Unlock the Power of Motifs for a Compelling StoryA motif is a powerful literary technique you can use to captivate your audience through your story and make a strong thematic statement by the end. In this post, I give you the definition of a motif and examples, plus show you how to create effective motifs in your book, screenplay, or short story. Want to write an awesome story? Download my FREE outlining guide. What is a motif in writing?A motif is a recurring element in a story that plays a significant role in the story's overall message, or theme. Motifs can be abstract ideas, such as freedom or violence or guilt. However, they can also be physical parts of your story world, such as places, objects, colors, and sounds. What's the relationship between a story's theme and motifs?A story should have just one theme. The theme is the message the audience is left with after the story ends. For instance, "Hard work leads to success" may be the theme of a story. Though a story's theme can be explicitly stated in it, often it is not. Instead, the audience infers the theme from the resolution of the story events. For example, if a story is about a protagonist who works very hard and is successful at the end, "Hard work leads to success" is a natural takeaway the audience would have. On the other hand, let's say a protagonist works very hard, then is beaten out by a rival who cheats. "Hard work leads to success" would not be a message the audience would walk away with. Instead, the theme may be something like "Wiliness leads to success." A motif expresses a concept that's related to the theme, though is not the theme. A story can have multiple motifs - each would cover a facet of the larger theme. In the story with the "wiliness leads to success" theme, the following could be motifs:
This story may feature a protagonist who engages in "hard work," squaring off against a villain who employs "deception." Story events occur in "skyscrapers," corporate arenas of battle. Various characters drive "cars" of different price points, signifiers of their level of financial success. These four elements would surface multiple times through the story, in different ways, adding depth to the characters and plot while fortifying the impact of the theme. What a motif is notTo understand what a motif is, you should also know what it's not. Just because a certain element may show up multiple times in a story does not mean it's a motif. For instance, let's say you're telling a crime story with the theme "The legal system doesn't always deliver justice." The protagonist is a prosecutor. His sidekick is a junior lawyer who wears chintzy clothing and consistently tells funny stories about his disastrous dating life. Dating would not be a motif of this story, neither would the chintzy clothing. Though the sidekick's funny comments and outfits may provide consistent comic relief in an otherwise serious story, they're not tied into the broader message, "The legal system doesn't always deliver justice." On the other hand, here are some motifs a story like this could have:
Tips to create motifs in your story - with examplesI suggest you start by looking at the battle between your hero and villain. What's the main conflict in your story? What abstract idea does your protagonist embody? What about your antagonist? For example, if you're telling a sci-fi thriller, you may feature "the rebellious citizen" (the hero) versus "the oppressive ruler" (the villain). The abstract ideas rebellion and oppression would be natural motifs for a story like this. Next, ingrain the concept of rebellion into the parts of your story world your protagonist inhabits, and oppression into the areas where your villain operates. Are there places you can associate with rebellion? Possibly the protagonist and his allies meet in an underground bunker to strategize. Are there places you can associate with oppression? For example, maybe the villain's government spies on the population from a high-tech surveillance facility. Even further, are there objects, actions, images, or sounds you can tie to the ideas of rebellion and oppression? For example, to avert the omnipresent spy microphones around the city, the rebels develop a way to communicate with sophisticated codes. Whenever the oppressive government catches a citizen acting out of order, blinding lights shine down on him. This technique of associating an idea with a character, then extending that idea into the character's sphere in the physical story world, is not just reserved for your hero and villain. You can use it with other characters too. However, your hero and villain's conflict should closely tie into your theme, which makes motifs built around these two characters very straightforward. If you're going to create a motif around another character, be sure that character represents a concept linked to the theme. Symbols vs. motifsA symbol is another of the devices writers use. It's a specific element in your story that represents a specific idea. Often they are physical-item motifs themselves (or represent an abstract-idea motif). However, not all symbols have a direct connection to a story's theme, and not all symbols recur (requirements for motifs). Thus, a symbol can exist in a story completely outside the story's set of motifs. Tips for writing