How to Use Symbolism | Writing Tips
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- Become the terror English teachers will both worship and fear with these symbolism tips!
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Me: *literally makes blue curtains a symbol representing a large theme within a short story*
Everyone: oh, the author just wanted to make the curtains blue
Me: Wait, that’s illegal
Well I'd say it's funner that way. What fun is symbolism if everybody finds it. Personally I'd say it's cool to have a novel where the reader can choose to read it for the sake of the story, or they could analyse it and find deeper meanings if they wanted to.
My high school English teacher: Atticus Finch blowing his nose after the trial is symbolic of him releasing pent up anxiety and stress.
Me in high school:.....um......what.....
This is an actual true story.
I laughed but also wHAT
Wow, that's a good one. 🤣
To kill a mocking bird.. yeah, I heard that too 😅😅
I think sometimes symbolism just occurs naturally. It's funny, as you talked about windows, I realized the window in my character's rented room comes up again and again. He lives alone in this one room, wants no friends, and lives in his head a lot. I didn't plan for the window to be a symbol, but I think it is.
It is a paradox. Humans search for meanings, symbols are created as a biproduct of our search for meanings, and meanings are meaningless AHH HELP ME
One time my English teacher was talking about Emily Dickinson and remember that girl Susan Gilbert who Emily Dickinson was in love with?? My English teacher literally said it was a man named James Gilbert and then said that every time Emily Dickinson talked about horses in *any* poem she referencing death... some English teachers are full of crap.
Also, I write poetry and I reference birds a *lot* because I love them and study them and such. It's just where my mind drifts to. My freshman year teacher used a poem I wrote for an assignment as an example on how to include symbolism and said that the birds represented moving on or something like that and... they didn't? Aren't we allowed to write about something just because we like it? No?
I remember specifically writing a story about knitting with absolutely no meaning, just so my English teacher had nothing, but she decided instead to talk to the class about how kntting was a metaphor for maturity and growing old or sum shit and I'm like ??? it's literally knitting I wrote it specifically to be meaningless
For anyone who wants more Shaelin, she is part of Reedsy and posts writing videos on that channel.
Thank you!
Symbols in literature are something small that represent something bigger. Flags, coins and books can all be symbols within a story.
Honestly, this is the most concise and articulate description of symbolism in writing that I've ever read or heard, and I have a degree in literature.
This video came just in time Everything that happens in my current writing project at the moment is a symbol or metaphor for the main characters relationship with her mother.
my book in progress uses a lot of metaphors such as flowers and their meanings, since one of the main characters studies flower language and such.
now, i'm not sure if it's considered a symbol, but the main subtle thing that's present throughout my whole story is the mc being reffered to as a butterfly because of her tenderness and goal to be free like them, being followed by butterflies and at the beginning a butterfly even "talks" to her.
in reality the butterflies refer to her being fragile and dying soon/ having a short-lasting life. i really hope i'm able make the readers get that message, even if it's not really symbolism ^^;
that is a brilliant twist!
yess a video on symbolism. i already know it's gonna be awesome. you're so good at using it!
Me: Has homework to get done so I can write
Shaelin: Uploads
Me: we were gonna fail anyways
Ironically, I actually use the color blue as a symbol in my novel, but in my story, it symbolizes calmness and a feeling of belonging and safety. It happened subconsciously. I only consciously realized it when I started describing the walls in a house after my critique partner requested more prose. Also, thanks to this video, I just now realized that there’s also a connection to my protagonist’s mother, who evokes those same feelings and is also blue.
Just wanted to say thanks for posting all these writing tips! I'm taking on my first big writing project and I've learned so much from your content :)
Good luck with your project!
Finally pinpointed the reason why I was having writers block. I was trying to add symbolism and didn’t even know it.
Hi Shaelin! You can write about theme and the philosophy behind books. You can also write about the impact of books on human beings. Books change perceptions. Etc! It's one of the hard topics, I know! The writer is a messenger. They write to deliver a message and not only to entertain and hook. Anyway, these are topics that you might consider.
Cheers
P.S. you are a very shrewd young lady. Your wit sparks. Keep up!
Me: *makes a thing that has no intentional symbolic meaning*
Someone else: *finds some symbolism in the work, and makes a logical and cogent argument about why it could be read that way*
Also me: pardon?
10:40 I think I get it. Death is a motif. Motifs can't be symbolized, but themes like the "fear of death" can be symbolized. Call back to freshman English class lol!
