Application

Knowing about the device of foreshadowing can be helpful to you both as a reader and a writer.

As a reader, it helps you to make predictions as you read.  You even see quite young children being able to see a pattern of what is going to happen in a story based on the author's hints.  (sometimes, in picture books, you even see it in the picture rather than in the story).

As a writer, knowing about foreshadowing can help you keep the story from being jerky and confused.  You have probably seen in beginner's stories that one sign of inexperience is the lack of preparation in the story.  Things happen and you don't have a clue why.  

Have you ever used foreshadowing in your writing? (You might have done it by instinct because you have read so many books).

Can you think of one of your stories where putting in a clue ahead of time could make your story better?