symbolic motifsIf a symbol does happen to be a motif, you can convey a lot of strong thematic information by showing the symbol change through the story. For instance, in the legal story we've been discussing, a mansion on a hill can represent the power of the wealthy. A young man who grew up there committed murder and now his family is wielding their clout to win the court case. Early in the story, after the alleged murderer's charges are announced, a swarm of reporters closes in on the mansion to interview the defendant. However, the press can't get past the imposing gate. Here, you'd be symbolically conveying, "Wealthy families are protected." Later in the story, after the verdict is announced - not guilty - people in town turn on the killer's family. Locals who were close with the victim jump over the mansion's gate and set the house on fire. In this story, even though the legal system does not deliver justice (the theme), those close to the victim are able to get a form of justice outside the courts by burning down the mansion. Here, you'd be symbolically conveying, "Wealthy families are not protected from everyone." Connecting story threads with motifsCertain elements in your story may not be directly linked, yet, if they both contribute to the same motif, they become connected in the audience's mind. This association can be very impactful. For example, let's say you're telling a story that takes place in various countries and time periods. "Courage in the face of danger" is a motif. You show a young boy in America, risking himself to protect his family during the Civil War. Later, you show a young girl in Europe risking herself to protect her family during World War II. These two characters are not directly connected in the physical world of the story - they are not even alive at the same time. However, since they both exhibit "courage in the face of danger," the audience will make the connection. This association has a "2 + 2 = 5" synergy effect. The little boy's story thread becomes strengthened because of the association to the little girl's and vice versa. A human bond is evoked even though they've never met. What writing genres use motifs?Motifs can be applied to any fiction or narrative non-fiction genre, such as:
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First Person vs Third Person POV - Your Unique Writer VoiceA unique writer voice can make your book or screenplay stand out. However, to create a compelling, consistent voice through your story, you need to understand the nuances of point of view (POV), particularly first person vs. third person. Want to write an awesome story? Download my FREE outlining guide. What is a writing voice?A writing voice is the tone a writer uses to tell a story. Though characters can have their own voices, the writing voice refers to the overall voice telling a story. With first-person POV, the voice is that of a specific character. In many other cases, it belongs to no character. Voice is important because it plays a key factor in the style of a story. Is a story told in a sarcastic way that pokes fun at the characters? Or, is that story told in a matter-of-fact fashion that gives the reader information without any direct opinion? These are two drastically different examples that would drastically alter the story's style. If you're trying to capture a certain style, you need to be mindful of voice. And that means you need to be mindful of POV... What is a writing POV?A POV is the perspective a story is told from. The two main options are first person and third. In first, the story unfolds from the perspective of a character, who speaks with "I." In third, various characters can be the subjects of specific scenes, yet they are referred to by name, not "I." POV is important because it helps define voice and style, but also because it plays a major role in how information is delivered to your reader. When writing from the perspective of a subject character, you can only discuss information that character would be aware of - in a given scene, the reader can only know as much as this character. Because of the various nuances associated with POV - which we'll discuss later in this post - writers often make POV mistakes. Unfortunately, these can make you come off as an amateur. As I went over in my post on dialogue writing, publishing-company employees, film producers, and consumers will often only read five or so pages of your story before making a decision to continue or not. If you have a POV error on those opening pages, you'd be giving someone a reason to stop reading. What are the types of POV in writing?As mentioned, the two major POV categories are first person and third. However, within third are various distinctions. The four key POVs:
If you're writing a book, you can choose any of these four POVs. Once you pick one, you need to stick with it through your story, though. Thus, be sure to select the one that'll let you tell your story in the most impactful way. If you're writing a screenplay, you don't have any choice about POV. Scripts tend to be written in third-person omniscient. Below, find a detailed breakdown of the four key POVs. What is first-person POV?
What is third-person, limited, close POV?
What is third-person, limited, distant POV?
What is third-person, omniscient POV?
