From the course: Writing: The Craft of Story
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Explanation: Flashbacks, subplots, and foreshadowing
From the course: Writing: The Craft of Story
Explanation: Flashbacks, subplots, and foreshadowing
- It's always amazed me that although paintings are flat, they can suggest a physical and emotional depth of reality. And the same is true of stories. After all, stories are merely words on a page, completely linear, and yet they're capable of creating the experience of life's multilayered, three-dimensional richness in the reader's mind. How does the writer accomplish this? By weaving ongoing subplots, relevant flashbacks, and hints of the future that is foreshadowing into what's happening in the moment. This is crucial, since subplots give perspective, foreshadowing helps shape the reader's expectations, and information culled from backstory and flashbacks help the protagonist decide what to do next. It's just like in real life. We're wired to use both the past and any auxiliary info we can summon to evaluate the present. Your goal as a writer is to be sure your story has these multiple layers and then to make sure the information you're…
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