Remember Hansel and Gretel, carefully dropping breadcrumbs through the dark forest to find their way home?

As authors, we become both baker and trickster — laying a quiet trail of breadcrumbs behind us for readers to marvel at when they look back, and darting ahead like a will-o’-the-wisp, that flickering light in the dark, luring them ever deeper into the forest of our story with a teasing glow and a tantalizing promise ahead they can’t resist.

Together, breadcrumbs and will-o’-the-wisps are the tools of a truly enchanting storyteller the questions you’ve raised, the tension you’ve built, the things readers have to chase even though they’re not quite sure where they’ll end up.

But foreshadowing, like the wisp, isn’t a skill easily mastered, and if you’re not careful where you drop your crumbs, you might just lose your reader.

Breadcrumbs: The Trail Behind

Breadcrumbs are your way of whispering secrets to your readers without spoiling the surprise.

They’re the quiet tap on the shoulder that says, “Pay attention to this,” without explicitly revealing why it matters. These can take many forms: a seemingly throwaway comment, a mysterious object, an unusual character reaction, a recurring phrase or action like a cough in a character you plan to kill off from illness. 

Why bother? Because when readers finally arrive at your big reveal—and look back—the trail is there.

They see how every little crumb connected to something bigger, and they feel clever for noticing (or eager to reread and catch what they missed).

The beauty of foreshadowing in this way is that these breadcrumbs enrich the story for everyone. First-time readers will enjoy the immersive texture of your world because you’re allowing them to slowly peel back layers of your story as they flip through the pages. Second-time readers see the magic at work and think, “It was there all along!” And well-versed readers who picked up on that second or third clue, you left them. We’ll be screaming with excitement or throwing our books across the room when we finally get to the big moment.

Will-o’-the-Wisps: The Trail Ahead

If breadcrumbs are for looking back, then the will-o’-the-wisp is what readers chase forward.

In folklore, a will-o’-the-wisp is a mischievous, flickering light that lures travelers deeper into the woods—sometimes toward treasure, sometimes into mischief. In your story, it’s the question or promise that keeps readers turning the page.

You, the author, are that playful light—teasing readers just enough to keep them moving toward something they need to know, but never revealing everything at once.

Where breadcrumbs say, “Oh, that makes sense now,” the will-o’-the-wisp whispers, “Come find out…”

Why Both Matter

In fantasy and romance especially, you’re asking readers to trust you through strange worlds, intricate plots, and tangled emotions. You need breadcrumbs to assure them the story has been carefully planned and will all make sense.

But you also need a glowing wisp ahead—to keep them chasing your story through dark forests and thorny brambles.

Put another way: the breadcrumb trail satisfies their intellect; the will-o’-the-wisp satisfies their curiosity.

Laying Down Breadcrumbs

Here are some tried-and-true ways to plant breadcrumbs that pay off:

Symbolic Crumbs

Objects or motifs that carry meaning and resurface later.

In A Court of Mist and Fury, Feyre’s struggle to paint with color foreshadows her emotional healing and her love for Rhysand—color literally and figuratively returns to her life.

Character Actions & Dialogue

Subtle behaviors or lines that reveal true feelings or foreshadow choices.

In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy’s awkward silence at the ball foreshadows his social anxiety and deep feelings.

Worldbuilding Details

Hints hidden in geography, magic, or lore.

In Six of Crows, the bridges and canals of Ketterdam foreshadow the daring heist escape routes.

Emotional Underpinnings

In romance especially, these are little gestures—tending a wound, remembering a favorite tea—that set the stage for intimacy.

Dancing Like a Will-o’-the-Wisp

To create your wisp, you need to craft irresistible forward momentum:

• Pose intriguing questions.
• End chapters on tantalizing notes.
• Drop just enough information to spark curiosity—but hold back the full picture.
• Promise readers something worth following into the unknown.

The trick here is playfulness and enchantment. Your readers should feel just slightly off-balance—not lost or scared, but not quite sure what’s ahead and too curious to turn back, consequences be damned.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Breadcrumbs too subtle—If they’re invisible, readers won’t see the payoff coming and might feel blindsided. Don’t slap us in the face with every cough, but when the only brother of our MMC dies of a well-disguised plague, we need to feel that coming before he’s so sick it’s too late.
Breadcrumbs too obvious—If they’re too heavy-handed, readers will predict your twist chapters early. The enemies-to-lovers trope isn’t as satisfying if the enemies are nice too soon.

Will-o’-the-wisps with no treasure— Don’t lure readers endlessly without delivering on the promise. This is especially important if you’re plotting a series. If your FMC is a long-lost princess, but that little nugget isn’t going to be revealed until book three, don’t start dropping hints in book one; your reader will get bored, and it’s the only time I advocate for book burnings.

The key is balance and connection: not every detail has to foreshadow something, but each breadcrumb should connect to something meaningful. 

When you describe a character’s locket, nervous habit, or secret scar, ask yourself:
✨ Does this connect to the emotional or narrative payoff?
✨ Is this a breadcrumb for looking back or a wisp for chasing forward?

If neither, maybe save it for another story where it will have more impact.

You: Both Baker and Trickst

At the end of the day You’re the thoughtful baker, laying down clues that readers can trace with satisfaction when they look back. And you’re the mischievous light, darting ahead, always just out of reach, but impossible to resist.

When done well, these two elements work together to create stories that readers can’t stop reading and can’t wait to reread.

Following Your Own Trail Home

So the next time you sit down to write, ask yourself:

1. What crumbs am I leaving for readers to marvel at later?
2. What wisp am I dangling to keep them chasing forward?

The best stories lead readers through the dark forest of your plot with trust, delight, and just the right amount of mischief, but scatter your crumbs carefully, and may no birds or rain swallow your trail before your readers reach the heart of your story, where everything feels both surprising and inevitable.

If you’re feeling unsure whether your breadcrumbs are building toward brilliance—or if your wisps are glowing bright enough to keep readers chasing—you don’t have to wander the woods alone.

At Once Upon a Manuscript, I help fantasy and romance authors shape stories that enchant, surprise, and satisfy. Whether you’re working on your first draft or polishing your final twist, I can help you track the breadcrumbs you’ve already scattered and shine a light ahead for your readers to follow.

Because when every clue leads somewhere, and every shimmer of mystery is grounded in craft, your story becomes more than a journey—it becomes a tale they’ll return to again and again.

🪄 Want fresh eyes on your manuscript trail? Let’s find the magic in your story, together.