New here--may I join this?
I find that subtle symbolism works for me. Especially for descriptive stories or stories where mood is important, these work well. Hint at the mood you want the reader to feel, with objects, colours, weather.
Most would think that this doesn't help, because no one's going to notice it--but in fact, they do. If you put in enough small hints, they'll start to feel the mood, inexplicably. It's that special "something" that the good authors' works always contain, and people can't pinpoint.
Of course, there's the risk of overdoing it and making your hints too obvious. Then that doesn't help. It's a hard balance to achieve; I've seen some manage it, however :)