| Writing Symbolism
Hello! This is Braveheart174 with another noob question in regards to writing fantasy.
After reading certain fantasy titles written by authors such as Christopher Paolini, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Anne Rice, I realize that one of the key ingredients to writing a good story is to include certain aspects of symbolism within it. When I mean by symbolism is not something such as hieroglyphics to some ancient civilization. Rather, the symbolism that describes the deeper emotion or state of being that characters feel, or the sense of foreshadow that characters are bound to encounter.
In Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire for example, Louis describes a moment in his life where he was staring at the fire in a hearth. This comes after he has turned 7-year old Claudia into a vampire, and is now in the realization of the horror he has committed. As Louis is staring into the hearth, he notices that the flame burns the log from the center before it engulfs it entirely. This seems a representation of Louis' state of being since Louis knows what crime he has done to Claudia, but is apt to tell her about it. Because of this, the truth begins to fester within Louis until it comes to the point where it destroys him from the inside.
This is the kind of symbolism that I would like to write. I have attempted to write such a form of symbolism in the past, but have only come up with scenes that are cliche to other works of writing.
Is there a book out there that teaches how to compose a passage that represents a person's state of being, or rather the atmosphere within a story? |