How to Write About Hope (Without Being Cheesy)
- Kayjah Taylor
- Aug 30
- 2 min read
Hope is a common (but not overrated) theme in storytelling. You stick around for the end because you hope the ending will satisfy you. Your characters keep fighting in hopes they will find what they were looking for.
It is a powerful emotion, and incredibly impactful when written well. Hope can also easily turn into a cliché. You don't want this to take away depth from your story. You want it to enhance your plot and characters' development.
Show the Struggle First
Hope is meaningless without struggle and conflict to push it forward. If there is only light without darkness, it doesn't feel earned for your characters or readers.
It's difficult to watch your characters struggle (at least to me), but they need to suffer a bit to grow. As we all do. Lean into that suffering and let it define the journey. Hope is meant to be a sharp contrast against difficult times, and shouldn’t be a mere shortcut for your character.
Specify Your Character’s Hope
Something I personally can’t stand is when someone (real or fictional) states “everything will be fine” or “everything will be okay” when everything is clearly not. It’s an empty statement, meant to be an avenue to hope. You and your characters know, it’s not true.
Keep your character’s hopes precise. Make them small, but powerful. Imagine a sprout in the middle of a place devoid of life. Imagine your characters choosing to try again, knowing they've failed countless times. These small glimmers of hope make huge differences.
Maintain Realism
Something I've learned through reading and writing is that endings don't have to be perfect. There is no such thing as a perfect ending in real life. I believe an imperfect ending, full of lingering grief but a hopeful future, is enough.
Let your endings be bittersweet, and in turn more authentic. Let progress be the hope your characters strive for. Endings representing hope do not have to be the fairytale dream. Sometimes, they can just be about your characters surviving through the worst.
Hope is an important theme in writing, and I hope these tips do justice to this important literary motif. Be sure to utilize symbolism and imagery in your writing, and to make your characters work for it!
Thank you for reading, and I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday <3
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