How to Write about Rivers in Our Stories

JPC Allen invites you to join the adventure of writing with tips, prompts, and inspiration to share.

This is a repost for a few years ago. For the past nineteen years, we have lived across a road from a river and a creek that flows into it. The change that rivers bring to any locations make it a wonderful setting for almost any story. Below are some ideas and tips on how to write about rivers in our stories.

Crossing Rivers

Crossing rivers throughout history and literature is a sure sign of an irrevocable decision or event–Caesar crossing the Rubicon, the Israelites crossing the Jordan, the dead in Greek mythology crossing the River Styx. Once the river is crossed, there is no going back. (Fortunately, that hasn’t been the fate of my family. We cross back and forth all the time, but we’re not a future dictator, ancient Hebrews, or mythological characters.)

If a character is trying to leave the past behind, crossing a river can be sign of not looking back. Or the opposite can be true. A character crosses a river as a symbol of going to confront something from her past. 

A river can also be a symbol of an obstacle or barrier in the character’s life. When he crosses it, it means he can now conquer the situation.

Flowing Rivers

The flow of our river during different seasons brings all kinds of change with it. In the winter, when there’s a thaw, the river can rise many feet. In the summer, when it’s low, we never know what we might find. These changes can symbolize changes in the main character’s life. A suddenly high river or flooding river can symbolize danger or an overwhelming emotion. A low river can show that a character’s life is drying up, without vitality. 

I always find time spent on the river and creek, away from the routine demands of living, refreshing to my soul. So the river can be a refuge. When it isn’t flooding.

Rivers in Mysteries

A river is a very handy natural feature in mysteries. An unusually low river can reveal the body of a long-lost person. A fast river can sweep away evidence. In A Storm of Doubts, I used rising waters of a flooded creek to add drama to my climax and complicate a rescue.

.Here are more tips on how to explore settings in our stories.

How would you write about rivers in your stories? What book has used a river effectively?

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