TROOPER: Glory to the Empire and to this video’s sponsor campfire blaze!
Wow.
Look at that big pile of burning pencils.
Wonder what’s that about?
Oh well.
No time to worry about that when I have to teach writers how to add Symbolism, Themes,
and Motifs to their stories!
Inner Critic: Yes!
At long last.
I’ve waited for this episode!
I have so many notes and insights to…
Oh no.
Out you go inner critic.
If I let you into this episode, the whole video will be filled with endless walls of
text that no one has time to read.
Inner Critic: But!
Nope.
Go back to nitpicking on Goodreads or something.
Huh.
I just banished the personification of my inner critic without even listening to his
suggestions.
Wonder what that’s about?
Now as I was saying, symbolism, themes, and motifs are a great tool for a writer to master
as they can add depth, nuance, and flavor to an otherwise bland story.
And much like any tool in the writer’s tool shed, Terrible Writing Advice is here to teach
aspiring authors how to take these highly specific and delicate tools and use them with
the same grace and skill as a hammer being used on porcelain.
Let’s start with symbolism.
Symbolism, in case you fell asleep in literature class like did, is when an element in a story
is used to stand for or to represent something else.
For example, while a balance scale is used to measure the weight of items, it is also
used a symbol for justice as both must be slowly balanced with care to work right.
A sword can be more than just a weapon, but also become a symbol of romantic ideals.
Roses can be a symbol for love in that both are beautiful but can hurt if handled incorrectly
with their thorns.
Does this mean that employing symbolism is in fact a very careful and thought out process
that requires research and careful execution?
No!
Of course not!
Time spent researching and understanding is time better spent thinking about how future
generations of literary elites will be praising the depth and complexity of my deep symbols
that took a whole google search to find.
Did I settle on symbols that resonate with the story’s tone, plot, and theme?
Well no, but I did pick symbols that looked really cool!
Symbols can be selected carelessly and without worry about backfiring.
That Yin-Yang Symbol looks really cool so I’ll just borrow that for my story that
has absolutely no dualism in it at all.
See the best way to pick symbols is by how exotic they are rather than their relevance!
What does all of this east-Asian mysticism stuff mean?
Who cares?
It looks cool so in it goes!
It doesn’t matter that I totally misunderstand what it means and that the symbol’s actual
meaning goes against the central message of the story.
Besides, the main reason to use symbols isn’t to explore a deeper idea, but to instead show
off to the world how super smart I am!
And you know what makes a writer look really smart?
Using lots of symbolism!
Be sure to keep packing more and more symbolism into the story without worry that the over
abundance of symbolism will dilute the impact of each symbol individually faster than you
can say “law of diminishing returns”.
Just keeping piling on symbolism until it drowns out the plot and characters because
telling a good story should always be secondary over letting the world know how smart I am
because I read up on Norse mythology on Wikipedia.
Now that we have our symbolism picked out, how does a writer implement those symbols?
Should I use this symbol sparingly and in the background without drawing too much attention
away from the story’s characterization and plot?
Or maybe I should find a way to implement the symbolism organically by blending it into
the scenery or descriptions.
Maybe even describe the symbol through the lens of the character thus adding a layer
of meaning and characterization at the same time?
Nah.
If I do that then there is a chance that the audience will miss it and thus I will lose
out on a prime opportunity to show off my galaxy brain in action.
Better to be blunt with symbolism.
In fact, make sure to have the story come to a screeching halt just so one of the characters
can explain exactly what each symbol means to the audience.
Nothing like wielding authorial intent in authoritarian way.
This is necessary because, since I have a triple digit IQ, there is no way that the
audience will have any hope of deciphering the meaning of my super complex symbolism
unless I explained it to them like brain dead zombies I imagine them to be.
I know.
It’s tough being a super brilliant, incredibility attractive, and extremely humble writer celebrity,
but sometimes we just have to sacrifice the story’s flow so I can show the world just
how intelligent I am.
Now what if I am so super smart that I want to use the same symbol over and over again?
Well then it becomes a motif.
A motif is is a repeating element, symbol, or idea that occurs over and over again.
Like a garden that two characters keep meeting in and each time they do their relationship
grows.
Or a loner character with a wolf motif.
Or even something as simple as an assassin who is always washing their hands after each
job.
Were as symbols can express an idea, motifs can reinforce that idea through repetition.
Character motifs in particular are great because a skilled writer will use motifs to completely
supersede the character of said character.
Just create a character from a broad archetype and then slap a motif on them.
Done!
If anyone complains then just give the character some sob story background.
Much like symbolism, motifs can be used as much as the writer wants without worry of
how little sense it makes that my wall clock motif somehow followed my characters into
the open desert.
Don’t naturally blend motifs into the background or into characterization.
They should be front and center drawing away focus from less important things like believability
and consistency.
Why blend symbolism and motifs into the background when they can blend everything else into the
background.
