Metaphorical Devices in SEETHINGS: Windows, Doors, and Rain

Windows, doors, and a drenching downpour play important roles in the psychological thriller SEETHINGS. Two stand as metaphors for change—delineating opposing character traits (civil to evil); the third is set aside for a moment of extreme clarity.

The writing changes whenever the narrative comes upon a door or window (and it’s about to rain). The characters’ roles alter, and the tension increases until the last raindrop falls.

Writers use devices like these all the time. Sometimes, it leads readers to a flashback. A clock or a mirror moves us from one standpoint in a narrative to another. It’s often a clue. On this occasion, the clue is a door or window — but the tension’s catalyst comes from those first few drops of rain that fall ahead of a storm. There are several instances where they have been placed in the text, and although their meanings are easy to miss in the early chapters, they grow as the page count increases. It reaches an obvious apex when a sliding glass door shatters! The door has its own identity, and it dies right in front of us, massacred by a creature made of pure evil.

I had to rewrite that chapter several times to get it just right. After finishing it, I needed to leave the writing alone for a day or two to get my head out of the monster manifested on the pages that day. It felt so real that it frightened me!

So, what did I create? You’ll have to read SEETHINGS to find out!

-Michael Forman (Author of Dark Fiction)

“Forman’s writing style is artful, with the protagonist Mitchell’s warped thought processes masterfully exposed. The author has a powerful and vivid command of language and his word pictures are stark and disturbingly real.”

– Linda J Bettenay, author of ‘Secrets Mothers Keep’ and ‘Wishes For Starlight’.