How much foreshadowing.

[anthorn]

How much foreshadowing is needed for a betrayal.

I have one character who comes to her father's old friend in search of hope and protection, but beforehand she hires two of the old friends, soldiers, as bodyguards to escort her from one continent, to the continent where the old friend lives. Once she gets there, she is betrayed and arrested by the man because he plans on having her executed as a traitor in return for the girl's aunt paying off a considerable amount of his company's debt. The only indication something is up is a conversation 200 pages earlier where the guy laments his situation and prays forgiveness of his now dead friend.

Same with one of the people who escort the girl. He's unhappy with his lot and wants to quit but cannot as this is the only life he's known. When he learns that this girl has been arrested, he loses his s**t and breaks her free, forcing them to go on the run. Now with this character, the displeasure is known from the very beginning. I've left hints that he's got a bit of an explosive temper and impulse control so hopefully it shouldn't be too much of a surprise when he breaks into the prison and cuts his way to where the girl is held, with a few rationalisations that everyone needs a reason to quit and this just so happens to be his.

Do you think there needs to be foreshadowing?

 

[tinkerdan]

Foreshadowing can be tricky business.
In my first novel I thought I was foreshadowing one important element enough, yet somehow there were some readers who were scratching their heads wondering where that came from. It was a character element that was very much less visible than standard characters so the clues were subtle and had less of a referent than if it had been a more active character in the narrative.

In the case of what you are describing, when I read other peoples work I think one thing that helps a bit is if you can find something that is just on a very tenuous edge of almost being out of character without being so far out that it stands like a sore thumb. Or in the same manner the reaction other characters have might lead the reader to just the edge of where it looked like that character was wondering where that came from. And then quickly moves on. So as a reader you will think back and go, oh that's why.

It can be a balance--especially if you want it to be as much a surprise as possible, when it does come to the forefront.

It's sort of like when an abrasive person who doesn't generally get along with another character expresses sympathy in a time when the other character is feeling down and it tracks okay at the moment because sometimes that's human nature, while all along the character is just trying to ingratiate themselves to get closer for the kill.

Excepting the fact that that one could drift close to cliche these days.

 

[zmunkz]

My impression is--generally--you need to lay it on a bit more than you'd expect. As the author, you know exactly where all the little hints and off-hand remarks went, so taken together, you may think you've foreshadowed with a nice heavy hand. To a casual reader, however, many of those small hints appeared inconsequential and didn't even stick in their memory.

It also depends on what you are shooting for. Surprise twists can run the spectrum from totally shocking to I-knew-it-was-going-to-happen-but-hoped-it-didn't. What reaction do you want from the average reader? Adjust accordingly.

Finally, I think you really need some beta readers to fine-tune things to work. That is the only way to know how your hints and herrings are coming across to someone that doesn't already know what is coming. Get a handful of opinions. No matter what you do, some will see it a mile away, and others will be lost and confused, so you need enough feedback to judge what the "average" perception might be.

TL;DR: I'd err on the side of more foreshadowing, and use feedback from beta readers to pull it back if needed.

 

[apocalypsegal]

Well, the answer to questions like this is, how much do you need? You don't want events coming at the reader out of left field, with no context, but you also don't want to lay it on so thick that the reader thinks you're a fool, or that you think they are. It's a delicate balance, which you'll likely only find by writing the story and then going over it to see if you need to punch it up, or take it down a notch. And yeah, some good beta readers would be worth their weight in gold (and gosh, can I use any more cliches here?).