December 2015 Assignment for Plotters Ink : Foreshadowing and More

Our final assignment for 2015 is to utilize the writing technique called “foreshadowing.”  Examples and definitions will be given later in this post (and yes, this statement is an actual example of foreshadowing).

For the past ten months, we have explored many of fiction’s genres and by now most of you know which ones you feel most qualified to write, or which ones you find most appealing. This month you’ll prepare two assignments in one.

1. Choose ONE genre from these categories:

            Romance/love/erotica

            Drama/screenplay

            Fantasy/sci-fi/dystopia/steampunk

            Historical/biographical fiction

            Animals/children/nature

            Horror/thriller

            Western/ethnic

            Humor/satire/parody

            Mystery/crime/suspense

2. Include at least ONE example of foreshadowing in your story.

Photo credit: dreamstime.com

So what exactly is foreshadowing? 

 A very basic definition is dropping a hint about something that may happen in the future. One source said this about the technique:

"Generally, the function of foreshadowing is to build anticipation in the minds of the readers about what might happen next and thus adding tension to a story. It is deliberately employed to create suspense in mystery novels, often giving false clues to distract readers."

http://literarydevices.net/foreshadowing/

Another source wrote:

“Effective foreshadowing is a skill; it has to be subtle and symbolic without giving too much away, or by being too overt.  If not done carefully, the foreshadowing might seem too obvious, too contrite or too forced, and might allow the reader to wholly predict the outcome of the story.  Hence a story or film or play becomes too ‘predictable’.”

You’ll find this advice and other helpful information at this link: http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2012/06/art-of-foreshadowing.html

We also encourage you to do some research on your own.

 As always, you do NOT have to limit your word count, as long as your story (including title and byline) fits on one side of a sheet of letter-size paper, using nothing smaller than 11 point font and ½ inch margins.

If you’ll be attending the December 11 meeting (at 2 PM), please bring at least 10 copies of your story so we can all read along with you. Proofread your typing before making copies – incorrect spelling and punctuation and other typos can lessen your story’s impact. Finally, it’s a good idea to practice reading your story aloud before you arrive. You’ll catch errors and awkward phrasing that you might not notice while reading silently.

Have fun, and keep writing!