How should I "remind" the reader of something that they may have forgotten?

Question

Say there is a small detail in the beginning of the book that has a big effect later on. The reader might've forgotten about that by the time they get to that part. How should I remind the reader about the detail, other than straight-up saying something along the lines of:Remember the X 10 years ago? It returned and that's what caused this Y to happen.Remember Z's injury? That's why he did A instead of B.

Answer 1

Depends on what it is. Did a character have an injury that will play a factor later? Perhaps have something with the injury flair up - perhaps their broken arm didn't heal properly, so when they bang it, they grimace. Or perhaps they walk with a limp due to an old leg injury? Go throughout the text and use words like "limp" to describe their walking, to show that it never quite healed.

But honestly? Make sure your reader remembers it when it's first introduced, because if it leaves enough of an impact early on, your readers *will* remember it when it comes up again. You can trust them. You don't even need to highlight it; all you need to do is not "bury" it.

Answer 2

The key is to either make the object memorable in some way, or make your language describe it memorable. The former is always preferable.

What makes something memorable? Always bear in mind that we're programmed to find very particular things memorable, and this has to do with the way our brains try to keep us alive. It's primal. Anything sexy, scary, gross, funny, or strange will do the trick.

Most writers go with strange, since that applies easily to most kinds of scenarios or objects. It can be a strange color, an odd detail that seems out of place, etc.

Another aspect of using a memorable tag like this is to make your language to describe the object exactly the same when the detail pays off as when you set it up. The character can remember, too, but you should give the reader a chance to solve the puzzle for themselves.

This can be really rewarding for the reader and will get them hooked on your writing.

Good luck.