Talismans: Using Objects to Convey Emotion

We’ve all had moments when, having encountered an object we thought long lost, we were overcome with memories and emotion. Toy Story and so many books and movies have covered the topic, but objects outlast us and carry powerful memories. They can become talismans. But how often do we remember to include these objects in our writing? Writing is built on the concrete, and talismans contain emotion. We’ll analyze a couple of talismans in fiction and nonfiction and then do some exercises to find the objects we should be using in our fiction and nonfiction.