A writer isn’t dong their job right unless the audience's willing suspension of disbelief
is constantly shattered so the writer can brag about how clever their literary and mythological
allusions are.
Although I’ve added excessive and largely pointless symbolism and used motifs to turn
my characters into walking English class notes rather than a compelling cast, what more can
I do to prove to everyone that my literary genius is unrivaled in the annals of the classics?
I know.
I need to introduce story themes!
A theme can be as simple as revenge or betrayal.
It can also express a more complex idea like the opposite of love isn’t hate, but apathy,
war makes monsters out of good people, or even something like everyone who disagrees
with my extremely self-contradictory pseudo-philosophy is literately Hitler.
Themes are very useful for organizing a work because when unsure about adding a new element
to the story it becomes easy for a writer to ask whether or not that element meshes
with the theme.
But since that requires a basic level of introspection and thought, the far superior method of implementing
a theme is to use it like a hammer on the story’s plot and characterization, smashing
them both into pieces so they can fit within the theme rather than adapting the theme to
fit in the story.
Rather than have a theme underlay the foundation of the story, giving strength to support the
overall structure, instead have the theme plow through the story’s walls like a bulldozer.
No point in having a theme that works in harmony with the story when they can instead fight
each other for parking.
It is possible for themes to develop during the writing process rather than being planned
ahead of time.
Having a theme emerge organically within a work and then honing that theme over subsequent
revisions won’t work because a true auteur would never allow their work be tarnished
by a filthy editor and their irrational mandates to ‘stop acting like a pseudo-intellectual
poser with delusions of grandeur’.
Once we have our theme the best way to expound upon it is to prattle on and on about it for
pages on end.
Remember, we don’t want any of the lesser intellects in the audience to miss my deep
and complex theme of ‘the good guys win’.
Better to beat the audience over the head with the theme rather than risk a chance to
miss displaying my cerebral might.
It helps to remember that when it comes to themes, symbolism, and motifs it’s always
best to be as pretentious as possible.
But if all of this ‘themes and symbolism’ stuff sounds too hard, then don’t sweat
it because at the end of the day most people just want a good story, not a literary analysis.
Which is the completely wrong attitude to have!
How else will I show the world how smart I am?
Man I keep bringing up my need to assert my presumed superior intelligence throughout
this video.
Wonder what that’s about?
EVIL EMPEROR: Invincible forces of the Empire!
Our time has come.
At long last we shall take the source of the sponsors and have unlimited power!
None shall stand in our way as we conquer the entire TWA expanded universe!
But before that, I’ve been hearing some complaints that need to address.
For example, several officers have told me about the chewing gum being stuck on the drop
ship ramps.
We are not conquering a single planet until those ramps are nice and clean.
Also the barracks staff has brought to my attention the lack of cleaning and care.
I know we are all very busy crushing the foolish dreams of freedom of the rebels, but can tyranny
without cleanness even be called tyranny?
Further more…
Oh hang on.
HEADBAND REBEL: We need a distraction so we can sneak past.
EVIL AI: I got this guys.
EVIL EMPEROR: Hello?
AI: Hello sir or maam, I am not a robot.
EVIL EMPEROR: That’s oddly specific.
AI: I am calling from the dealership.
Your extended vehicle warranty is about to expire.
EVIL EMPEROR: It is?
I didn't even know my doom station had a warranty?
AI: If you don’t act quickly then your investment will not have a warranty at all!
EVIL EMPEROR: Oh no!
How can I stop this terrible thing that I don’t fully understand?
AI: Um.
I’ll need your bank account number.
EVIL EMPEROR: Well of course!
AI: Um… and also your social security number… for like security reasons or something.
EVIL EMPEROR: That sounds perfectly reasonable.
AI: And um… well why I have you here would you also be interested in this video’s sponsor
Campfire Blaze?
Campfire Blaze is a browser based writing organization tool to help novel writers, screen
writers, dungeon masters, and self aware sapient machine intelligences to keep organized with
plots and timelines to help keep track of the story’s flow.
Multiple users can collaborate and coordinate in real time for cooperative projects like
for tabletop gaming, multi author books, or shared universes.
It has a host of other tools like a word processor, character sheets, character arcs, relationship
details, and even tools to flesh out magic systems, languages, and artifacts.
Try the free version or build your own subscription by choosing only the modules you need by going
to bit.ly/TWA3-21.
TWA fans can also use the coupon code TWA21 at checkout to receive 20% of all lifetime
purchases of Blaze modules!
Link is in the description below.
HEADBAND REBEL: Hey.
Spambot.
We found it.
The source is locked away in Mega Corp’s vaults.
Something called Project IG.
Now we just need to jump on a ship and get there first.
EVIL EMPEROR: Wait.
That’s my sponsor!
Drat!
Commander.
Ready the fleet.
We must make haste to Mega Corps vault before the others get there!