Telegraphing: I See Where You’re Going
T his article is going to tell you when you should and shouldn't use telegraphing. I hope I didn't spoil it for you. Years ago, travel was long and difficult. You didn’t just head off to someone’s house at someone’s house. You might get there and the guy wouldn’t be home. It might not be so bad for you, but your horse might not like you all that much, since she’d have to carry you all the way back. And telephones were scarce, so you couldn’t just call up your friend and discuss when you would show up. Instead, you’d send a short message by telegraph, “Arriving April 17 by rail.” It’s just enough to tell your friend you’re coming. What Telegraphing Is Telegraphing in writing is very similar. Instead of sending a message saying, “I’m coming,” we’re telling the reader what to expect. This goes beyond foreshadowing , although they are closely related and what one person calls telegraphing another might call foreshadowing . If we look at the extremes, foreshadowing is only ...