Sometimes the writer cannot help but feel impressed by his own writing. It happens when the plot all fits together, and it feels like magic. How the writer connects events and conflicts is brilliant, and one of the excellent ways this happens is by foreshadowing. Looking back to an earlier part in his novel, the writer may have written something that provides a huge clue, perhaps a planted device. Foreshadowing is an old device in fiction. The caveat is that the writer needs to fulfill the promise of creating a future event related to what he implanted earlier on.

Blatant foreshadowing is a deliberate action for a specific event that has a bearing later in the story. The writer establishes this statement often done separately from the text of the scene. Foreshadowing gives the reader clues of a possible event that may happen in future stages. It prevents surprise when such an event takes place. How it will take place is what the reader can look forward to. Foreshadowing can help establish character relationships, conflict, and resolution.

However, there comes a time when precise foreshadowing is not feasible because the scene is so simplistic that it could only offer a specific level of crisis.

Example: No one knows that a brilliant and highly esteemed surgeon is hooked on drugs. Not once did he ever consider going into rehab and never thought that his drug dependency could ruin his thriving medical practice. He is preparing for surgery, washing his hands religiously. He suddenly starts to feel a kick, a craving to snort coke before he begins a delicate operation. He feels more focused whenever he is high.

This scene is written to establish the surgeon as a drug addict who needs a quick fix before performing surgery. If he does not get his fix, he might lose focus, and he might not save a life. The scene and action may be notable, but it stops when the surgeon thinks of getting high on drugs. The scene is static. It presents no opportunity to foreshadow how his addiction could affect his performance. The reader can only wonder if the character becomes a more efficient doctor under the influence of drugs, or if he becomes inept and will lose his career. This scene calls for blatant foreshadowing.

Example: Dr. Jeffries begins to feel his hands shaking. He washes and dries his hands in a hurry and rushes to his locker, searching for his stash of coke. He looks around before sprinkling the back of his hand with a moderate amount of powdered cocaine. He snorts it. Nobody will find out. He had performed several surgeries while he was high. However, he has no way of telling that today his addiction will cost a patient’s life.

The foreshadowing here is blatant, a shameless insertion of the writer to indicate an impending event related to the doctor’s habit. This foreshadowing works because it engages the reader in a deeper involvement. In what way could the surgeon’s addiction cause a patient’s death? The reader shall await this event.