Such a helpful video! Thanks for all of the writing craft tips. They're helping me so much with the short story collection that I'm writing!
I’ve finished binge-watching your writing videos from the last 12 months. You have a great voice, 1000mph, eloquent, clear, and perfect for making notes without losing the train of thought.
Thank you so much for sharing about this topic! I really enjoyed watching this video.
A video about three-act structure would be awesome, especially since you’ve talked about how dividing your novel into three parts has been so helpful.
I kind of covered 3-act structure in my video on 15-beat structure, but I would love to do more videos on structure in the future so I'll try to think of something!
Very well explained. So happy to see another craft video. This has made me think *less* about symbolism as an additive and more as an intuitive flow that happens without meaning to. If that makes sense. Thanks. :)
Something I wish directors would do with with like tv shows and stuff more often is use music as symbolism.
Giving important characters their own leit motif, playing a sad version of it when they die or something, etc.
There's this one show where people fight each other by astral projecting, but they always come out as some sort of creature with a unique ability and appearance based on one or more aspects of that person's personality. A physical aspect of their soul basically. They call them "stands"
The main character of one part of this series has this one particular song that plays in the background while his stand comes out, kinda like it's own theme music.
At the very end of this series, his stand gets beaten up pretty badly, and starts to crack.
However, at the same time, he completes his character arc and evolves in a way that makes him more self assured, and more powerful in his mindset.
His stand continues to crack and basically "hatch" into a cooler-looking version of itself, and the theme music that usually plays is replaced by a completely different version that's in a whole different genre of music. It went down in history as one of the greatest soundtracks of the series.
So that song is playing in the background, as this completely overpowered manifestation of the main character's soul starts using his new powers to warp time and shit.
That's the kind of musical symbolism I wanna see more in movies and whatnot. I feel like people aren't using symbolism to it's fullest potential especially when it comes to soundtracks.
DandyBubbles I see you are a man of culture👍🏻
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
@@Excelsior1937 Correct 😎👉👉
Hello.
So glad that you keep posting videos about writing. Please. Keep going. I am here to support.
Thank you! Thought-provoking and exceedingly useful
I really liked it when you made a video explaining that it's better not to use sentences with 'she saw, he thought, etc.' Sentence level tips like that are pretty rare to see on youtube.
There are so many videos to find on how two write compelling characters, worldbuilding etc. But I love it when you do videos on the writing part and not just the outlining part. Videos like this one.
Love all your writing tips...YOU are a legend in your own lifetime!
I'd argue tho that a symbol can be static if the reader needs to be shown that something is static without the character realizing. Like a character thinking they are making progress but that one tree is still just as ominous (in particular if the POV character is an unreliable narrator)
I can think of three things that are symbols in my WIP: The moon, symbolizing my MMC’s path toward redemption; the color red, representing his bitterness towards his youth; and my FMC’s rag doll rabbit, representing her youthful fears.
Shaelin, I would definitely like to see a more detailed video on symbolism. I love the power of symbols in literature. As for incorporating symbolism into my writing, I write the first draft of a story and begin to analyze it. Often times, there is already an object that could be interpreted as a symbol. I believe that symbolism should not be thrown into a reader’s mind. As a writer, my responsibility to craft the story and allow readers to interpret its deep meaning. I am very grateful for words. Through words, I express myself. Writing is my creative outlet. I recently wrote a poem, Wet Sunshine and a short story, The Christmas Party. Writing can be an arduous task, but it is my true passion. I love you
You were VERY well spoken in this episode, Shaelin. Great video.
Hi Shaelin :)
I would like a video about how to come up with novel ideas and how to develop them. I tend to have smaller ideas for short stories etc. but feel intimidated on how to come up with enought quality material for a whole novel...
And I'd love to hear about your poetry process (even if you think you don't know as much about it, I'd still love to hear your viewpoint on it!)
and in general, whenever you talk about your own writing it is hella inspiring.
have a lovely day
This is such a great and informative video. I like that you tell people how to incorporate symbolism in a naturalistic way. One of my favorite examples of good symbolism is in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Arkham is a symbol of Batman's own head, so when he goes into it to face The Joker etc it's like he's entering his own subconscious mind. Arkham becomes more dangerous as the story develops too.
Excellent video. I think we might have different goals/tastes due to genre/form, but I really relate to your thought process and agree with everything you’re saying here. Great guard rails to keep in mind
Definitely agree on the last point. Symbolism feels very implicit, rather than explicit
Just discovered your videos. Good work. Thank you for sharing.
