FLASHBACKS

A flashback is a plot device that interrupts the chronological flow of the story to take the reader back in time to past events in a character’s life. How does going back in time help you move your story forwards? Flashbacks are a very effective method of exposition that help reveal more about a character’s personality and background. Most often, flashbacks are written as a character or third-person narrator simply recounting the past. Other times, they are inserted into dialogue as one character discusses their past with another. An interesting way to use flashbacks is to expose character flaws to your readers. Perhaps your character’s flashbacks are missing large chunks of information. Are they hiding something? Does your character repress their bad memories? Multiple flashbacks to the same event with details that don’t match can reveal a delusional character or one who lies often. Using flashbacks at the right points in your story can help reveal your character’s place in their journey. For example, in A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams uses traumatic flashbacks to guide the reader through the main character’s descent into madness. 

FORESHADOWING

Foreshadowing is a literary device that alludes to a later part of the story. As a plot device, it creates expectations in the reader and drives the story in a specific direction by setting the tone for a future point in the narrative. In Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, when the tour group first waits near the T-Rex’s paddock, the Park’s CEO John Hammond jokes about the group being excited by the danger of the situation. Later in the novel, the group gets stalled outside the same paddock and attacked by an escaped T-Rex. In this case, the location of the foreshadowing plays a key role in setting up the atmosphere for the later scene when the group returns to the same location. In most cases, foreshadowing appears at the very beginning of a story but in others, it can be sprinkled throughout the story to add suspense and to keep readers guessing. It can be heavy-handed and used as a warning to the characters and the readers or it can be so subtle that it is only noticed when re-reading a piece of writing. 

CLIFFHANGERS

A cliffhanger is a plot device in which a plot device in which a part of the narrative remains unresolved and key questions remain unanswered. This usually ends the narrative on a shocking or suspenseful note and compels readers to continue the story by reading the next installation in a series.Sometimes, there is no second part and the story simply ends that way. Some consider this to be poor writing if it leaves the readers frustrated or disappointed. However, cliffhanger endings can definitely be effective and appropriate when used in the right ways and in the right scenarios. Interestingly, a cliffhanger can make for a very realistic ending as it mimics the way some stories end in real life, with unresolved conflicts in relationships or unsolved mysteries. You can wrap your story up in other fulfilling ways even with a cliffhanger, by ending a character’s development or by concluding a theme explored in the story.

RED HERRINGS

A red herring is a piece of false information meant to intentionally mislead the reader. Red herrings can be considered a form of foreshadowing! As a plot device, red herrings serve to distract, deceive and facilitate a twist ending and are most commonly associated with the mystery and thriller genres. An author who uses red herrings quite often is Agatha Christie! They work well in her writing as she is best known for her murder mysteries. 

DEUS EX MACHINA

Deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is abruptly resolved by a sudden, unexpected and unlikely occurrence. The term Deus ex machina has its origins in ancient Greek and Roman theatre. Latin for “god from the machine” the phrase references a common tradition in stage plays at the time where a crane would lower an actor dressed like a god during difficult times in a story to instantly resolve the character’s problems. Some consider the use of deus ex machina to be flawed or lazy writing since the characters are not allowed to resolve the central conflict and the author is stepping in to save them from it. However, it can be quite effective when used thoughtfully and deliberately. In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding resolves the dystopian scenario his main characters are caught in by sending a naval officer and his fleet to save them. This works well since the novel is not plot-driven but an exploration of the human psyche and interpersonal conflict and the sudden rescue forces characters to face and reflect on their own unravelling. 

CHEKHOV’S GUN 

Chekhov’s gun is a narrative principle that guides foreshadowing. It is named after the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, who famously said, "If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter, it absolutely must go off." The principle states that every element in a story must be necessary, and irrelevant elements should be removed. When this principle is followed it helps to craft good foreshadowing. Using Chekhov’s gun effectively can create tension and cause readers to read more closely and hang on to every line as they anticipate the re-appearance of this element in the story. The element being used as Chekhov’s gun can serve as resolution to the conflict or even be the source of the conflict itself. In other cases, this element can simply exist to hint at a character’s true nature or add context to the narrative. However it is used, this technique can help ensure that your story is cohesive and intentional. 

PLOT TWIST

A plot twist is a plot device that introduces a radical and sudden change in the direction or expected outcome in a fictional narrative.  A highly discouraged plot twist that students tend to use quite commonly in their essays is the “it was all just a dream” plot twist. Using this as a twist can come off lazy and often feels unnecessary and disappointing as it can nullify an otherwise strong narrative. One thing to note about plot twists is that they do not have to occur at the end or towards the end of a story, often they can occur at the midpoint of a story. In fact, a late plot twist can feel rushed or dull if it is not set up well with foreshadowing or does not have a strong purpose. A well-executed plot twist can also shift the tone of a narrative entirely without being off-putting. Plot twists can also help you cross genres, like by turning a tragedy can turn into a thriller!