How to Sneak Clues Past Your Readers and Keep Them Guessing

By Janice Hardy

Some writers weave clues so seamlessly into a novel, readers never realize they’re there until they all converge in the end. 

My subconscious is a better writer than I am. It drops in details and makes connections in my first drafts that I don’t see until the next draft—if at all. 

Sometimes, it takes the sharp eyes of my critique group to spot the "clever things" I’ve written that I’m totally unaware of (grin). 

I suspect your subconscious does this, too. It’s only natural. 

Stories churn in our heads even when we aren’t consciously thinking about them. 

Our brains remember throwaway details and build on them without our input. And when we make the connections, we get that rush and think, “Ooo that is soooo cool.”

Message for M. Reader: Are You Telegraphing Your Plot?

By Janice Hardy

Hints are great, but be wary of making it too obvious what's going to happen in your novel.

If you've ever watched a TV show or movie and heard a random stranger say something like, "Well now, we haven't use that road since a big old sinkhole opened up ten years ago," you've stumbled upon a telegraphed clue. You know that sinkhole is totally where the hero is going to lead the horrible monster or bad guy chasing him at the climax—and he does.

Kinda takes all the fun out of it, right?

While foreshadowing is a wonderful tool that can heighten tension and make the reader eager to know what will happen, telegraphing steals all the tension and takes the mystery out of those hints. 

The Rule of Three and How it Helps Our Writing

By Janice Hardy 

Three is a magic number in writing, and can help you craft stronger stories.

There was a joke in my house growing up, that things always happened in threes—good luck, bad luck, it didn't matter. If the car broke down, that meant two other things were sure to break within a few weeks. Someone got a raise, well, then two more good things were certainly on the way.

Most of the time it did actually happen—but probably not for the reasons you'd think. Good and bad things happen all the time, but we don't always notice them or make the connection to other similar events. It’s part of our culture and so ingrained in our subconscious that we notice (if not seek out) patterns that fit this rule. 

How the Setting Raises Tension in Your Novel

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Your characters’ world provides opportunities to create mood and raise the tension in your scenes.

Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights is a perfect example of how a setting can influence the people in it.

The park is decorated with haunted houses and scary set pieces, and costumed staff (some with chainsaws) lurk in the shadows to jump out at guests. One group is startled and they scream, which makes everyone around them nervous, and just when people start to relax, another staff member leaps out. People who normally wouldn't be startled tend to shriek, because the setting already has them on edge.

This isn’t a happy coincidence. These staff members are trained to target guests who typically scare the easiest, so they look for younger people (particular teens and women) in groups, because they scream the loudest, and screams are contagious.

A Handy Tip for Crafting a Seamless Plot

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

When it comes to writing, I’m a plotter. I like to figure out my story and how it will unfold before I ever start writing. But I’m also a pantser when it comes to characters. I do little work on them beforehand, and prefer to discover who they are as I write.

Because of this, I’m constantly running into moments where my characters say or do things that have zero groundwork in the draft to support them.

• They have feelings about the problem they didn’t have at first.
• They have resources or skills that didn’t appear before.
• They reveal backstories I had no idea existed.

A Closer Look at Foreshadowing

By Don Allmon, @dallmon

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: Foreshadowing is an important tool for any writer to have in their toolbox. It helps move the plot, create tension, and pique reader interest. Please help me welcome Don Allmon to the lecture hall today to share some tips on creating foreshadowing in your novel.

In his night job, Don Allmon writes science fiction, fantasy, and romance. In his day job, he’s an IT drone. He holds an MA in English literature from the University of Kansas where he wrote his thesis on medieval werewolf stories. He’s a fan of role-playing and board games. He has lived all over from New York to San Francisco, but currently lives on the prairies of Kansas. His debut novel, The Glamour Thieves is the first in a cyberpunk/fantasy/romance trilogy. It is currently available for pre-purchase through the Riptide bookstore, and becomes available at all your favorite e-tailers August 28.

Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Take it away Don...

Make the Most of Accidental Foreshadowing

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

The beauty of writing is that the unexpected happens. A random comment because the key clue to the main plot, a walk on character turns out to the star, or a relationship develops between people or events we never anticipated.

This can be good or bad, but it can also be quite useful. These accidental foreshadows are often exactly what we need to shake up a plot or add depth to an existing storyline.

The Physiology of Foreshadowing

By Alina Klein

Today we have Alina Klein chatting about foreshadowing and offering tips (and examples, you know how much I love those) on way you can foreshadow important elements in your own work. Alina's debut YA novel (still untitled) will be out in 2012.

Take it away, Alina...

Make readers anticipate what's next

I’m sort of a science geek so it’s not surprising that I sometimes compare writing concepts to scientific ones.

To me, foreshadowing is like physiology—the study of the functioning of organisms. Bodies have different systems: digestive, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory and so on. When studying these systems,facts about each illuminate and clarify understanding of the others. They’re interdependent,and yet it isn’t always obvious how each element impacts the others until you’ve learned them all. Then the connections light up. The subtle links and quirky shapes of things are revealed as integral parts of the whole.

Foreshadowing -- Don't You Love it?

 By Cathy Clamp

JH: We launch this year's "How They Do It" column with an article on foreshadowing from author Cathy Clamp. Cathy is one half of Cat Adams, the pseudonym for writing team C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp. Their urban fantasy Demon Song releases this week. This pair has a long history of writing urban fantasies that thrill.

C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp began writing as a team in 1997. They quickly learned that their individual talents in writing created a dynamite combination in historical and paranormal novels!

Cathy resides in the Texas Hill Country with her husband, dogs, cats and 24 Boer/Spanish cross goats!

Take it away Cathy...