Quick. Name something that exists on planet Earth solely because someone—a writer— dreamed
it up.
One yummy example is Harry Potter’s favorite drink, butterbeer. On tap and
wildly popular in Florida, a butterbeer can foam your lips courtesy of a JK
Rowling-approved recipe. After reading a scene in the books or visiting
Hogsmeade in the movies with Harry Potter and friends, who doesn’t crave a
butterbeer moustache of their own?
People intuitively know a good thing when they see one—or
read about one. Does your book contain any powerful objects? Are you creating symbols?
Or simply cool character props? How can you tell the difference?
Harry Potter was an orphan without a friend to his name
until he joined Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His new friends
reached for butterbeer whenever there was a social gathering, a weekend day
off, a Quidditch win to celebrate, or a need for private conversation. Consider
the butterbeer itself. It is a frothy, butterscotch-like drink, warming hands
and the hearts of friends. Friendship and love ultimately gives Harry the
strength he needs to defeat the villain Voldemort. It is my guess that JK
Rowling designed, with great intention and purpose, thick blizzard and stormy
weather conditions for student trips to Hogsmeade. By contrast, this
spotlighted the warmth and comfort of butterbeer and, by extension, the important
theme of friendship. Butterbeer is a powerful prop. No wonder fans make the
trek to Orlando to taste it. Who doesn’t want (and need) those comforting qualities?
Consider your story’s objects:
How necessary
is the object to the scene? To the overall story?
Are your
scenes cluttered with objects? Can any be given more significance?
Does the
object represent anything else going on? Does it symbolize a theme?
Finally, is your prop grounded in humanity, no matter how fantastical
its name or function? Characters come alive when they need to do things such as
eat, drink, love, sleep, clean, communicate, travel and defend rights just like
us. Your characters will leap off the written page and resonate with readers!
