I think that the most important lesson I learned from my mentor, author Arline Chase, concerned foreshadowing. Here is the Random House Webster’s definition of foreshadow: to show or indicate beforehand. In other words, to provide some hint, clue, or indication of something that is going to happen.
Why is foreshadowing important? I learned this lesson the hard way. In many of my first short stories—which I recommend as a medium to anyone testing the waters to see if they want to write fiction—I thought that I was being so crafty with my endings. I wrapped up the crime (or whatever) with a complicated summary that explained to the reader how all had come about. Arline hit me alongside the head with the following admonition: You can’t do that! You’ve got to play fair with the reader! It didn’t take me long to understand what she meant. If you’ll allow me, I will get to my point indirectly.
When a reader completes a thriller (my personal genre favorite), he or she should come away with two feelings. First, she should feel that she’s been entertained, that for her hard-earned money the author not only provided her the license but also the admission fee to a make-believe world where excitement and suspense rule. Second, and just as important, the reader should feel satisfied.
What do I mean when I say “satisfied?” I see three qualities that come under the umbrella of this somewhat vague term. First, the reader should feel that the story made sense and did not have any plot holes that took away from the logic. Second, at the end of the story, the reader should feel that all loose ends were accounted for. Unless there is good reason, nothing should be left to the imagination.
But third—and the point of this article—is that behind all the clever dialogue, intricate plotting, and trouble (you need trouble) that leads to a conclusion, the author must not have held back on details crucial to the story. If the author fails to provide critical information that the reader needs to solve or understand the outcome, the reader will feel cheated. That said, as Arline instructed me, that does not mean that the author cannot be sneaky. In fact, more times than not, those critical details are slipped innocuously into dialogue or narrative when least expected. At the end of the story, my hope is that the reader will slap herself on the forehead and say, “Of course! Why didn’t I see that?”
If she reacts that way, the author will have done a successful job of foreshadowing—and the reader will be satisfied.
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Paul Mark Tag’s books, Category 5 and Prophecy are thrillers, intended to provide the reader with a fast-paced, world-hanging-by-a-thread page-turner. What makes Paul’s books most fascinating is how they revolve around incredible but plausible scientific scenarios utilizing his expertise as a research scientist. To find out more visit: http://www.paulmarktag.com
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