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@sparrowhawke

I’ve heard of motifs before, but I thought they referred more to general things that are in different stories but tend to represent the same thing, like a wise old man or a ghost appearing. Maybe I’m getting it confused with archetypes.

You know, you may actually be right XD ‘Motifs’ was just my rough translation XD
Oh, those are some very cool examples! I like the idea that the symbolism also ties into the title! Yes, I’d say more often than not, they appear unconsciously, but when you notice them, you start using them more.

@arindown

Ooh, that’s awesome! I actually recently watched a video essay on how Pixar uses musical parallels to make scenes sadder! I really noticed this in the movie “Prince of Egypt” when I’m listening to the soundtrack. (I love that soundtrack XD) There’s a specific little flute tune that’s also the intro to the lullaby that plays in almost every song and every moment Moses is connecting to his family.

And the breaking a pattern part is such a cool thing! That’s a really awesome way to use it! Personally, I love it when authors link literal scars and old injuries to mental/emotional injuries and scars. I just think it’s cool XD

@devastate-lasting

That’s awesome! I think the cool thing about motifs is that you might not notice them right away, but on the second or third read, they become obvious.

Another book I thought of that does this exceptionally well is the Red Ribbon by Lucy Adlington. The book doesn’t have chapters, it’s split up into several parts, each named after a color. Green, Yellow, Red, Gray, White, and Pink. And during those parts, the author keeps describing things that are those colors and bringing them back in similies. Like lemon ice cream and sunflowers during Yellow.
And a fun little easter egg, during one of the chapters the MC finds spools of thread in an old sewing machine, and guess what colors they are? Green, yellow, red, gray, white, and pink.
That book was truly exceptional and I’m not going to shut up about it until I find someone who loves it too XD