It would be great if you could review some of your old videos on craft and talk about how your views have evolved since then.
Great job. 💗
Hello!
Thank you so much for the tips! This was really helpful for me to improve my writing!
Happy to help :D
Your channel is everything to meee
I mostly watch videos like this while procrastinating but this one is actually so good in explaining symbolism. Saying that a symbol is one half of a metaphor and both parts have to change together in order for the symbol to be powerful is brilliant.
Also I always feel a bit attacked when people bring up the blue curtain thing since almost evrything in my poems and stories has a deeper meaning and I'd be pissed if someone said no interpretation needed, it's just a color. Lmao.
Your voice is so soothing
For writing tips I'd love a video on basic formatting. How to place dialogue, when to indent, etc. Maybe you've already done one...
I think it'd be great if you did a video on motif after this to help new writers along in their understanding of the craft. Cheers!
Ah motif, I hadn't even considered that, good one!
ShaelinWrites - this makes sense to me. Do NOT approach Symbol in a formulaic manner! I remember reading a piece written by someone long, long ago, and in it, he has a dream, then explains every symbol. It does not work. {"Could it be that the drifting canoe represented my feelings toward Mary Lou?"} Anyway, thanks for another good video, Sister.
I think you have already done it but another video on submitting short stories to magazines, the whole process and your experiences and tips, would be great! Also, great video on symbolism, i really liked the "symbols should have movement" part! As always, I learned a lot. Thank you
I'm not sure I've got much else to say on that one, unfortunately! It's not too complicated a process and I think I covered all I've got to say. Thank you!
Thanks for the video Shaelin! Any ideas how I could incorporate a persons obsession with material gain using symbolism? I started writing today after 12 years of nothing so I'm struggling to write.
PS My favourite example of symbolism is in the movie Parasite - They use the scholar stone to symbolise the protagonists relentless desire to ascend the class divide. I'm sure there's a video analysis somewhere on YT...
My favourite use of symbolism is the handkerchief in memoirs of a geisha, and also Muhammad’s marble in the beekeeper of Aleppo
You could make a video about specificity and how you integrate it into your stories
I would love to see a video on first chapters. Awesome video btw!
I've got one on novel openings + inciting incidents already!
Shaelin, the world is vast but the universe even more, and may i say you're inspiring. I haven't figured out why, yet! I write over my paranormal experiences, its the most amazing world, but writing in the first person as it occurs in its context, is puzzling. for instance a vision occur experiencing the reality. I prefer the words latency than foresight, but reader are not getting the meaning. likewise the notion of of an unconscious exertion on our physical being, the word transcendent rather implies we are send than receive to being a cosmic notion, of being puppeteered by our proper force of volition.
it would be interesting learning about your writers arc,
I think you can have a symbol for death or another larger idea if it adds to a specific theme of the story
There are circumstances where it's appropriate for characters to be aware of important symbols in the story. I'm thinking of the John Boorman movie Excalibur where characters do comment on the symbolism (although they do so obliquely). Merlin says "The land and the king are one," and throughout the movie the environment changes with changes in Arthur's physical and spiritual state.
What makes it effective in Excalibur is that people in that setting have different symbols and a much different perspective than people have in the modern world. People literally believe that the fate of the king is tied to the nation in a metaphysical way.
You could say: well, at that point it's no longer a symbol, it's just how the world works in that setting. But in the context of the story it feels a lot like symbolism.
If you're writing SF and fantasy there >should> be some symbols that the characters recognize, that mean different things to them than they might to us. These details are part of good worldbuilding.
Would symbolism be the meaning behind a characters name?
Perhaps an evil mage turned the sister into the tree. I love your craft videos too.
Craft: I'd like to see something about the development of an idea from nothing to the first draft. It seems to me that there are lots of craft-orientated tutorials about what happens after the first draft but next to nothing about where ideas come from, when do you know the idea is good enough to develop it, what has to be established before you begin your first draft, if you have piles of writing studies, how are they brought together to form the basis of a story?
You get bonus points if you can do it without metaphors like "move".
I've got a video on this topic! It's called 'how to turn your idea into a book'
How do you structure action?
What if I have a bunch of good symbols for a complex feeling (maybe a bit melodramatic but not too heavy handed), but I have no story to fit them in?
Underrated.
Subbed.
suggestion for craft videos - writing dialogue!
It's something I often struggle with. I know the characters voice, but often they don't come across how I want them to on the page.
