On Logos, Arrows, and Storytelling

"Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it." --Hannah Arendt

We can blame my brother for sending me off on this tangent--but I'm glad he did. You see, he's the one that mentioned it first.

"Have you ever seen the arrow in the FedEx logo?" he asked. And that's when the adventure began.

We had never heard of the arrow. Have you? When we first looked for it, as we'd be out on the road somewhere and pass a FedEx truck, we'd ask each other--hubby and I--where is there an arrow? What's he talking about? I don't see any arrow. We looked every which way but up--on the truck, on the letters, around the letters. Nothing.

But. Then. We. Saw. It. Embedded as it is between the capital E of "Ex" and the smaller case x. I immediately texted my brother: "We saw the arrow!" We were on I-75 south heading toward Cincinnati at the time.

Again, did you know about this? Wouldn't we feel silly if everyone else but us knows it's there?

Anyway, the idea sent me off to explore if this optical illusion if you will was intentional in the design or just a fluke. It was intentional and it isn't a fluke.

The creator of the logo is a man named Lindon Leader. In an interview with Mr. Leader (you can read the interview here), he describes how he designed the logo, even to the point of developing a new font in order to make the arrow fit. "I thought," he said, "that if I could develop this concept of an arrow it could be promoted as a symbol for speed and precision, both FedEx communicative attributes...The power of the hidden arrow is simply that is a hidden bonus."

And that got me thinking about embeddedness (is that a real word?)  in our stories. What hidden elements help communicate our purpose, our stories? I suggest these five:

1. Embedded Theme. "By its nature, theme can't be obvious. At best it's open for interpretation, thought, and discussion, an echo left to resonate long after the book itself is read. We can't present theme directly. Sometimes we have trouble grasping it ourselves." This gem comes from Martina Boone over at Adventures in YA and Children's Publishing (here).

2. Embedded Symbolism. "Symbolism," says Stephen King in On Writing, "(is) more than just chrome on the grille. It can serve as a focusing device for both you and your reader, helping to create a more unified and pleasing work. I think that, when you read you mss over, you'll see if symbolism, or the potential for it, exists. If it doesn't, leave well enough alone. If it does, however--if it's clearly a part of the fossil you're working to unearth--go for it. Enhance it."

3. Embedded Story Question. Ann Whitford Paul, in Writing Picture Books, suggests the importance of finding your story's question. "It behooves writers to think of a general question about the underlying issue they are trying to unravel in each new story...it is critical each story has a question. If not, the story probably will not be focused. Discovering your question will keep your story moving in the right direction."

4. Embedded Ending in the Beginning. A personal favorite of mine, as I try to bring this around in my stories. The idea is stated in Leonard Bishop's Dare to be a Great Writer, 329 Keys to Powerful Fiction. "Somewhere in the opening of the novel the writer should include a suggestion of the conclusion. Readers will not recognize the 'end-in-the-beginning.' How can they? But when they reach the novel's conclusion--no matter how many side journeys you have led them along--they will feel a sense of completion to the novel...If you do not know the conclusion of the novel, begin writing anyway. When you reach the end you can include some of it in the opening by rewriting. The end is already there, but it all starts from the beginning."

5. Embedded Hope. I like this concept, too, which comes from Steven Taylor Goldsberry's The Writer's Book of Wisdom, 101 Rules for Mastering Your Craft. "You can write about blood and fire, human bodies scorched like forgotten cookies, about misery, torture (etc. etc.)...But in the end there must be a glimpse of gold, the first bright feather of a rare bird reborn from the ashes of a mythical bonfire. One of the great traditions of art is that it provides hope...Make your audience gasp at suspenseful or wondrous adventures, but get them home safely. Let them breathe easy once more."

I debated whether or not to reveal the arrow, in case this is the first some of you have heard of it, and maybe you'd like to find it on your own. But like they say, once you've found it, you'll probably never "not" be able to see it again--it will pop out at you every time. And it's stuck in my head now, so I guess I'll spoil it for you. Here's the arrow.

Any "obvious but hidden" things you seek to include in your stories?

(Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever worked for FedEx. This is not a paid advertisement!)

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On Feet, Toes, and Theme

You can't tell any kind of story without having some kind of theme, something to say between the lines. --Robert Wise

It would seem that last week's theme over this way centered around feet and the piggies that go with them. Feet as in the little one who came for a visit and almost immediately shed her small pink crocs to dance, jump (a new skill to a two-year old), and prance barefoot on cool tile. Later Angelica helped apply nail polish to mommy's toes (clear base coat--important to know) before painting her own, and grandma's. But it wasn't enough, and the only others left in the room were grandpa and daddy. Ever see a man with shiny toenails? Hubby had some explaining to do at his physical the next morning.

A few days later, I got blisters on the bottom of my feet. Hard to understand when the sandals have been worn now for two summers. Ouch. And then there were those moments when I had to be careful not to step on toes (think 1 Corinthians 13 here), but that's another story.

Theme. Tying all this together made me think about the role "theme" plays in writing. Theme is not plot. Theme is not story, or character. A great definition comes from Irwin/Eyerly's Writing Young Adult Novels: "A little girl explained theme best when she said it is what you remember about a book after you have forgotten who the characters were and what they did." Jane Yolen, in Take Joy, says, "Some people call the theme the 'meaning' of the story. Some call it the 'subtext.' But then, some people call a basement a cellar, or a bunker, or a foundation...Whatever we call it, it still supports the house.

"It is," she adds, "an overarching idea that encompasses the entire story."

Overarching idea--like love, heroism, journey, coming of age, power, family, good and evil. Your theme will be there, whether you start with knowledge of it at the beginning of your work, or discover it as you go. You'll find it--between the lines.

As long as you stay on your feet!

How do you determine the theme of your story? Do you find it difficult to identify, or does it come easily?