by Stephanie O’Brien

In some stories, the plot’s resolution takes everyone by surprise. Nobody knew how the story would end, or how the outcome would be achieved. In others, the ending was a surprise to absolutely no one, because a prophecy had already spoiled the ending long before it could happen.

The downside to having a prophecy:

Having a prophecy about your plot or protagonist has one obvious drawback: it spoils the ending of the story, and removes much of the dramatic tension that you otherwise could have built.