As a writer, you want keep your reader in a state of extreme tension, at least for some of your story, although it is not a bad idea to let them have time off for good behaviour occasionally. Since I'm in mythical mode at the moment (see my previous post on Christopher Vogler) I thought now might be a good time to think a little bit about the use of omens.
Thomas Hardy has more or less cornered the market here and if you really want to dedicate yourself to mastering this dark art, reading just about any of his novels will get you started. An omen is a foretaste of impending doom, it hints at dire things to come and in that way is fantastic for notching up the tension. There is a brilliant scene in Tess of the D'Urbevilles in which Tess has just murdered her nemesis, Alex, stabbing him in their bedroom, and his blood forms a stain in the shape of the ace of spades on the ceiling below, signposting the tragic ending which has been set in motion. Melodramatic stuff, but used delicately and with a light touch, it can be a great way of increasing suspense and adding to atmosphere, and it can even advance the plot..
Suck it and see - it might come in handy and even if it doesn't, it will have been fun trying.
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