tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post8632776992726690937..comments2023-08-27T04:22:55.468-07:00Comments on The Literary Lab: Symbols and StoriesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-65150490839428456792012-08-18T12:43:40.740-07:002012-08-18T12:43:40.740-07:00Confusion is a great tool for getting the logical,...Confusion is a great tool for getting the logical, conscious mind out of the way so the real driver, the subconscious can play (be accessed more fully). Chakra Vickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09407774517685681914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-50843736004678181452009-05-18T07:31:00.000-07:002009-05-18T07:31:00.000-07:00*Phew* I just read 37 comments, because I'm always...*Phew* I just read 37 comments, because I'm always interested in what others think. Geesh! Curse my curiosity! Then again, this was a really helpful post. I'm going to take notes too. I never really thought much about symbolism, but I have to admit I do love to read it. I'll give it a shot. :)Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14782956337191738513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-37699027029335669892009-05-17T15:32:00.000-07:002009-05-17T15:32:00.000-07:00Symbolism is important and it's the best when it c...Symbolism is important and it's the best when it comes out unplanned and just happens.<br /><br />Good breakdown. I especially liked "His head was a football."<br /><br />Thanks! : )Suzanne Casamentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08306151428658707692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-79842627155235609402009-05-16T10:00:00.000-07:002009-05-16T10:00:00.000-07:00I found this post very interesting Scott. I love u...I found this post very interesting Scott. I love using symbolism in my writing; my challenge is to make it invisible so that the story flows easily through all those layers (languages) you spoke of.Judy Croome | @judy_croomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17455755011354905278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-88135190758380471342009-05-16T03:57:00.000-07:002009-05-16T03:57:00.000-07:00"Symbolism is sort of a magic trick that allows yo..."Symbolism is sort of a magic trick that allows you to tell the story in several languages at once"<br /><br />I love this sentence.Dollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08144739453424963436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-47678659461523035822009-05-15T20:16:00.000-07:002009-05-15T20:16:00.000-07:00This is a really helpful explanation of the differ...This is a really helpful explanation of the differences. I am a fan of the simile. Therefore, I love many cliches, not all, but many. I often invent my own. I am learning to edit them out of my final draft even though I'd rather keep them.dellgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04620967832227857674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-20736212381019784772009-05-15T18:08:00.000-07:002009-05-15T18:08:00.000-07:00Thanks Scott. :) Educational and entertaining. Ali...Thanks Scott. :) Educational and entertaining. Alice Hoffman stone and feathered my world in Skylight Confessions. Symbolism all over the place but it was lovely. <br /><br />And thanks for stopping by my blog and for the kinds words.kahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10789825860272178765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-63824080079490792192009-05-15T17:13:00.000-07:002009-05-15T17:13:00.000-07:00KLo: All children except my nieces frighten me. Bu...KLo: All children except my nieces frighten me. But I hopefully speak for the three of us when I say that if something at the Literary Lab would be helpful in a classroom, feel free to use it. Unless you were just being polite, in which case I'll thank you not to disabuse me.scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-35539542859841461212009-05-15T16:33:00.000-07:002009-05-15T16:33:00.000-07:00Want to come give my ninth graders a crash course ...Want to come give my ninth graders a crash course : ) ?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13955854427063032485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-67289715079737599382009-05-15T16:00:00.000-07:002009-05-15T16:00:00.000-07:00Scott, I look forward to hearing your thoughts abo...Scott, I look forward to hearing your thoughts about it. :)Michelle D. Argylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09696465137285587646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-31699304506373272842009-05-15T15:48:00.000-07:002009-05-15T15:48:00.000-07:00Michelle: I fight constant battles with myself abo...Michelle: I fight constant battles with myself about how much to tell the reader, never knowing if I've reinforced ideas too much or not enough. I've decided to assume that my readers are at least as smart as I am, so I tend towards subletly these days.<br /><br />Finding symbols that actually work, and not mixing them up or using them inconsistantly is tricky. In a scene I'm editing now, I wanted to have a heron fly overhead, until I realized that in two other scenes, herons sort of herald one type of action, and this scene had none of that. I like unity in my books, so I had to come up with a different bird. It's a little thing, but it all adds up, I think.<br /><br />I have a thought about the opening image of "Monarch." I'll tell it to you elsewhere, though.scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-4253480204076356572009-05-15T15:14:00.000-07:002009-05-15T15:14:00.000-07:00Good reminders. These things can add texture to ou...Good reminders. These things can add texture to our work - but, overdone, they can make it trite. It's walking that fine line that can be so difficult.Tesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10014195715998913268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-4303973677698202622009-05-15T14:55:00.000-07:002009-05-15T14:55:00.000-07:00Mariah:That's one of my favorite symbols in classi...<B>Mariah:</B>That's one of my favorite symbols in classic literature.