Taglines or catch phrases make it easy for readers to remember a character. That’s because repetition creates lasting memories.
Allow me to convince you of the effectiveness of this writing technique by playing a game. I’ll list a catch phrase, you guess the character. (I know some are from television — and some from movies that were never books; but the same principle applies.)
I'll be back.
Shaken, not stirred.
Inconceivable!
Scotty, beam me up.
I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.
Show me the money.
My precious.
You killed my father. Prepare to die!
So how do you invent taglines for your story’s characters. And, once you do, how do you insert them into dialogue without sounding contrived?
Well, that’s the art.
If you have ideas or techniques to share, please tell us in the comment section below.
Oh, and just for the fun of it, I’m sure I missed some of your favorite characters’ taglines. If so, list them below.
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Love it! Perhaps a few years from now everyone will recognize him.
It’s true that taglines make characters easier to remember but surely it’s both a gimmick and lazy to use. Characters should be memorable for being awesome characters, not for having a catchphrase.
Louise, thank you for stopping by and commenting.
I agree. A writer has to develop the character primarily through their actions and dialogue.
When used alone, taglines becomes a device. But, I believe, it can be used to compliment other techniques of character development to further the reader’s image of the character.
Some examples:
You picked great taglines to demonstrate your point. I haven’t used verbal taglines. Generally I give a character a distinct body language cue. After reading your post I’m swayed to incorporate taglines into my current WIP.
Hi, Kristal!
Thanks for the compliment — and for taking time to comment.
Please stop back and let me know how well this works for you.
btw, I like your name! The main character of my novel-in-progress is named similarly: Krystal. (Of course, that’s just one of the names she uses.)
While catch phrases are definitely a good device for association, I wonder if perhaps the more lasting catchphrases are lasting because of the rest of the character?
“My Precious” for example would not have been a lasting catchphrase if that was literally the only thing Smeagol was known for. But his single-minded determination, along with his peculiar speech patterns really make the repeated line have quite a bit more weight than the words themselves have.
This is true of all the lines you mentioned, which perhaps hint at what the ‘art’ of the catch-phrase is. It’s like the book’s log line, a quick reference to the entirety of the character.
Patrick,
As you and Louise point out, using a catchphrase by itself would appear gimmicky and amateurish to any reader.
This is simply another tool to add to our repertoire for painting characters using words.
By the way, I enjoyed the post on your blog for today, especially the strange quark song. (Yes I’m a geek who is into physics, too.)