mystery plots, stolen heirlooms, lost Egyptian tombs, and buried treasure, that change your plot once they are introduced or found in a scene.
If your story is about the search for a holy artifact, then it's safe to assume that whichever scenes the object turns up in will involve some sort of drama, danger, or other conflict. Also, whether the protagonist or the antagonist has the artifact is likely to sway the course of your plot. You may in fact tease the reader with a significant object and have it turn up in every scene, but continue to elude those who want it most.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series of books, the significant object is merely a tiny ring, but it holds the power to corrupt good people and ultimately destroys anyone who possesses it for too long. Every time that ring turns up in a scene, everyone's attention is focused on it—character's and the reader's alike—and the balance of power continues to shift as the ring works its diabolical magic on everyone it touches. That's a powerfully significant object, and one that continues to shape the course of the plot from start to finish.
A plot-significant object does not need to be quite as weighty as one that holds the balance between good and evil, but it should have a direct link to your plot. It might be a murder weapon, a stolen piece of jewelry, or an item that incriminates a character for adultery.
Character-Significant Objects
Objects have value to people for sometimes very bizarre and personal reasons. A person cherishes a ratty old jacket because of its sentimental power. People collect items that have meaning only to themselves—figurines, dolls, coins—to satisfy an emotional need in a material form, or for purposes of greed, or to feel safe. People also have talismans—objects that hold religious or spiritual meaning and help them feel loved or lucky.
Character-significant objects do not need to change the course of your plot, but they do need to be described in enough detail that the reader understands their value or importance to the character. If a character always kisses a medallion of St. Christopher before he travels, this will reinforce in the reader's mind that this object means something to him. You might even find it useful to write the scene of when he first obtained this object, and how it became significant to him.
While these objects are indeed important, you can introduce them without a great deal of description so long as you effectively demonstrate a character's relationship to the item.
Avoiding Vague Objects
Would your protagonist buy a "vehicle," or a white Toyota Corolla? If someone opened his cabinets, would he find "aspirin," or Advil? Does your character own a "parrot," or a rainbow macaw? The difference is, of course, in the specifics.
It's very important to avoid the vague. If you lead the reader into a "building," she will wonder if it is a bank, an embassy, or a hotel, and this is already too many options for her to have to hold in mind; it's your job to be the tour guide, remember. If your protagonist carries a gun, the reader deserves to know if it's a tiny derringer or a semi-automatic rifle. What you want the reader to wonder about is what happens next, not where the characters are and what can be seen. If you were a painter and you made some loose charcoal sketches, then displayed your work and told people, "some green paint will go here, and some blue there, and probably a little yellow here," they would have absolutely no idea of the painting you intended to make. So try to avoid making that same mistake in your writing. Be clear and visual.
Your objects are opportunities to reveal information about your characters. Objects are the physical manifestations of characters' personalities and moods. Since you can't spend too much of the text in narrative summary describing a character's personality without losing the reader's attention, these props serve to convey information on the character's
If your story is about the search for a holy artifact, then it's safe to assume that whichever scenes the object turns up in will involve some sort of drama, danger, or other conflict. Also, whether the protagonist or the antagonist has the artifact is likely to sway the course of your plot. You may in fact tease the reader with a significant object and have it turn up in every scene, but continue to elude those who want it most.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series of books, the significant object is merely a tiny ring, but it holds the power to corrupt good people and ultimately destroys anyone who possesses it for too long. Every time that ring turns up in a scene, everyone's attention is focused on it—character's and the reader's alike—and the balance of power continues to shift as the ring works its diabolical magic on everyone it touches. That's a powerfully significant object, and one that continues to shape the course of the plot from start to finish.
A plot-significant object does not need to be quite as weighty as one that holds the balance between good and evil, but it should have a direct link to your plot. It might be a murder weapon, a stolen piece of jewelry, or an item that incriminates a character for adultery.
Character-Significant Objects
Objects have value to people for sometimes very bizarre and personal reasons. A person cherishes a ratty old jacket because of its sentimental power. People collect items that have meaning only to themselves—figurines, dolls, coins—to satisfy an emotional need in a material form, or for purposes of greed, or to feel safe. People also have talismans—objects that hold religious or spiritual meaning and help them feel loved or lucky.
Character-significant objects do not need to change the course of your plot, but they do need to be described in enough detail that the reader understands their value or importance to the character. If a character always kisses a medallion of St. Christopher before he travels, this will reinforce in the reader's mind that this object means something to him. You might even find it useful to write the scene of when he first obtained this object, and how it became significant to him.
While these objects are indeed important, you can introduce them without a great deal of description so long as you effectively demonstrate a character's relationship to the item.
Avoiding Vague Objects
Would your protagonist buy a "vehicle," or a white Toyota Corolla? If someone opened his cabinets, would he find "aspirin," or Advil? Does your character own a "parrot," or a rainbow macaw? The difference is, of course, in the specifics.
It's very important to avoid the vague. If you lead the reader into a "building," she will wonder if it is a bank, an embassy, or a hotel, and this is already too many options for her to have to hold in mind; it's your job to be the tour guide, remember. If your protagonist carries a gun, the reader deserves to know if it's a tiny derringer or a semi-automatic rifle. What you want the reader to wonder about is what happens next, not where the characters are and what can be seen. If you were a painter and you made some loose charcoal sketches, then displayed your work and told people, "some green paint will go here, and some blue there, and probably a little yellow here," they would have absolutely no idea of the painting you intended to make. So try to avoid making that same mistake in your writing. Be clear and visual.
Your objects are opportunities to reveal information about your characters. Objects are the physical manifestations of characters' personalities and moods. Since you can't spend too much of the text in narrative summary describing a character's personality without losing the reader's attention, these props serve to convey information on the character's
Similar Books
