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| Author James Callan |
Contrast Is What Allows Us to See
Frequently, we receive the
advice to have things coordinated, matching. The pillows should match the
bedspread. The shirt should match the
pants. The earrings should match the necklace.
The furnishing in the house should match.
But it is the contrast that
makes the different pieces stand out.
I had two friends in
college. One was six feet four inches
tall, the center of the basketball team.
(Yes, it was a long time ago when that was actually tall.) His best friend was five feet six inches
tall. Mutt and Jeff, we sometimes called
them. But everybody noticed them when they were walking across campus.
Contrast.
Jewelers will show crystal
clear diamonds on black velvet. Contrast.
A perfectly clear blue sky is
pretty. Put a single, shinning white cloud in the middle. Both the cloud and
the sky become more beautiful, the contrast enhancing both. Bring in an angry, dark thunderhead and you
not only have contrast and beauty, but now you have added drama to the picture.
Robert Parker knew the value
of contrast. He developed a macho
protagonist in Spenser, a wise-cracking, ex-cop with his own code of
honor. But, there is a contrast in Spenser,
as he likes to cook and has a committed relationship with Susan Silverman, a
sophisticated lady and Harvard professor.
And then, to add to the contrast, Parker introduces Hawk. While Spenser
speaks well, sometimes eloquently, Hawk’s speech is abrupt, street talk. Hawk
has his own code, and is a gun for hire. Parker used these contrasts to propel forty
Spenser novels to best-seller status. (Ace
Atkins has continued the Spenser books with two since Parker’s death. Spenser
lives on.)
In my book on character
development (Character: The Heartbeat of
the Novel – Oak Tree Press 2013) I suggest that you develop a sidekick for
the protagonist and that there be a distinct contrast between the two. Make the
sidekick a carbon copy of the protagonist and all you’ve really done is add
another pair of hands. You’ve wasted an opportunity. Here is an opportunity to highlight features
of the protagonist that you’d like to emphasize. In addition, the contrast can
also add small conflicts, and we know that conflict is a core element of the
novel.
In
A Ton of Gold, I pair a street-wise
high school graduate with a near-Ph.D. research computer scientist. Both are intelligent,
but in contrasting ways. Crystal Moore, the protagonist, is highly educated.
Brandi Brewer is street smart. Periodically, Brandi will say to Crystal,
“Didn’t you learn anything as a kid?” Brandi learned a lot growing up on the
street. Crystal learned a lot in classrooms. It is Crystal who learns from
Brandi.
I
highlight their differences throughout the book. This contrast helps emphasize
features of the protagonist that I want to underscore without my beating the
reader over the head. By juxtaposing the two, I can show features without having to tell
the reader. And it is this “opposite type” character, Brandi, who helps Crystal
find her way to the solution – well, at least for the subplot.
So,
remember to use this important writer’s tool, contrast, to emphasize certain
things, to add minor (or major) conflicts, to bring additional drama into the
story, to improve your novel.
James
R. Callan
A
Ton of Gold, Oak Tree Press, 2013
Character:
The Heartbeat of the Novel, Oak
Tree Press, 2013
A
Ton of Gold
A contemporary mystery / suspense novel
Can long forgotten, old folk
tales affect the lives of people today? In A Ton of Gold, one certainly
affected young, brilliant Crystal Moore.
Two people are killed, others threatened, a house burned and an office
fire-bombed – all because of an old folk tale, greed and ignorance.
On top of that, the man who
nearly destroyed Crystal emotionally is coming back. This time he can put an end to her
career. She’ll need all the help she can
get from a former bull rider, her streetwise housemate and her feisty 76
year-old grandmother.
A Ton of Gold
By James R. Callan
From Oak Tree Press, Feb.
2013
Great post. Iwonder how many writers do this contrasting of characters without even consciously thinking about it. As you say, it is such a natural part of our lives to put things together. Always good to point out those things we don't consciously think about and possibly add a new dimension to our storytelling. Thanks for sharing your insights. (Is that why my "smarming" cat is such a refreshing touch in my mystery novel)? Never thought of that before.
ReplyDeleteYou are right. Some writers do this automatically, without thinking about it. And then, some of us need to be reminded. Maybe I wrote it to remind me - I do need reminders. Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Elaine.
DeleteYou're so right, Elaine. When Iread what JIm said I too was struck by what I did in my writing without being conscious I was using contrast. It's always useful to have someone remind you of what works and then use it intentionally. Thanks for reminding us, Jim.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting me on your blog, Lesley. It's always a pleasure to visit your blog. And to read your books!
DeleteThis is so important in craft, and often neglected. Thank you for a great post about this artistic tool.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you - important and often neglected. It's easy to have a sidekick who is a carbon copy of the protagonist - has the same goals, abilities, etc. But, easy is seldom the best. Thanks for the comment, Kathleen.
DeleteI had to laugh, my best friend and I growing up were called Mutt and Jeff, too. I was a shortie and she was 5'11'.
ReplyDeleteHow funny!
