I never consciously place symbolism in my writing. That would be a self-conscious exercise and self-consciousness is defeating to any creative act. Better to get the subconscious to do the work for you, and get out of the way. The best symbolism is always unsuspected and natural. During a lifetime, one saves up information which collects itself around centers in the mind; these automatically become symbols on a subliminal level and need only be summoned in the heat of writing.
Interpretation
Symbolism in writing should be natural and subconscious rather than forced or self-conscious.
Ray Bradbury expresses that true symbolism in writing arises organically from the subconscious mind rather than being a calculated choice made by the writer. He believes that when a writer consciously tries to impose symbols, it disrupts the creative flow. Instead, by allowing the subconscious to inform the writing, the best symbols naturally emerge, reflecting a deeper and more authentic connection to the material.
In practice
In a writing workshop, one could use this quote to inspire participants to trust their instincts and let symbols arise naturally.
I've written about 2,000 short stories; I've only published 300 and I feel I'm still learning. Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as a writer. Ray Bradbury, 1967 interview (Doing the Math - that means for every story he sold, he wrote six "un-publishable" ones. Keep typing!)
I never went to college, so I went to the library.
There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.
I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour.
The first thing a writer should be is - excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches; God knows it'd be better for his health.
You can't try to do things; you simply must do them.
Good design is a lot like clear thinking made visual.
Let now the chimneys blaze And cups o'erflow with wine; Let well-tuned words amaze With harmony divine.
As she watched him she understood the quality of his beauty. How his labor had shaped him. How the wood he fashioned had fashioned him. Each plank he planed, each nail he drove, each thing he made molded him. Had left its stamp on him. Had given him his strength, his supple grace.
A grain of poetry suffices to season a century.
Most writers - poets in especial - prefer having it understood that they compose by a species of fine frenzy - an ecstatic intuition - and would positively shudder at letting the public take a peep behind the scenes.
I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen.
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