Helping artists through coaching and big picture planning, to get clarity on the next best steps, so they can be confident, breathe easy and build a sustainable, successful career.
[Silent Book Club ~ Ottawa Chapter] Symbols and meanings and tropes, oh my!!
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We're well into Spring and moving swiftly (some say too swiftly!) into Summer, Reader. We've said hello and goodbye to a million tulips; we've seen magnolia and cherry blossoms bloom; we've seen forsythia go from bright yellow to deep and rich greens; and, we've already welcomed the unfurling of leaves on all the trees that surround us. As Summer approaches this month, lilacs will make themselves known with their bright purples, creams and pinks, and their strong and heady scent. Whether you enjoy them as they sit on the branch or collect them inside and into your favourite vase, the presence of lilac signals the beginning of our warmest season. Flowers have significant beauty and in some cultures, they have meanings and symbols that can be quite different. Of course, symbolism and meaning are subjective and traditional at best - and at worst can be confusing. The rose, the undeniable flower of June, has more symbolic meaning than many, with each colour taking on a different meaning. Red means love; and some say that yellow means friendship... others, infidelity! The lilac symbolizes the joy of youth and the hyacinth, depending on its colour, can symbolize playfulness, prayers or jealousy! It's not so different when we dive into a book that promises a rich story, no matter the genre. Whether they are tropes or allusions to past classic literature, whether we think of them as symbols or not, many writers rely on our understanding of some traditional meanings, to help convey stories and help move their plots forward. Enemies to lovers or the off-limits crush in romance, or time travel or dystopian society in science fiction (and there are countless more!) Authors count on us to have a sense of these at the back of our minds, in order to either satisfy our need for a predictable next scene, or to shock us with a plot twist. Yann Martel's Life of Pi offers up a twist in the narrator's retelling of his journey, to his rescuers. And Then There Were None, an Agatha Christie classic, has an unexpected twist of just who murdered who. Then there's For Whom the Belle Tolls (Hell's Belles, #1) by Jaysea Lynn, where the entire book is a huge twist on the afterlife - yet, it still contains some comforting character arcs. Are there tropes or symbols that you tend to gravitate to when reading your favourite books, Reader? Are there some that drive you a little nutty when they show up too often? What are some surprises you've encountered when traveling through the story of a book, when the author threw a curveball right in the centre of a trope or story line? Click reply and let me know! Warmly, and as always, bookishly, ~ nicole · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · Highlights Still fresh and new, the Kanata meetup: Kanata Brunch THREE brand new meetups join the list this month: The Downtown meetup is moving outdoors this month! Check the list below for all of the information. And as for the East End meetup, the Summer will see those fine folks meeting up on the fourth TUESDAY of each month; · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · JUNE 2026 MEETUPS 📆 Rather than a list of meetups, perhaps you'd prefer a calendar page. 📝 All meetups are available for signup here. ⭐ = NEW!
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little acorn creative coaching
Helping artists through coaching and big picture planning, to get clarity on the next best steps, so they can be confident, breathe easy and build a sustainable, successful career.
May 2026 ph. cr.: Alexandr Popadin (UnSplash) Hi there, Reader, So happy you're here with us. You're one in a million. No... really. There's no denying that truth. That's the thing about numbers... they can support just about any assertion, and help it make sense. Some of the numbers that are part of the reading world include page- and chapter-numbers, book sales' numbers and rating numbers on best selling lists. They also include the numbers involved in reading challenges, whether they're...
April 2026 ph. cr.: Alicia Christin Gerald (UnSplash) In Canada, statistics tell us that nearly half the adult population reads at a lower than high school level. The reason for this is often linked to economic and employment well-being. And while correlation does not imply causation (low literacy does not cause poverty or lack of well-being), the links are undeniable. I don't need to tell you about the importance of literacy, Reader, but reading and literacy have farther reaching positive...
March 2026 cr: Pavel Abramiankou The winds of change are forever blowing. And, Reader, I don't do well with change. The expression, "plus ça change..." has often been an underlying thought in my mind when things change and I am not ready for it. Though I've learned that this idiom is considered pessimistic, I used to think that it simply meant what a famous Greek philosopher said: “the only constant in life is change.”* I would murmur that French phrase quietly to remind myself that clinging...