A paper-first reading field guide
Track Foreshadowing Without Calling It Proof
Mark the page as a possible signal, write the prediction separately, and later classify the result as payoff, misdirection, or coincidence. Do not relabel the first note as certainty.
A striking detail can look inevitable after the ending. A provisional trail preserves what the reader actually knew.
Step 1
Anchor the location
Record the page or chapter before interpreting the moment. Add the current reading boundary when later knowledge could change the note.
Step 2
Possible signal
Describe the concrete detail without calling it a clue yet.
Step 3
Prediction
Write what it may suggest and include your current reading boundary.
Step 4
Later result
Later mark payoff, misdirection, coincidence, or unresolved.