Writing Theory: Chekov's Gun
"If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."— Anton Chekhov. This simply means, if you include a detail in a story it should have some meaning to the plot or the overall story.
Why Chekov's Gun is Important
Over the years, Chekov's Gun has become an important rule where foreshadowing is involved and often gives your readers some idea of what is to come without giving it away. It can be a fun element for writers to pepper in as well as set up a plot point or an oncoming event. Chekov's Gun keeps writers on track with their details and can be used to put your readers into an unconscious state of knowledge about the following story.
How Can Writers effectively write Chekov's Gun
The main thing about Chekov's Gun, is utilising your details within the story and showcasing them in a way that is notice-drawing but not so much as to be provacative with it. In simple terms, you want people to notice it but you don't want to wave it in their faces.
The details that you add (and I'm not talking about details as in the colour of the walls, I mean details such as an item that is focused on) should impact the story in some way. These details are often elaborated on with the narrative and are given a little bit of exposition. For example, consider:
In a Prisoner of Azkaban, Cornelius Fudge recounts a meeting with Sirius Black in the prison. He makes a point of noting that Sirius had asked for his newspaper, chalking it down to Sirius's inhumanity. However, that paper is the catalyst of the story in this book. Sirius sees a picture of the Weasley's on holiday in the paper, spotting Peter Pettigrew, a traitor and agent of Voldemort. The paper acts as Sirius's inciting event to act.
In Greek Myth, Perseus and his mother Danae were exiled from her father's kingdom after a phophecy stated that the King would be killed by his grandson. Years later after Perseus went on his quest, married a Princess and won himself a new kingdom, he attended a sports event where all the Kings of Greece attended. Perseus threw a discus accidentally killing an old man in the crowd. The old man? His grandfather.
Or perhaps the most famous literal example, in the film Shaun of the Dead, Ed points to a shotgun above the bar at the Winchester. He goes on a big long yarn about how the gun is real. During the action packed climax of the film, Shaun tells him that the gun couldn't possibly be real because... Then the gun goes off and is used to save Liz and Shaun while the others are consumed by zombies.
The Do's and Don'ts of Chekov's Gun
Do consider Chekov's Gun to be anything, not just an item or a thing. It can be the name of a person (Marwyn the Mage) or even a certain skill a character has (Mary Ravenwood can drink grown men under the table, a skill she uses against the Nazi).
When lampshading the item/person/detail, do not embellish it too much. Afford the detail enough attention so the reader can remember it but not so much that they notice it.
Do remember that Chekov's Gun must at some point be fired. The person/thing/detail must have some impact. (the locket Harry attempts to throw out at Grimmauld Place ends up being a Horcrux)
Don't think the reader won't remember the gun. Most readers with experience will clock a Chekov's gun from a mile off.
Do make sure that the gun is in the minds of the reader. Whether you have characters mention it flippantly or you show it over the course of the narrative (the famous lemons of "Braavos'' in ASOIAF).
The gun does not have to fire immediately but it does have to fire at some point.
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