I've got one already! :D
@@ShaelinWrites AHH COOL!! I'm new to ur channel sorry for not checking!! :D
My Reedsy developmental editor will be taking on my first novel in two weeks and I'll be starting my second novel soon. Two of my main characters will be ages 19-21 young ladies; I am 61 year old dude, could you recommend book(s) which present young female dialog from a very authentic place?
Hey Shaelin, could you do another Q&A? Love your videos :D
A good way to think of it is symbols are characters too, and need a story?
@ShaelinWrites have you read "Consider This" - Chuck Palahniuk?
There are so many topics your videos have touched on that he talks about in the book. I think you'd really like it. He seems to agree with you in that the symbol should be specific to the story. Recommended.
Great video!
I actually haven't, but now I want to!
more line editing vids! maybe some content editing vids? i would REALLY love at least one video on what you talked about somewhat recently, regarding logic within the narrative ("her hand wouldn't be able to reach to that branch if she..." etc. if that makes sense)
I watch all your videos, and know you have helped with my writing so much. I've been writing so much recently, my fir wip is 100k and well on it's way to being the 1st of a series. I'd like to hear a video on symbolism again, and expand on what sorts of things are typical to symbolise. Death, safety etc are classic, but what else about a character or plot arc could be encapsulated in this way? #ShaelinWrites
Great video!!!!!!!! Also, you should do a worldbuilding series or video, since you write (or at least you used to) fantasy and stuff!!!!!!
Thank you! Though to be honest I think I'll shy away from worldbuilding, even though I have written fantasy I really wasn't good at it, and worldbuildng is probably one of my weakest points as a writer.
@@ShaelinWrites that's ok, everyone had their weak points. for example, i'm HORRIBLE at refining my prose and my metaphors and stuff like that. I always have to do like 5 line-editing rounds 😳😅😔
Hi I like your videos🎉 I am a first year university student in Canada. This year we start to learn literature:) It’s very hard for me to analyze the short story’s. We learn the setting characters metaphor point of view….. however, I don’t know how to use it to analyze the story. I should see how to make a connection with the thesis statement/ themes… Can you start to make more videos about analysis literature? Also, could you please suggest some books about analysis fictions? Thank you very much ❤
How write a complex series?
Please, this topic!
I think that there's no harm in doing another video on a topic that you already covered. You're wiser now than what you were back then, so the insight is not going to be the same. You can reference the previous video, and take a different direction on the new video! No need to talk about something new every time :)
we need an updated version. probably with examples.
PLEASE make a playlist of all the craft videos you’ve made. It’ll help me out a lot, and also other new subscribers. 😁
I have one already! It's called 'writing tips,' there's a link in the description of this video :D
10:56 This is where the really good part starts.
I was wondering if you could make a video on 'genre', the identifiers of a certain genre and what to keep in mind when writing in a specific genre. Brandon Sanderson, for example, said that certain genres can contain more twists (mystery/thriller) but there are genres less suited for this (adventure/ travel type genres). Also the 'kind' of twists are different in genres (detective genre: subverting expectations, misleading the reader, etc. goal/suspect changes vs. Adventure: usually just betrayal, but the goal/destination remains the same). I thought it'd be really interesting if someone could talk about this more in-depth. ^^
hey! make a video about metaphors!
Symbolism can also be actions, and those are (arguably) easier to put into a written story. Perhaps the main character just washes his hands. At the start of the story he simply washes his hands while talking in a scene at his home and its very natural and expected. Later we see him expressly bringing some wet naps with him, and using them after some incredibly minor thing, which helps emphasize how important the clean hands are to him. Then around the story's climax, his hands get dirty, just before he is supposed to do something important. He looks at his hands, and he doesn't bother stopping to wash, he goes in to save the day even with dirty hands.
So what does the hand-washing represent? If you try to come up with something like "his feelings towards X" or "his need for order and cleanliness" then you're looking too hard. They were just a simple symbol of himself and his character. As the story progressed, his character changed, and so his behavior changed. The fact that he valued the other thing he needed to do above washing his hands made it become a good symbol of his change and growth at the climax of the story. Instead of having some long internal monologue where he reviews key moments that led him to that point, we can have that one act symbolically remind us that he has made a change.
Symbols don't need to be grand. They work best when people don't consciously see them as symbols but just pick up the fact that thing as some sort of value.
How about craft notes on suspense?
Could we possibly see some tips on writing flashbacks in short stories?
