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Chapter 14: Using Description to Create Atmosphere and . . . and . . . Suspense!
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In the same way, you can have a character observe a small incident that foreshadows
a future event. For example, your character may see the following:
✓ A person missing a train, early in the story: Later on, the character
misses the train himself, or a flight, or something really important.
✓ A couple arguing in the street, seen through the window of a bus:
Later in the story, your character has a terrible row with someone he
was close to.
✓ A couple who have just been married, standing outside a registry
office: Later in the story, a main character gets married.
Try this exercise to practise using objects and incidents to foreshadow what
happens in your story. The more varied the objects and incidents are, the
more fun you will have with this exercise:
1. Keep a notebook with you. As you go about your day, jot down small
incidents that you observe that are similar to the ones in the preceding
list.
2. Give each one a number. Keep going until you have 12 incidents.
3. Roll two dice to select a number and then write this incident into your
story. Does it fit? Can you make use of it to foreshadow something you
plan to happen later or make something happen later because of this
incident?
If this incident doesn’t fit then skip to another one on your list and try
again until you find one that does!
Writing in All Weathers
and All Year Round
You won’t be surprised to hear that using the weather is a great way to create
atmosphere, mood and suspense. Therefore don’t leave storms and showers,
heatwaves and droughts, to meteorologists.
In this section I discuss ways to use the weather, including the conditions and
changes that come with the seasons and across times of the day, to create
atmosphere in your writing.