Foreshadowing the future

An effective way to land the climax of your comic arc is to build it up using foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is when a creator lays down small nods or clues throughout their story that an event is going to happen or a character is going to act a certain way. When done effectively it can make for an even bigger impact upon readers when they re-read your comic. Ever re-watched a movie and felt that sense of dread (or excitement) when you begin to realise all the clues you missed? That is foreshadowing done right.

The best foreshadowing is when it is relevant to major upcoming events or twists. By highlighting a person’s actions or an item you are slowly building tension even if the reader isn’t aware of it. Keep in mind that when you do introduce these elements make sure that they go off in the future. The payoff is important.

Outlining your comic will help you identify points where you can introduce foreshadowing. When initially writing the outline, you might naturally put some in but don’t stress too much at this stage. When you go back and give it a second edit, this is where you can really weave in the foreshadowing elements.

If the audience guesses the major plot point don’t feel pressured to change it. Rather pat yourself on the back for doing your job right. Keep in mind that you want the foreshadowing to pay off in the climax rather than have a twist come out of left field. Nobody likes that.

A good rule of thumb to remember is that actions in the present affect events in the future. Foreshadowing is merely highlighting important puzzle pieces in the present that will become important later down the line.

DO you use foreshadowing in your comic? Let us know in the comment section below! And join us on Sunday evening for our Quackchat at 5:30PM(EST)!

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