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:
Redwoods
Big, leafy trees
Fruit-bearing trees
Lush green grass
Mineral springs
Running water…
In Society:
Long life
Pink cheeks
Ideal body weight
Sparkling eyes
Smooth skin
White teeth…
These are just a few examples of things one might associate with health. Some are more powerful than others. Fruits and vegetables are strong symbols, and likely will not require reinforcement. However, a heart could stand for a number of different things and not foreshadow health 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.
Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Great, as usual. And now I’m going to go back and reread your post on over expressed emotions! 🙂
Ooh, I like this one. Kind of different from the usual.
This was a fun one to write–no worries about what weird pictures might come up when I researched :).
Lisa, I’m so glad these are helpful. I wish my mind was organized like our thesaurus entries, lol.
Just have to tell you – I was filling out a worksheet yesterday for my WIP (a first for me actually because I don’t outline, I’m a total pantser, but was having trouble with this one) Anyway, it asked “How can you foreshadow this?” And all I could think of was your blog, and these entries! My mind is now organized in lists that look a lot like these thesaurus entries… LOL
I like the idea of Redwoods as a symbol of health. Never in a million years would I have thought of that. 🙂
Already I can feel the first blush of spring reading this post!
Great Job, Becca!
Angela
Nice…I feel healthy just reading this!