When you’re confined to the couch for a long period (I thank my appendix for that), you can’t help but start binge-watching a new TV series; in my case, it was picking up one I hadn’t had time to finish until now. And if you’re down and out for the count but still want to feel like you’re on your toes, I highly recommend How to Get Away with Murder.

Created by Peter Nowalk, How to Get Away with Murder is a serial legal drama (or thriller, depending on how you look at it) that follows the interconnected stories of a group of ambitious law students and their renowned (read: infamous) criminal defense professor.

The series kicks off at the school bonfire: there’s partying, there’s drinking — you know, stereotypical college shenanigans. But it’s not all fun and games.

In the distance, in a dark, wooded area behind the festivities, we find our star law students standing over a dead body (yikes). They’re frantically arguing about what to do with the corpse to steer suspicion away from them. Do they leave it where it is or take it with them?

It’s not long until one of the young adults, Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch), decides it would be best if they just…flipped a coin. Of course, we don’t see if it lands heads or tails because we’re immediately brought back to what we realize is actually the present. It’s here we get our true introduction to Wes as he heads into Criminology 101 for the first day of class with Professor Annalise Keating.

Throughout the rest of the first season, every episode starts with a small peek at the future state, with each return to it revealing a little bit more about what’s coming. The remaining 40 or so-odd minutes take place in the present, where events slowly begin to unfold that will lead us to what we now know will inevitably happen — the question is just how.

An Introduction to Flash-Forwards

These short trips to the future are known as “flash-forwards.” It was originally a literary device used to create anticipation and suspense but has more recently had applications in film and TV. It is not the same as starting a plot in medias res or “in the middle of things.” The key difference is that the flash-forward still reverts to the beginning, whereas stories that begin in medias res pick up from that point and continue to drive the plot forward.

Another feature worth noting is that flash forwards don’t always promise a future that is definite. In some cases, the preview you get is just a “possible” ending.

Benefits of Using Flash-Forwards in Writing

Now, you may be wondering: “Why on earth would any writer want to potentially spoil the conclusion as soon as the story starts?”

There are a few advantages to flash-forwards, but the biggest is that they can be used to immediately hook the reader.

A hook is a technique used to grab the audience’s attention at the beginning of a story. It’s meant to capture their interest and encourages them to continue watching or reading. A group of young lawyers-in-the-making now responsible for someone’s murder? I mean, who wouldn’t be inclined to want to know what happened?

Other benefits of using this literary technique include:

• It builds an emotional connection with your audience. Since flash-forwards are generally used as hooks, this is the perfect tool to establish a relationship between your protagonist and reader. What happens in this possible future that will make your audience care about them?
• It helps with tone-setting. Rather than hinting at the themes of your novel, you can use a flash-forward to get straight to the point. Things like a dead body in the middle of the woods scream “mystery” and “thriller,” so your audience should already know from episode or chapter one that it’s time to grab a detective cap and strap themselves in.

How to Avoid Spoilers with Flash-Forwards

There’s an art to creating flash-forwards that can circumvent spoiling your story’s plot or conclusion, which is something How to Get Away with Murder does particularly well. Here are a couple of tips you’ll want to keep in mind if you decide that this literary technique is something your plot needs:

• Don’t get caught up in the details. Offer just enough information for the reader to have a vague idea of what’s to come. Leave out the why and how and just focus on concrete details (the who, what, when, and where).
• Circumvent expectations. Earlier, I mentioned that flash-forwards don’t always present a definite ending. That’s because, in some cases, writers cleverly deliver breadcrumbs that may lead a reader to believe that one thing will happen when in fact, it’s something else entirely. (If you’ve seen the series finale of Firefly Lane, you’ll know what I mean.)

Done right, a flash-forward will not only hook the audience but will provide just enough information to add suspense and get them invested, regardless of whether that ending actually comes to fruition.