Symbolism in Writing

As a follow up to last week’s blog on the moon, I wanted to write a bit today about symbols overall in writing. I know they aren’t always easily noticeable but I happen to love symbols and other meanings in the books I read and write, mostly because I feel like they add some sort of depth to our stories. The same goes for names of characters, which seems to be another area we authors spend a lot of time on. And this is with good reason. Each book is created with blood, sweat and tears (okay so I’m being a bit dramatic) and the characters within them are our “babies.” Having had a baby recently, I know that a lot of thought goes into those names as they must be just right. Most of us don’t want a name that will make our kid a pariah for years to come—and I stress most of us.

Okay, so back to the symbols. What exactly am I talking about? Well, it could be as blatant as in The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown where the main characters are looking for further meaning or as mysteriously symbolic as George Orwell’s Animal Farm, which was completely not what I expected at the time I read it (I also might have been a bit young to understand some of the concepts behind it).

My own release of Blood Eternal brings to the table more symbolism and I have to admit I’m interested to see if readers and reviewers will understand it. I’m not sure I planned it when I started writing the book, but I am Catholic and my background is a part of who I am and how I was raised so somehow glimpses of it seem to end up in my stories. This knowledge makes me wonder if a lot of symbolism and hidden meanings we discover were implanted there on purpose or more of a result of who we are. Perhaps both? What do you all think?

Happy Writing this week!

Filed under: Toni Kelly, What inspires you?, Writer's Life, Writing Topics