Every day we interact with objects, places and sensations that affect the way we think and feel. This can be used to the writer’s advantage by planting symbols in the reader’s path to reinforce a specific message, feeling or idea.
Look at the setting and the character’s state of mind, and then think about what you want the reader to see. Is there a descriptive symbol or two that works naturally within the scene to help foreshadow an event or theme, or create insight into the character’s emotional plight?
In Nature:
Sun coming out behind a cloud
The warmth of sunshine
Rain on a dry landscape
The smell of rain or moisture in the air
Sunrise
Water…
In Society:
Children
Pink cancer ribbon
Random acts of kindness
Open doors
Schools, youth centers
Light bulbs/light sources…
These are just a few examples of things one might associate with Hope. Some are more powerful than others. Being given a vaccine for an illness or finding out one is a candidate for a new treatment is a strong symbol, and likely will not require reinforcement. However, an open door may not foreshadow hope on its own. Let the story’s tone decide if one strong symbol or several smaller ones work the best.
Symbolism is a universal language that can add great depth and meaning to your story.
So you can reap the full benefit of this powerful tool, we’ve expanded the entire collection by 70% and integrated it into our online library at One Stop For Writers. Each entry comes with a long list of ideas for symbols and motifs, and we’ve included popular symbolism examples from literature and movies, as well. These entries have also been cross-referenced for easy searchability across all our other thesauri. To see a free sample of the updated Symbolism and Motif Thesaurus along with our other collections, pop on over and register at One Stop.
Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.
I love these lists! They conjure up so many emotions in me and my brain starts racing thinking of places I could use them.
Thanks for sharing! It’s a great reference (and point).
You rock, Angela! I love all the examples you give–things I never would have thought of. Hope is one of my favorite things. 😀
Thanks, everyone. I hope this one is helpful, because I feel that all novels should always offer some hope as part of their make up. Without hope the reader’s involvement and connection to the character’s plight will never go as deep as it can, and ultimately hamper the novel’s success.
Rainbows [even small ones] are what keeps the reader reading, because it keeps the character fighting, right? 🙂
Julie, thanks so much for the shout out! I really appreciate it when people spread the word about The Bookshelf Muse! You guys are all great about doing this too, and I can’t thank you enough!
Have a great weekend!
Angela, a shout out to you on my blog!
Love this one! Hope is such an important and necessary thing.
Have a great weekend,
Karen
I feel hopeful just reading this post! Thanks, once again.
Nice list! I like these posts. Keeps me thinking!
This has nothing whatever to do with your above post. I just wanted to say — after reading your comment on my blog — holy freaking cow. I just simply cannot imagine going through that. And I don’t think I could write about it either. Ever.
Thanks, Angela. What perfect timing!
Oh, I love this one, Angela. Hope is a GREAT topic. And daffodils are one of my favorite things on earth! 🙂
This is a very good list. For society I also suggest:
artistic graffiti, street name, architectural style, decour …Enjoying your posts.
You always get me thinking!! Good Stuff!