Yes, I’d like to know more about “open loops” in books. Most info on them refer to copywriting and TV programs. But Michael Anderle spoke briefly about them on videos for 20Book Vegas. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around them.
I've actually never heard that term before? I'll have to look into it, it sounds interesting!
ShaelinWrites Michael Anderle starts talking about them at the 23:00 mark here ua-cam.com/video/NHgcy3dVZVM/v-deo.html
And 23:50 here ua-cam.com/video/91JZluibZb0/v-deo.html
Please talk about writing style.
Maybe a video on atmosphere would be helpful? Or provoking fear in the readers? Or how to write a romantic relationship without it being cheesy? Great video as always!
I've got one on atmosphere! Fear and romance are both great topics though, thanks!
You ever see that new movie Parasite? I haven't, but Lessons From the Screenplay did a real interesting video on it. The movie basically did everything you just said was too heavy handed, but at the same time, the movie got super beloved super fast. Maybe it's the symbol's real involvement in the plot and character motivations that made it stand out?
So you said a symbol shouldn't be something that can be seen without the symbol, but your example with the tree does this doesn't it?
great video
please make more
Symbolism can be tricky. I try to use it in a way that sounds natural. Better to not force it, or it will feel contrived to the reader.
Is your author name your name or do you use a pen name?
Some of the critics I have read get pretty far out in identifying symbols in a story. In James Joyce's "The Dead" one critic said maybe Gabriel represented the Three Wise Men. That seems like quite a reach to me. I recently put a symbol in a story I am writing. I'm afraid it is heavy handed, but I still think the symbol works to enhance the story. I'll have to think about it. My symbol also drops out of the story only to reappear at the very end. I'll have to carefully consider if this symbol of mine really does help the story.
Very good mam ❤️❤️❤️🌹💐
This is late but if you’re still looking for video ideas, I’d love one about scene structure, as this is still something I’m struggling with in my developmental edits, particularly how to successfully split up a scene/sequel sequence across two chapters.
This is a great topic, I'll try to cover it sometime!
@@ShaelinWrites Excellent! If you do, could you address nested sequences? For example, I have a Goal that's interrupted by another Goal, so the original Goal's Outcome is deferred to the next chapter while dealing with the second Goal's own sequence.
Sorry for the unrelated question, I tried to ask you on Tumblr but for some reason the option was unavailable.
Do you have a list of your published stories somewhere? On your website or your Tumblr blog or somewhere else? I think it will be useful for those of us who want to follow your writing career.
I have them listed in my bio but I only have a few so it's not too difficult to track them down, but:
"Symbiosis" in Meat For Tea, Vol. 11, Issue. 3 (this is super old)
"I Will Never Tell You This" in The Puritan, issue 45 (online)
"Barefoot" in The Fiddlehead, issue 282 (print only)
"Wishbone" in PRISM international, 58.2 (forthcoming)
I think most of this info is also on my tumblr under the short stories tab!
@@ShaelinWrites Thank you so much!
@@ShaelinWrites I had just read "I will never tell you this" and FOR GOD SAKE, girl; your writing is DOPE...
I am really a man of dirty realism so I don't use to like details: but you really got a way of expressing through the words. Plus it's really show a girl that see through things: as you weren't; were you?... I mean it's got a depth and a wealth that are hard to assimilate... Also the way the story is told is like really really well done... The complexity of the characters, I had a friend his name's David (and in a few words you showed me more than in a lot of conversations)... And also, you are amusing; looking forward to see more... (but not insufferable: just enough to make the reading the reading a bir shorter... and more pleasant...)
Topic idea I'd be interested in: What makes a good ending?
That's one I'd love to do!
@@ShaelinWrites Awesome! :)
What about how to write a conversation? How to Express emotions? How to make (so on)
Can a person be a symbol? Just wondering.
Can you provide the list of books behind you
Haha that would be a massive list, you can check out my Goodreads if you want to see a log of all the books I've read
@@ShaelinWrites thank you I will check the playlist , i said that because I see your video for first time and i was not aware about that which kind of content you upload, by the way thanks again for the review of books because it helps viewers lot to which book read and which not as per their choice.
watching this while doing a test
for the love of wordy gods, how do you developmental edits without getting B E Y O N D overwhelmed
I've never related as much to a comment as I do this one
lol inb4 my prof wants me to specifically include a clear symbol in the first draft of the story...
Blue Curtains vs. Yellow Wallpaper
Is symbolism the same as tone?
Nope, they are not really the same at all!
@@ShaelinWrites Thanks. I always get those two confused 😅