Temperature symbolism is hot-hot-hot. Turn it up for burning anger or passion that sizzles. Turn it down to reveal character and mood. But be careful, the heated adjectives can be ambiguous in the cold reality of writing.
Temperature can:
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reveal a novel’s overall mood
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be a plot device
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reveal a character’s personality
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reveal a character’s mood
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be thematic
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The Great Gatsby is loaded with heat! Tom is a hot-head. Gatsby is hot for Daisy. Tom is hot ( lusting ) for Myrtle and hot ( with anger) when he discovers Daisy’s infidelity. Myrtle is hot to be wealthy. Gatsby made all his money on hot goods. Myrtle’s husband is hot to murder his wife’s killer. The rising temperature mirrors the rising anger/lust of the characters.
Hot—and all it’s scorching synonyms—can refer to:
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lust: He got hot just lookin’ at her.
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personality: He’s a hot head. ( aka rage-aholic)
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anger: Tom grew hot when he learned Daisy cheated on him with Gatsby.
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popularity: Every author dreams of being the next hot new author.
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enthusiasm: He was hot for the next new novel by his favorite author.
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physical appearance: Damn, his chiseled body is hot.
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actual temperature: There are many descriptive words for hot, be sure to choose the one that reveals just how hot.
- Heated words can refer to: lust, love, anger, embarrassment, guilt, shame
A few synonyms for hot! Warm, summery, tropical, broiling, boiling,searing, blistering, sweltering, torrid, sultry, humid, muggy, roasting, baking, scorching, scalding, searing, heated, red-hot, steamy
Cold:
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personality: The boss in The Devil Wears Prada was cold-hearted.
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lack of emotion: His response to my question was cold.
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remoteness: The detectives knew their leads were cold but they looked for clues anyway.
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probability: It will be a cold day in hell when I forgive you.
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austerity: Some folks think that modern furniture is cold-looking.
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actual temperature
- Chilly words can refer to anger, indifference, death, reality, conviction, cruelty
A few synonyms for cold! chilly, chill, cool, freezing, icy, nippy, wintry, frosty, frigid, bitter, biting raw, bone-chilling, arctic, frozen ,numb, shivery
So whether you’re writing His arctic glare sent chills down my spine or Her smoldering gaze lit my desires on fire…
have fun lowering or raising the temperature in your novel.
Related Posts: Symbols & More Symbols; Rock Your Writing
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