Leveraging POV for a distinct writing voiceAs mentioned, with first-person POV, your story's overall voice becomes that of the protagonist. With third-person POV, however, the overall voice is fused together by various factor, such as:
Get more writing tips with my free guideYou might also like my posts on descriptive writing and characterization.
The Key to Descriptive Writing - Words and MoreYes, word choice is important in descriptive writing. However, simply inserting a bunch of adjectives into your sentences won't cut it. Check out these 5 tips expert writers use to create vivid descriptions in books, short stories, screenplays, and articles. Want to write an awesome story? Download my FREE outlining guide. What is descriptive writing?Descriptive writing is a storytelling technique that vividly conveys the setting and character behavior within a scene. It is found in fiction and narrative non-fiction. It often relies on visual imagery to capture a scene, however, evokes the four non-sight senses as well. A common descriptive writing mistakeNewer writers often make the mistake of loading adjectives into their sentences, thinking it'll make their writing more descriptive. Though adjectives do describe, alone, they don't pull your reader into your scene. You want your audience to be immersed in the world of your story, to the point where they shut the real world out while reading. A tactic for accomplishing this is the "show don't tell" method. Essentially, instead of "telling" your reader something in your story has a certain characteristic, "show" that characteristic in action and allow the reader to come to the conclusion it exists. Excessive adjective use is associated with telling. Showing, on the other hand, draws your reader in the story world because it activates the part of the mind that makes observations. Your reader will begin to feel like an active participant in your story, not someone hearing about it from a distance. Let's look at two examples and see which you think is better... Examples of descriptive writing - show vs. tellLet's assume I want to convey to a reader that a big bowl of soup is hot. Here are two ways I can do that: Example A Kelly left a big, hot bowl of soup on the kitchen counter. Example B James walks into the kitchen. A bowl of soup takes up a chunk of the counter. Kelly must've forgotten to clean up after she ate. James grabs it, then yanks his hand away. The tips of his fingers burn. I feel example B is more descriptive. Notice how the adjectives "big" and "hot" aren't even used? Notice how no adjectives are used at all? Instead, the reader is pulled into the scene and uncovers the intended characteristics through sensory observation. Check out 5 tips below for leading your reader into the world of your story. For even more advice on creating immersive scenes, check out my online scene writing course. #1 - Leverage nouns and verbs in descriptive writingNouns and verbs are the main ingredients in the "show" method of storytelling. Because they capture physical entities and movement, they lend themselves to visualizations. Examples: The pitcher hurls the baseball. The criminal shatters the window. The hail whacks the pavement. Opt for words that create specific, concrete images in readers' minds. For instance, John travels down the street isn't as strong as John sprints down the street. Nouns and verbs can also appeal to the non-sight senses: smell, sound, taste, and touch. For instance, The music booms in her ears or The bullet rips through his flesh. #2 - Use character reactions in descriptive writingCharacter reactions add a human element to your scenes, which helps deepen the connection between a reader and your story. Let's say I want to get across the idea that a cliff is steep. I can show the reaction of a character observing the steepness to associate it with a feeling - in this case, fear. This human feeling provides depth to the physical description of the cliff. For instance: Fred inches his head over the cliff for a peek down. If he fell, sudden death. His heart pounding, he takes a step back. #3 - Use dialogue in descriptive writingLike character reactions, dialogue features humans. Because of this, it can express feeling, which pumps life into your story. Do you want to get across the point a character is funny? Don't tell your audience. Show the character saying something funny. Do you want to convey that a necklace in your story is beautiful? Don't tell your audience. Show a pair of characters discussing the lengths they'd go to just to wear it for a night. #4 - Avoid adverbs in descriptive writingThough you should try to phrase descriptive sentences with nouns and verbs, an occasional adjective is okay. For instance, if a car being red plays a role in the plot of your story, feel free to state that the car is red, versus trying to come up with some roundabout way of expressing the color without its name. Adverbs, on the other hand, should be eliminated from your sentences in the vast majority of cases. Adverbs tend to be extra words that don't add meaning to your writing. You should be able to cut almost all of them without losing the point you're trying to make. Below, I've made some descriptive points, with an adverb version to the left and a non-adverb version to the right. The non-adverb variations use fewer words, which helps keep your writing lean, while retaining the meaning of the point. Plus, they're more vivid.
