The clues were there all along, but did you know how to read them?

A yellow scarf catches the eye.

A key is placed on the mantelpiece.

Someone chews on a hangnail before answering a question.

The lightbulb flickers.

In a novel, these details may be incidental, colour built into the scene to add depth by the writer.

But not always.

Sometimes these seemingly insignificant moments are essential to our understanding of the story. Occasionally they are pivotal to the plot.

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As they read, most people will not be fixating on these details. They will be storing them all away in their subconscious inventory of what may or may not matter.

An active reader may already be decoding these moments for meaning, asking themselves whether the yellow scarf is incidental or signifies something more important. They might be imagining what that key could be used for in the future. Their mind might already have a suspicion that the flickering lightbulb will be crucial to a character.

That’s because the active reader, and thoughtful writer, understands the concept of foreshadowing in creative writing.