One of the signs of good storytelling is when the story leaves clues that can build up to something. These clues can lead to a revival, a plot twist, or even an exciting conclusion to the story. Unfortunately, there is criticism that being able to predict an event in fiction is a bad thing in storytelling. Having a predictable story isn’t a good thing either. However, this stigma prevents audiences from knowing essential events in the story before the storyline reveals them. So, let’s look into these storytelling tools and find out when this criticism became so prevalent.

Knowing narrative devices

There are many narrative devices, but for our research, we mainly need to focus on one called foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is when the story leaves hints for future events, either by dialogue or other events in the plot, to build atmosphere. What this does for the audience is build anticipation and expectations for the rest of the story. Different literary devices go with this, such as Chekhov’s gun and red herring,

Disappointment in expectation

One of the most likely reasons why viewers dislike predicting events in the story is because they have expectations. The audience has built up an image of what can or will happen and will be disappointed by the outcome. An example would be if an action movie would build up to a final battle. However, the fight never happens, and it is cut short. The viewer is anticipating something great, but it can feel satisfying if it doesn’t deliver on that. The foreshadowing may let the audience down regardless of how good the story was.

Another reason why having a forscene conclusion is a criticism is that it may lead to the viewer believing the rest of the story to be poor quality. The mindset might be: If you already know how this will play out, why bother with the rest of the story? Alternatively, the viewer may believe the film or book is not well-produced. The audience will have expectations for how the story could play out if invested in time and energy.

Closing thoughts

Looking into the reasons why being able to guess events in a story is criticism is very understandable. Many people are really into the story; they see the potential within it and would, of course, want to see it fulfilled. Although it’s unfair that would make the film or book bad by not living up to that expectation, it is a valid criticism. Ultimately, audiences can decide their expectations for a story for which they have invested resources.

https://theableshow.com/i-saw-that-twist-coming-a-mile-away

https://smartblogger.com/foreshadowing-examples

https://www.literatureandlatte.com/blog/chekhovs-gun-and-the-power-of-foreshadowing