#5 - Avoid data dumps in descriptive writingA data dump occurs when a writer piles a bunch of information about a topic onto the reader at once. These can slow your story, cause the reader to get bored, and pull them out of the world you've created. Even if you follow the tips above and your descriptive writing is quality, you should avoid going into too much depth on a topic at once. For example, let's say your main character is from a big city and she just arrives in a small rural town that will serve as the setting for the rest of the story. You will of course want to capture the essence of this small town. However, you should avoid telling your reader everything about it the moment it's introduced. Instead, release descriptive details about parts of the town as your characters experience them. As an alternative to informing your audience about the diner, the mill, and the motel in a data dump, describe the diner the first time your main character goes for breakfast. And don't inform your reader about the mill or the motel until they're featured in their own scenes later on. The same logic holds within a specific scene. Don't offer the reader everything about the diner the moment your character arrives. Have the audience experience the details as your character does. You can describe the old sign out front. Then the scent of the lobby. Then the quirky personality of the waitress. Then the taste of the food. Then the mysterious man in the corner who seems to be spying. Want more writing advice?You might also like my post on writing voice.
Character Development: Definition and Tips for a Great StoryAre you writing a book, screenplay, or short story? You'll need great characters if you want your story to be memorable. In this post, find out what character development is and how you can use it to create compelling protagonists, antagonists, and allies. To outline an awesome story, download my FREE guide What is character development?Character development is the process of a writer expressing the physical, mental, and cultural traits of a character. A character's blend of traits should make him or her feel like a real, unique human being. The same definition holds for non-human characters, like talking animals in a fantasy story - the more human these animals feel, the better. Fictional stories rely on character development, as do narrative non-fiction ones. Even if a character in a non-fiction story is based on a real person, the writer still needs to develop that character so the audience can understand what that person is like. Examples of traits used in character development
Show vs. tell in character development"Show vs. tell" is a writing tactic that involves expressing information to the audience by showing that information in the world of your story instead of directly telling the audience it. Certain basic physical traits - like sex, age, and hair color - can be told to the audience. However, you should try to show the others. Showing creates a more engaging experience for your audience - they must actively observe your story world and come up with their own conclusions versus you directly telling them information. For example, let's say you need to get across the mental trait that Jimmy is a lair. Instead, of simply saying "Jimmy is a liar," write a scene where this information is expressed in a dramatic way. Here's a way to do that:
The choices characters make in private say a lot about who they are as people, ie, like Jimmy's choice to cheat on his wife. When at dinner with the group, Jimmy could very well come off like a loving husband. However, that would just be an act. Once he's alone, in the car, is when the true him emerges. When showing character traits, be sure to clearly distinguish between authentic traits and phony ones characters pretend to have for others. Making a character feel real and unique isn't enoughDeveloping a character simply means the character feels real and unique. That does not guarantee the character will be compelling. To create a compelling character, you need to give the character an intriguing blend of physical, mental, and cultural traits that grips the audience. Below are some tips for creating gripping protagonists, antagonists, and allies... Character development tipsCharacter development tips for your protagonist
Character development tips for your antagonist
Character development tips for your allies
