More On Using Literary Symbols

In the previous article on literary symbols, I pointed out that one advantage of symbolism is that it allows the fiction writer to say a lot with a little.

For example, a simple, symbolic description of storm clouds rolling in will probably take a paragraph or two, whereas a description of everything going on inside a boy's heart and head after his girlfriend has just dumped him will take much longer.

So go with the shorter version.

• But symbolism is not just about enabling a writer to say the same thing more concisely.
• It is about allowing them to say something more effectively.

All good novels require input from readers. If everything is spelt out for the audience and nothing is left to the imagination, reading becomes a passive exercise.

But if readers are required to interpret and read between the lines and fill in the gaps, reading becomes far more active.

That is why writers use literary symbols.

• An analytical, psychological essay describing everything a boy feels after he has loved and lost might well move the readers, but it will leave little to their imaginations.
• A sensory description of dark skies and rain-streaked window panes will invite them to compare the weather outside with the boy's feelings inside.

Moreover, because everything is not being spelt out for them, they will be forced to remember how they felt when they were young and broken-hearted, and their memories will likely have a far more powerful effect on them than a piece of writing that might have come straight from a psychology textbook.

Am I saying that every time you want to describe what a character is feeling inside, you should abandon the description and focus on the weather or nature or some other literary symbol of the character's suffering?

Absolutely not.

Using symbolism is simply another option to consider...

• Sometimes you might describe the character's feelings literally.
• Sometimes you might describe them symbolically (by describing the weather instead, for example, and letting the readers make the connection).
• And sometimes you will want to combine the two.

My job is to let you know all of the options open to a writer. How you use and combine those options is up to you.

Where Should You Use Literary Symbols?

There is a huge danger, in my opinion, of overusing literary symbolism, or of being too ambitious with it. Take the Lord of the Flies example I mentioned at the beginning of the previous article (What Is Symbolism)...

If you make your setting symbolize the Garden of Eden, and if each of your principal characters symbolize a universal human trait - goodness, evil, wisdom - it is easy to end up with an allegorical novel, a form most modern readers would not be comfortable with.

• If you are a genius like William Golding (or aspire to be), go for it - you might well produce the next twenty-first century classic.
• Similarly, if you have an idea for a novel along the lines of George Orwell's Animal Farm or C. S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles, feel free to lay on the symbolism with a trowel.
• If your ambitions are a little more down-to-earth, however (and that includes 99.9% of us), take my advice and adopt a more naturalistic, subtle approach to symbolism.

Fine. But what about some specific applications for using symbolism?

In the uncut version of this article, I give you precisely that. More specifically, I show you how to...

• Symbolize a character's goals.
• Symbolize a character's feelings.
• Use symbolism as a form of suggestion.

And that's not all...

Also in the full article, I talk in detail about an advantage of symbolism that I haven't mentioned here: the fact that it is a great way of injecting pace into your novel.

You can read my Complete Guide to Symbolism in the downloadable Ultimate Novel Writing Manual.