When I read King's On Writing, my blind eyes were opened. He suggested about writing everything down--no nitpicks allowed--then letting it 'rise like dough' (storing the manuscript somewhere where you won't see it) in the meantime (approx. 6 weeks, but he's a damned novelist, so he can take that much time). THEN you let your beta-readers read it while you do the 2nd draft. Usually, it is in the 2nd draft that symbolism (and its ilk, i.e., theme) are used: the symbol is actually buried in the first draft--you "bring" it out fully in the next rewrites.
It is clear that 'ko' is the heart, the main symbol.
someone said "murder your darlings"...
When I read King's On Writing, my blind eyes were opened. He suggested about writing everything down--no nitpicks allowed--then letting it 'rise like dough' (storing the manuscript somewhere where you won't see it) in the meantime (approx. 6 weeks, but he's a damned novelist, so he can take that much time). THEN you let your beta-readers read it while you do the 2nd draft. Usually, it is in the 2nd draft that symbolism (and its ilk, i.e., theme) are used: the symbol is actually buried in the first draft--you "bring" it out fully in the next rewrites.
It is clear that 'ko' is the heart, the main symbol.