Want to write an awesome story?Download my FREE outlining guide: Protagonist and Antagonist: What's the Difference?Find out the difference between a protagonist and antagonist in writing, and how to create compelling versions of these characters. Want to write an awesome story? Download my free outlining guide. What is a protagonist and antagonist?A protagonist is the main character of a story. The audience follows this character as the person pursues a goal, such as catching a criminal or winning a boxing match. An antagonist is any character who tries to prevent the protagonist from achieving the goal. Most stories have one protagonist. However, they often have more than one antagonist. That being said, one of these antagonists tends to stand out. This character puts more pressure on the protagonist than other opponents and plays a bigger role in the plot. I like to refer to this central antagonist as the main villain. What is the difference between a protagonist and antagonist?The defining difference between these characters refers to what each wants in the story - their wants are in direct conflict with each other. If the protagonist wants to achieve a certain goal, the antagonist has a want in the story that, if accomplished, would prevent the protagonist from accomplishing theirs. For example, in a crime story, the protagonist may be a detective with a goal to catch a murderer. The main villain in this story would be the murderer. The villain's goal is to get away with the crime. If the villain wins, the protagonist loses, and vice versa. Physical, mental, and cultural traits of your protagonist and antagonistWhen developing a character, you should be mindful of three major categories: the physical, mental, and cultural. Physical traits refer to a character's appearance and bodily capabilities. Mental traits refer to a character's disposition and psychological capabilities. Cultural traits refer to the context in which the character lives (ex, what's their job), plus has lived through life (ex, where they grew up and in what kind of family). Your protagonist and antagonist should not have the same blend of traits across all three categories. To create drama in your story, you want your villain be more imposing than your hero in terms of the traits that would determine the winner in their "clash of wants." For example, if you were writing a boxing story, your antagonist should be bigger and stronger than your protagonist. That being said, you should give your hero and villain at least one trait in common. This should be a characteristic your protagonist does not like about themself. I view this like a "dark mirror." The commonality can force your hero to recognize the severity of their own flaw, look inward, and try to fix it. A thread of internal growth can make your story more compelling. Traits of a heroAs a writer, you want your audience to root for your protagonist as the character pursues a goal. This does not necessarily mean your protagonist must be likable. To get your audience behind your story's hero, you need to let your audience to identify with the character. A good way to do this is by giving your hero something to lose if their goal is not accomplished. For example, in a thriller story, the protagonist may be committing a crime, like robbing a bank. However, the character needs the money to afford a medical treatment for his daughter. If he fails to rob the bank, his daughter will die - he has a lot to lose. Even if your audience doesn't approve of bank robbery, they can still identify with this protagonist. Traits of a villainTo create a great antagonist, you want to use empathy as well. Your audience should understand where this character is coming from, even if the character is responsible for horrible acts that the audience disdains. I recommend two techniques for creating empathy with your villain: (1) Give the antagonist some trauma from earlier in life that's responsible for their twisted behavior in the present. For example, maybe your villain was beaten by a stepfather, then grew up to kill men who remind him of the stepfather. (2) Give the antagonist an admirable end to fight for, yet have them try to get there by vicious means. For instance, possibly your villain is fighting against corporate corruption, but part of their plan involves murdering corporate executives. Even if you create empathy for your villain, you still want to play up this character's dark side. The depth of this dark side relates to the genre you're writing in. For instance, if you're writing a horror story, you want your villain's dark side to be extreme. This person might be a sadistic killer. If you happen to be writing a love story, your antagonist shouldn't necessarily be murdering other characters, however, a dark side should still be pronounced. Possibly this villain is a serial liar, who hurts other characters emotionally without regret. Hero transformation by villainThrough your story, your antagonist should constantly test your protagonist. This pressure should force your hero to look inward and grow as a person. Without this personal growth, your hero would fail to defeat the villain by the end. Thus, despite the extreme hardship your villain puts your hero through, the dynamic actually improves your hero's life, at least to some degree. By the end of the story, the hero's personal growth allows him or her to fill some emotional void (known as "the need"). Here's an example...
Thus, the set of traits Jane has at the beginning of the story have changed by the end. Many of the individual traits remain the same, however, a bad one (standoffish) is gone, replaced by a good one (open-minded). If Lucy, the villain, didn't apply external pressure, Jane never would've had a reason to undergo any personal growth. Want more writing advice?Download my FREE outlining guide: |