: Re: How can we have foreshadowing in a story that takes place in a universe where the future can't be known beforehand? In a (non-comedic) story where the philosophical implications of the existence

Foreshadowing occurs even in real life. Suppose you know some 10-year-old who is mouthy and disrespectful to adults, including his own parents. You say to yourself, "He'll turn out badly." You're not surprised to hear, 10 years later, that he's been convicted of armed robbery. His early behavior gave you a hint about his (likely) later life. If you hear instead that he turned out to be a loving and selfless person, you WILL be surprised. "Wow, really? That brat? Great! What happened?"

Other real-life foreshadowing: the brainy nerd starts a tech company; the rich BMOC jock goes into politics; the prom queen becomes a newscaster (via the weather girl route); the floozy bimbo winds up a single mother; the stoner turns up dead. None of these things surprise us, with no prophecy necessary.

In writing, you as the author merely present facts selectively to enhance the foreshadowing (or the irony/twist/surprise). Hopefully you do it less clumsily than my examples.

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: Re: How can we have foreshadowing in a story that takes place in a universe where the future can't be known beforehand? In a (non-comedic) story where the philosophical implications of the existence

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