Thanks, Linda. I always like to give someone a laugh. And what are people going to do in the future - without the cartoons we grew up with? So many of things from those old classics have been incorporated into our language. How will we get along without Lit' Abner, or Blondie, or Mutt and Jeff? Even Peanuts is beginning to fade. I see trouble ahead.
DeleteGreat points, Jim, and something we all need to be reminded of from time to time. Hope to see you and Earlene again at the next NETWO conference.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Earl. I guess I wrote it to remind ME to take care when writing. Certainly enjoyed your visit to NETWO this spring, and I hope we meet up again.
DeleteThis was a very interesting article and something that had never occurred to me. I do not write fiction, however, I can see where I can do this in my own writings and thank you for sharing this wonderful concept. Robert B. Parker was the perfect author to illustrate your point. He was an amazing author and my favorites are his Jessie Stone series.
ReplyDeleteParker has been a favorite of many people, including myself. I hope you can find a use for this in your non-fiction writing. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteGood points, James - in particular the character contrasts and not just physical ones.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right - the character contrasts, not just the physical. Great for slipping in small conflicts. And often, that contrast is just what you need to overcome the antagonist. Thanks for the comment, Vonnie.
Delete"In my book on character development (Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel)"
ReplyDeleteHey! Somehow I missed the announcement. I can't resist books on the Craft. Um, I mean "craft of writing." (Hee!)
Not to be too English teacher about all this, but when we have a character set against our hero(ine) who's a sidekick, mentor, helper, or info-provider, it serves as a foil. Remember writing those five-paragraph themes like "Prince Hal and his Foils" (in Henry IV Part I, Hotspur and Falstaff, if I remember correctly)? Well, we writers often do this automatically. Some of the earliest USEFUL writing advice (LOL) that I ever got was, "When things come to a standstill, let the saloon doors swing open and let some great NEW personality come in to be a catalyst for action." My friend Silk (who crossed the bar long ago but whose collaborations with me in the 1980s still echo in my YA work today) and I did this with an early novel we were working on, and one of those characters is still with my YA work; she operates under different names and costumes, but is still basically the girl we had walk onstage (rather, jump onto the train) and we took turns "putting in stuff" about her.
But of course you can also think out your foils. My mystery series heroine Ari French has her older sister Zoe to set off her quirks and balance her. Ari is a thinker and likes to analyze and plan something through. Zoe will grab something by the throat and shake it out, and then use her charm to get out of the problems it might cause. Zoe walks in with authority and people just assume she is in charge, while Ari slips in the back and observes life and is dismayed when people seize upon her as the next spotlighted one. I didn't plan this all out in advance, but it became clear in the first scene of the first book in the series. They're great because their personalities reflect one another and the two of them are larger than life together. People tell me occasionally that they love Zoe more and wish the stories were from her POV instead of Ari's because Ari is not an alpha heroine exactly, but I know better: they would not like Zoe as a POV person because she's not immediately sympathetic or obviously "nice," and saving the cat wouldn't be enough to make readers stick with her. But as a foil, she works wonderfully--readers can love and adore her and take her in smaller doses without looking directly through her eyes as she criticizes something (it can be spot-on, but could come across as nasty or mean if direct instead of filtered through her little sister.)
A character will generally have more than one foil. In NICE WORK, Jacquidon's sister Chantal is her foil (computer person versus artistic, sneaky instead of straightforward, etc.) and their witty banter makes the story funnier. But her best friend Tracy serves as a second foil (Tracy is timid where Jac is bolder, Tracy is a little bitty petite thing where Jac is bigger, Tracy eats sugar and carbs to keep her energy up while Jac has just been diagnosed with diabetes), and her erstwhile new mentor Fred serves as yet another foil who sets off various plot elements with his abilities and traits. This kind of happened organically, but if you find some of your scenes flat, introduce a temporary foil (like a walk-on part or a cameo in a film) and let them be flamboyant and extreme in order to liven up things without getting accused of having a "wacky" protagonist and cast overall. (LOL)
Thanks, Denise, for the comment.
DeleteYour comments made me think about recasting a character in my next novel. Thanks
ReplyDeleteJL Greger, author of Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight
I sincerely hope that was a good thing. And if you choose to do it, then I'm sure it will be. If nothing else, I always hope the blogs will cause a person to think. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteGreat post. Like others, I haven't thought about contrast, except when writing dialogue. Dialogue gets boring in a hurry if everyone sounds the same, and of course good dialogue reflects the characters behind the words. Sometimes I've had to work on a character to get the dialogue to sound right.
ReplyDeleteGetting dialogue to sound right is important and not always easy, and some people neglect it. And, as you say, it can all end up sounding alike. Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
DeleteExcellent post with some great examples. The word "eclectic" came to mind, and I guess that word can apply to people, too.
ReplyDeleteMarja McGraw
Thanks, Marja. And I'd say it can certainly apply to characters, though I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it. Or maybe just a Renaissance character.
DeleteHi Lesley,
ReplyDeleteI'm checking out your captcha.