First, I'm new to the forum and new to writing creatively in general, though I have been writing academically for years. My question is about using a flashforward opening. I have read that this can be both well and poorly done but I am trying it out for a piece of creative nonfiction. My concern is not so much how to implement a flashforward opening well, but what to do with the scene being flashforwarded when the narrative actually gets to that point later in the piece? Should I completely copy it, summarize it, or does it work to retain only a key phrase/sentence or two? I realize different pieces can call for different approaches, I am just wondering what the general consensus is for handling the scene later in the work from which the flashforward is taken. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to help. Thanks all!
Wut. Oh, you mean like those stories that show parts that didn't yet happen to make people go "wtf happened to get to this point?" and then next chapter we're back in the past leading up to it.
For me a flashforward makes the rest of the story a flashback up to that point. To the OP's question I would think that a tiny dip into the scene to reorient the reader is needed, but certainly not a copy and paste. I also think you would modify the storyline a bit once you caught up to that initial part so that you reveal a bit more about that current scene, just to give it some appeal to the reader.
A.M.P. yes, that is essentially it. Tonguetied, thank you very much for the insight! My approach was pretty similar to your suggestion as I dipped into the scene, pulled a particular phrase from the flashforward, then expanded the scene. I was really getting hung up on if my flashforward needed to exist in a copy/paste fashion in the later scene from which it was pulled. You have alleviated that concern and I appreciate the help.
