Carl Vonderau is the author of thrillers Murderabilia, and his latest book, Saving Myles. You can find out more about him on his website, www.carlvonderau.com, or by clicking here, read his last post here, and buy his books here.
Molly Ramanujan taught the first writing class I was in many years ago at the University of Chicago extension program. She was a very accomplished writer and helped many of us discover talents we didn’t know we had. Molly died in 2015, but her excellent book of short stories, The Salt Doll, has been re-issued by Women Unlimited.
One of the first lessons Molly taught us was how objects could powerfully illustrate character and emotion. A wedding ring that used to belong to a protagonist’s mother could be something that a protagonist loves. The gun that the protagonist’s mother used to kill herself could be something that she hates. But the best object was one that the character both loved and hated, one that evoked both positive and negative emotions.
I try to follow that advice in my books. I try to find an object that a character both loves and hates. How is it a crucial part of his or her past?
Here are some examples of vibrant objects in fiction and in real life.
A piano. We’ve all loved Little Women. In it, Mr. Laurence is cold and distant in his mansion and Beth is a shy music lover. He brings her out of her shell by letting her borrow his piano. Then he gives it to her and we learn that the piano belonged to his adored and deceased granddaughter. The use of the piano beautifully illustrates both Beth and Mr. Laurence.
A car. I once knew someone in Chicago whose father had died. He kept his father’s car in a rented garage and periodically spent time by himself inside it. He told me that he could smell his father’s cigar smoke. I don’t need any further description to feel that bond.
Objects from 9-11. I watched a documentary on the things that were rescued from the ruins of the buildings. One story that touched me came from a woman whose birthday was on September 11. Her husband worked in one of the towers that collapsed and he was killed. Some time later, workers found his car and notified her. She watched as they opened the trunk. Inside were a wrapped gift, a birthday card, and a rose. Do you need any other description than this to evoke the emotion? I don’t think so.
Tim O’Brien. His book, Things they Carried, is a primer on how to use objects effectively in writing. Here is an excerpt.
“In the first week of April, before Lavender died, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross received a good luck charm from Martha. It was a simple pebble, an ounce at most. Smooth to the touch, it was a milky white color with flecks of orange and violet, oval-shaped, like a miniature egg. In the accompanying letter, Martha wrote that she had found the pebble on the Jersey shoreline, precisely where the land touched the water at high tide, where things came together but also separated. It was this separate-but-together quality, she wrote that had inspired her to pick up the pebble and to carry it in her breast pocket for several days, where it seemed weightless, and then to send it through the mail, by air, as a token of her truest feelings for him. Lieutenant Cross found this romantic. But he wondered what her truest feelings were exactly, and what she meant by separate-but together. … On the march, through the hot days of early April, he carried the pebble in his mouth, turning it with his tongue, tasting sea salt and moisture…”
The pebble evokes so much of their relationship. And the last sensual image of the soldier carrying it in his mouth elevates the object to another dimension, one that can’t quite be explained.
An object from my own life. When I was about twelve I was entranced with a young adult novel called The Prince of Omeya, by Anthony Fon Eisen. I don’t remember the adventures of the book, but I do remember the joy of reading it in bed when I was supposed to be sleeping. As I pored over its pages I kept one hand on the switch for the lamp on my side table. As soon as I heard my parents’ footsteps outside my door, I’d flick off the light and pull up the covers as if I were asleep. My parents pretended that I’d fooled them.
A few years ago I decided I wanted a copy of this book and got a used version. It sits on my bookshelf. I won’t read it because I don’t want to tarnish the feeling I had for it as a boy.
Carl Vonderau’s latest book is Saving Myles. You can buy it at Amazon through our website here.
Thank you, Carl. For the longest time, I had trouble capturing the details that would help to define a character. Your piece is a practical reminder of how to do that.
Glad it helped. I’ve always gone back to my teacher’s advice.
My instincts knew this before I read it ( ;
Now my conscious brain does too.
There is fantastic writing help in this post. Thank you, Carl and Blackbird Writers.
Glad it will be of use to you. it makes so much sense when someone explains it to you.
Carl, what a fabulous writing idea. Your examples were stunning. I like how objects with their backstories, can enrich all elements of storytelling, including bringing a renewed or, perhaps, brand new value to the object itself.
You are absolutely right.
Fantastic examples, Carl. Thank you!
I particularly love the Tim O’Brien example.
Carl, this is a great post. Your examples evoked such strong emotions with just a few words. So powerful. It got me thinking about what kind of object I need to include in my current WIP. Thank you!
Great! If you can find the right object, it really illuminates a character.
What a great post, Carl! I loved thinking about the way objects shape our lives.
Sometimes I forget about this and have to bring myself back to it in the revision. Like I’m doing right now.
Good post, Carl, and great writing advice. I’m a big saver of objects that have meaning to me and it’s a good thing to work into our character’s lives as well.
Lucky you to save those objects!
Thanks, Carl. I’ve used objects in my store but never thought how useful they could be to the overall feel of the story. Your post enlightened me
Great! Thanks.
Great post, Carl. I like this idea of the power of an object that is both loved and hated. What a concise way to create tension within a character.
My teacher, Molly, was absolutely right about that.
I am going to be thinking about that 911 example for a long time.
I heard it ages ago and the documentary is still saved on my TV recorder. That one really brings a tear to my eye.
Beautiful post, and your examples are touching. Thank you for sharing. I love the way you express yourself.
Thank you. Sometimes I get it right.
Carl, this is an important and caring reminder of the power of story within an object that might be overlooked by one character but precious to another. Thanks for this.
That’s an interesting point that one character may not know the importance of an object to another character.
So true- thanks for this concise list – especially liked the idea of a simultaneously loved and hated/ positive and negative object!
Yup, I like the tension too.
Such a wonderful set of examples. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome. Glad you got something from it.