Let the Past Haunt You: Using Foreshadowing

I was working on a scene yesterday morning and I knew I needed to cause some trouble. It had been a while since I'd had Nya up to her eyeballs in danger, and it was about time she remembered who the boss was. I could have made something up, but I like drawing on what I've done so there's a nice sense of continuity.

So I looked at what I'd already foreshadowed.

Not actual plot stuff or real foreshadowing, that's too easy and probably predictable. Besides, anything good in the plot department is likely already scheduled to make trouble later. What I did, was look back at all those little offhand comments I'd made in the narrative. Things solely for color or mood.

We add all kinds of details to our stories just to raise the tension. The hint of things that could go wrong, even when we have no intention of actually having them happen. But what if they did? What if that fear your protag thought about in chapter six came to pass in some fashion in chapter thirty-six? What if the dangers someone mentions in passing become realities?

We have our protag walking into a dark house, or down a dark street, or even into the lair of some beast. To help scare the reader and make them worry, we have our protag think about all the terrible things that might be waiting for them up ahead.

Why not use some of them somewhere in the story?

You'll have extra oompf because the seed has already been planted in the reader's mind, and on some level, they're probably wondering if it'll happen anyway. They'll probably start worrying long before your protag does. You'll also build on what you've done before, so the story will feel tighter, and like you planned this all along.

But don't just look at things feared or mentioned. Look at any close calls your protag has had so far in the book. You've already teased the reader with it once, so if it happens again, they'll be all the more concerned this time it'll be real.

Those who ignore history, are doomed to think up new stuff.