical sequence.  Sentences in each paragraph relate to the one main thought.  A clear topic sentence should be in each paragraph.  Transition to the next paragraph is clear and advances the story.

Properly structured sentence editing defines any unclear terms with precise appropriate words and meaning.  Thoughts are complete in order and details, without being repetitive or having repetitive word choices.  Sentence strength is clear not rambling or wordy and advances the story, even in slower active voice information tension scenes.  

Style editing is the way appropriate tone was written.  Sentences are varied in length and structure.  For the meaning of text, style gives the reader impression from the information and the purpose for writing.  Tone is objective or subjective, logical or emotional, intimate or distant, serious or humorous; as in conversation.  Voice is a personnel presentation in writing or speaking different from other individuals.  Use an active voice to strengthen writing and make it clear who is doing what with action, energy and directness.  Use a variety of adjective words to describe or modify another person or thing.  Active verbs convey action, movement and speed up the scene adding excitement without unnecessary information.

Expectations of the audience you’re writing for determines what constitutes common knowledge. Citations are written in the correct format and appropriately cited from other sources.

To make a good impression paying attention to the details in proofreading is important; and is last and separate from editing. Proofreading is the time to correct mechanical errors such as punctuation, grammar, spacing, format and other errors.  Punctuation is important so do not overuse it when a coma or period will work instead.  

Ideas For Creative Writing – Suspense With Focus On Writing Dialogue

For suspense, tension grows as the dialogue continues; making the reader wait for the answer.  Description is setting the scene without telling and the dialogue exchange adds suspense before revealing the answer.  When creating conflict scenes between two or more characters, you might consider dialogue to delay and reveal the answer in another scene.

Below is an excerpt from the Thriller book: Secret Terror In Wavelengths

“Find somewhere no one would think to look for us,”

Nar said.

“And then,” Ilyon said. A suspicious glint came into his eyes.

“Do we get to know where we are going?” Ilyon said. “Why

do I have a suppressed feeling about this?”

For a long moment they just looked at each other.

“We might find a way to enter the Faster Quantum undetected,”

Nar said.

“Yes if humans find and duplicate the right wavelength,”

Ilyon said. “Our changed wavelengths could possibly travel and

never be noticed next to theirs.”

“Anyone that strays to close is attached,” Ilyon admitted

pursing his lips. “Wave links are also projected directly

into their minds. We have wave links monitoring individual’s

actions and speech. Their speech is monitored through seismic

wavelengths. The Wave Links know what desirable mental

prompting to project into humans changing the course of

thoughts to our direction.”

“Excellent,” Nar said. “You will tell us how our technology is

a success to increase our attacks.”

“Distractions are constantly sent into the minds of individuals.”

The book Secret Terror In Wavelengths – Wave Links has a technology society slant and can be purchased at: 

http://www.friesenpress.com/bookstore/title/119734000003255080/Janett-Lee-Wawrzyniak-SECRET-TERROR