Foreshadowing a Red Thread

Foreshadowing is one of the many tools in an author’s wheelhouse to help tell their story. This classic literary device builds suspense and can add tension to an otherwise mediocre plot. Through the use of foreshadowing, the author provides hints or clues about events that will happen as the plot unfolds. Ideally, they will experience that ‘hmm’ moment as they begin to discover hidden meaning in your words. Excitement bubbles as readers file questions in the back of their minds and keep turning pages to unearth answers. Foreshadowing connects the beginning and end of a story. Let's dive straight into the pages of Threads of Red to decode the secret messages hidden in plain sight.

Types of Foreshadowing

Examples from Threads of Red are in italics.

Indirect: Suggestions that are camouflaged in dialogue and prose to make future twists feel organic because they lead both characters and readers down a natural path.

Out of nowhere, it happened. Something eclipsed her mind, her very aura, then settled deep within her soul. She shut her eyes and leaned into the peculiar thread of glowing red light.

Direct: Intimating with obvious hints clearly informs readers of future events. A good example of this is an intuitive character predicting what will happen. In the paragraph below I implement this method with my own red twist.

Ruby zigzags fragmented her vision, shimmering with the kaleidoscopic patterns of a looming migraine. She blinked, trying to clear the static, but the glow didn’t fade—it deepened. This wasn’t a migraine at all. It was that magical red string eclipsing her aura again. She leaned in, ready to receive its intuitive message. Pulsing red ribbons began to undulate in a synchronized dance, thickening and tightening until they weren’t just in her mind—they were part of her. Part of the fabric of the closet. She felt the phantom tug of the entanglement, a visceral pull at her center that hummed with a single, undeniable frequency: Ezekiel.

Symbolic: Using objects, weather, colors, or events to hint at the future. Readers may not notice them at first, but as they continue digging into the story they may begin to glean a pattern.

A string of events, unstoppable by any mortal, unraveled Ellie’s life like a spool of thread.

Highly Specific Examples of Foreshadowing

Plucked From the Pages of Threads of Red

Symbols: The author introduces something to represent an abstract idea that points to a theme beyond its literal meaning.

Before the characters ever meet in Threads of Red, I use the color red to clue readers into the red string of fate connection. Both main characters begin to see gossamers of red swirling in their dreams. Red is a repeating symbol used throughout the novel.

The movie flashed for a second to black and white, and a single red squiggly thread appeared, then dissolved. Weird.

She shut her eyes and leaned into the peculiar thread of glowing red light.

The silhouette of the woman who had invaded his dreams came next. This time, the indistinct shadow hovering in the background out of reach was tangled up in thin gossamers of red.

He knew one thing for damn sure—his grandmother’s message shifted the mysterious, red-threaded love needle forward.

Objects: The author uses different objects to illustrate foreshadowing. Each one is like a little clue that guides the reader.

Red soon jumps from dreams to reality as it pops up in their everyday lives—a crimson splotch, a red wine scarf, a bright cherry streamer, a raspberry swirl atop a dessert, an undulating ruby border on a bone-china plate, and finally a scarlet-threaded bracelet. The red string bracelet is a concrete object that is introduced early in the story and ends up playing a huge role.

Ellie reached in the pouch and grasped a simple braided strand of crimson. “Why does it feel hot?” It tingled in the palm of her hand with unmistakable warmth.

“Hot? Oh.” Kym smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Of course,” she squealed. “You chose the red string of fate.”

A twisted red ribbon framed the bone china plate. It danced in undulating waves.

The team mascot fired confetti into the stands. Red streamers rained down. One landed in his lap. When he lifted it, it vibrated in his hand for an infinitesimal second, transferring heat.

Dialogue: A character says something that hints at the future.

My female protagonist, Ellie Tanner states the following to her friend Kym:

“Something powerful is drawing me to him.” Frantic knots formed in her stomach. “I know his soul. Somehow, I know his soul.”

Ellie may not intellectually understand why she is experiencing this deep seated feeling, but she certainly understands the powerful emotion. Ellie is speaking to her friend, but she is also speaking to the reader—hinting at a soul connection.

Setting: Using an object or weather as an omen or harbinger to set the mood. Dark clouds or a sudden thunder storm hints at danger, while rain can mark a more positive event—the washing away of the old and welcoming a new beginning.

In Threads of Red, a music box that sings a lullaby as a pony spins around is dropped into the narrative. The melody and lyrics of All the Pretty Little Horses is inviting and soothing until it isn’t.

From just past the door frame of the formal dining room, a soft, hypnotic rhythm tolled—not the tinkling music box of a nursery or the soothing lullaby he had heard Ellie sing many times. The whimsical, chime-like chords of All the Pretty Little Horses were now a heavy dirge, carrying the weight of a closing casket.

🔮🧵There is a cosmic mystery in Threads of Red that needs to be uncovered. My characters don't just magically guess that the Red String of Fate is pulling the strings. They have to figure it out. I use tarot cards and a mysterious pouch containing the raw colors of Fate's Loom as the tools to decode the mystery. In fact, it is the rising action or inciting incident that forces Ellie, my main female character, out of her comfort zone and kicks off the main plot. Watching characters pull cards and decipher the red thread Ellie pulls from the pouch makes the magical discovery feel like a high-stakes detective story.

To give readers subtle foreshadowing without spoiling the ending, try using divination tools. Alternatively, deploy a vision or dream in a way that avoids the cliché 'dream trap. For further information on how to use dreams effectively, refer to Escaping the Dreaded Dream Sequence Trap.

Think about ways that you can help your characters uncover a mystery or set their story arc in motion by incorporating foreshadowing.