<br /><br /><B>Jill:</B>As Davin says, I don't think similes are bad. Nobody seems to have banished them from the English writing world that I know of. They're just easy targets for cliches. I've found that the more and more I write the less similes I use. I often go back in later drafts and change many similes to metaphors, or get rid of them altogether. They can help me in initial drafts to help me visualize the world I'm writing.Michelle D. Argylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09696465137285587646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-77386453750967949192009-05-15T14:52:00.000-07:002009-05-15T14:52:00.000-07:00Scott, this is a great post, thank you. I have oft...Scott, this is a great post, thank you. I have often thought this is what sets apart my writing from the "commercial" themes I choose - if that makes any sense. Many readers don't think to look for deep symbols amidst explosions and double-crossed spies.<br /><br />My problem is that I either make the symbolism too obvious or too subtle. Subtle is okay if it ends up adding that extra layer more careful readers pick up on. But it's not working in my later writing and I can't seem to figure out what the problem is. Your post has helped, though, as I can now see that the main issues lie within my flawed symbolism.Michelle D. Argylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09696465137285587646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-28935468440566422712009-05-15T14:17:00.000-07:002009-05-15T14:17:00.000-07:00Mariah: Yes, that's just the storm I meant. Strong...Mariah: Yes, that's just the storm I meant. Strong images and foreshadowing all through that book.<br /><br />Jill: A good simile is hard to find (didn't Flannery O'Connor say that?), but if you come up with something that's both original and actually appropriate, use it!<br /><br />Robyn: Layers of images and symbols, if done well, add to the story without drawing attention away from it.<br /><br />In "Little Red Riding Hood," imagine that the wolf isn't just a wolf, but a representation of hunger. Red goes to visit her grandmother (with food) but she's already starved. The huntsman, a provider of food, symbolically slays the wolf because by hunting, he defeats hunger. Then again, there are other interpretations of that story. I try not to think about the Freudian ones.scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-55119974989780244932009-05-15T14:15:00.000-07:002009-05-15T14:15:00.000-07:00I plead the fifth.I plead the fifth.Rick Daleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173516899130463413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-84877763569851086062009-05-15T14:08:00.000-07:002009-05-15T14:08:00.000-07:00No, it should be "they each knew their goose was c...No, it should be "they each knew their goose was cooked." Work every time.scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-33482676476038557662009-05-15T13:37:00.000-07:002009-05-15T13:37:00.000-07:00Should it be "geese were cooked"?Should it be "geese were cooked"?Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-27096081968239193692009-05-15T13:25:00.000-07:002009-05-15T13:25:00.000-07:00The two warriors squared off, weapons ready. Both...The two warriors squared off, weapons ready. Both had struck a blow, but neither drew blood.<br /><br />The tension in the air cast a cloud over the sunny day as the opponents prepared for another round. Neither wanted to chicken out, even though they both knew their goose was cooked.Rick Daleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173516899130463413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-80209894044880395742009-05-15T13:21:00.000-07:002009-05-15T13:21:00.000-07:00I love symbols! I don't always write them on purp...I love symbols! I don't always write them on purpose, though, because it feels too forced.<br /><br />Another symbol I found in Jane Eyre is when the chestnut tree is struck by lightning and split in two. The very tree where Rochester proposed to Jane. Yeah, I'm obsessed.Mariah Irvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15181111151756005743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-86146970115301298322009-05-15T12:51:00.000-07:002009-05-15T12:51:00.000-07:00Great double entendre in your comment to Justus! H...Great double entendre in your comment to Justus! Heehee! You two are too much. Ambo homines literarum et iocorum estis.lotusgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06663641163048764869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-79322686936781657522009-05-15T12:48:00.000-07:002009-05-15T12:48:00.000-07:00Scott: Let me too write something insane:
Scott ...Scott: Let me too write something insane: <br /><br />Scott took a gander at his goosey rival. Goosebumps rose on his forearms, reminding him of his favorite author, R.L. Stein (and friends). "Git on outta chere, ya foul fowl." <br /><br />The goose laughed, as much as a goose can laugh, and said, as much as a goose can say, "You're just a big chicken, ya dog. And I spank chickens and sneeze at dogs." <br /><br />Scott roared with laughter and slapped his leg. "It's 'bout time ya wise up, poultry face, to the plan poetical truth 'round these parts; chickens for eatin', ducks for beatin', but geese, well they's for knowin'."<br /><br />The goose died. <br /><br />Scott shook his head and chuckled. 'Work every time.'Bowmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11031226145526664876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-69167466833300909462009-05-15T12:27:00.000-07:002009-05-15T12:27:00.000-07:00I don't use symbolism, because I think that takes ...I don't use symbolism, because I think that takes away from the story and puts more emphasis on the writer. If I said that right. :)Robyn Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17356555082768185840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-71487092727697304112009-05-15T12:02:00.000-07:002009-05-15T12:02:00.000-07:00Justus: I think what you really mean is this:
Bow...Justus: I think what you really mean is this:<br /><br /><I>Bowman looked up at his nemesis. He had tasted defeat in the past. It tasted like chicken, and while he liked chicken, he did not like defeat. He spat to get the taste of chicken out of his mouth.<br /><br />"Spit all you want," his nemesis said. "I still have beaten you."<br /><br />"No way," Bowman said. "Come back and I'll give you a lickin'."<br /><br />"You have already tasted defeat," the nemesis said.<br /><br />"Chicken!" Bowman cried.</I>scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-85217489334608764702009-05-15T12:00:00.000-07:002009-05-15T12:00:00.000-07:00I love symbols--it what attracts me most to both r...I love symbols--it what attracts me most to both reading and writing.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11431700962951592287noreply@blogger.com