Writing Roots

S48E1 – How to Identify Good Writing

We talk a lot on this podcast on how to fix problems with your writing or story. The most difficult aspect of that is figuring out if there’s even a problem in the first place. Throughout November, we will be talking about how to identify common problems.
We start with good writing. Knowing what bad writing and storytelling is can only get us so far in our writing journeys. We also need to know what makes good writing, even though it is subjective. In this episode, we talk about common ways to identify good writing, as well as our own personal criteria.
First aired November 2, 2023.

S47E9 – Adding Foreshadowing During Editing

There may come a time, especially if you’re a pantser or a flexible plotter, that you’ll find yourself needing to add foreshadowing during your editing process. It is easy to accidentally put in too much, or place it in the wrong spots of your story.
In this episode, we talk about what to look for when adding in foreshadowing and how to identify when and where would be best.
First aired October 30, 2023.

S47 Bonus – How Not to Foreshadow

Foreshadowing is a delicate matter when it comes to storytelling, which means there are many ways to do it wrong. In this episode, we talk about the more common mistakes people make when trying to foreshadow.
First aired October 28, 2023.
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S47E8 – Foreshadowing a Descent into Villainy

True villainy is about the choices a character makes. If you want to write a story where your main character descends to become the villain, you need to foreshadow it through the choices they make. Listen for more on how to show these changes slowly through the three acts to properly lay the groundwork for the ending.
First aired October 26, 2023.

S47E7 – How to Foreshadow Enemies to Lovers

Enemies to Lovers is one of BookTok’s favorite tropes, yet it so often executed incorrectly. To create a relationship progression that doesn’t feel forced, you must foreshadow each step of their relationship.
Listen for more on the four steps to progress from enemies to lovers and how to lay the foundation through foreshadowing.
First aired October 23, 2023.

S47E6 – Foreshadowing Through a Character’s Descent into Madness

One of the ways you can foreshadow is through the use of an unreliable narrator, specifically one who is descending into madness. Throughout the first part of the story, anything odd can be explained away. Slowly, it is revealed those oddities were foreshadowing, hinting at some plot twist on which the whole narrative hinges.
Hosts Leigh and Ley discuss ways to carry out this kind of storytelling and share examples where it was done well.
First aired October 19, 2023.

S47E5 – Symbolic Foreshadowing

Symbolism is a great tool to hint at what it is to come in your story. This is the kind of element your school teachers might have pointed to in classic novels regarding the weather or color of the curtains. Intentional symbolism can set the mood for the rest of your story.
Listen to learn more about different ways you can use symbolism to hint at the ending of your story.
First aired October 16, 2023.

S47E4 – Prophecies and Omniscience as Foreshadowing

There are many ways to have prophecies in your story act as foreshadowing, even if they aren’t mystical and blatant events. It could be as simple as a character joking about an outcome, or as subtle as a character expressing concern that turns out to be a poor choice of words.
In this episode, we talk about the different ways to use prophecies and narrator omniscience to help guide the foreshadowing in your story.
First aired October 12, 2023.

S47E3 – Foreshadowing Through Dialogue

Dialogue can be a powerful way to foreshadow what is to come, whether intentional to the character or not. It can be anything from a joking comment to an active prophecy. In this episode, our hosts talk about the different ways dialogue can be used to help lay the foundation for what is to come in your story.
First aired October 9, 2023.

S47E2 – Foreshadowing: Breadcrumbs and Misdirection

Foreshadowing is a tool that takes careful planning and often shows up a few times through the course of the story before the event it foretells takes place. One way to do this is through breadcrumb foreshadowing: laying down a trail for your readers to follow. However, it doesn’t always need to lead to the right answer.
In this episode, we talk about how to foreshadow through misdirection and breadcrumbing.
First aired October 5, 2023.