My husband’s phone rang, and I didn’t recognize the name that flashed on his screen. “Who’s that?” I asked.
“You know Paul,” he said.
“The Paul who works on cars?”
“No.” His voice shifted into character to quote the Paul in question. “All God’s children love the blues.”
“Oh, Paul the flooring guy who plays in a band!”
My husband didn’t have to explain to me who Paul was. He only had to quote the man’s catchphrase. It’s one of our favorite catchphrases to quote.
Catchphrases work in fiction because they both reflect real life and they stick with you. See if you can name the shows that use the following quotes:
“Live long and prosper.”
“How
you doin’?”“Yabba dabba doo!”
If you guessed
Star Trek, Friends, and The Flintstones, you’re correct. These lines work because they do what dialog should. They reveal character.Think about your friends in real life who have something they say a lot.
My brother-in-law always says, “It is what it is.” Whenever I hear that phrase, I think of him.
My best friend exclaims, “Holy Martha.” If I had a character in a book who said, “Holy Martha,” I wouldn’t need to use a tag or beat to show who was talking. The reader would already know.
We don’t all use the same lingo. So when you write, your characters shouldn’t all sound like you. Bring them to life with their own catchphrases.
In my children’s book,
The Snowball Fight Professional, I had Grandpa mix up his words. Rather than saying, “Be good and have fun,” he said, “Be fun and have good.” That became Joey’s catchphrase. In a later book, The Pillow Fight Professional, Joey uses the phrase, “I got da moves.”You can have a lot of fun with these repeated lines. Other characters can start joining in and even finishing the phrase. Or you can reverse catchphrases like they did in
Back to the Future when Marty McFly says, “Great Scott,” and Doc responds, “I know. This is heavy.”Do your characters have a catchphrase? If not, start listening to the people around you to see if anyone says something that might fit your story. Or ask writer friends to brainstorm with you. It’s fun, and it will help your work be memorable. Kinda like Paul, our flooring guy.
Husband Auditions
In a world full of happily-ever-after love, Meri Newberg feels like the last young woman on the planet to be single, at least in her Christian friend group. So when she’s handed a strange present at the latest wedding–a 1950s magazine article of “ways to get a husband”–she decides there’s nothing to lose by trying out its advice. After all, she can’t get any more single, can she?
Her brother’s roommate sees the whole thing as a great opportunity. Not to fall in love–Kai Kamaka has no interest in the effort a serious relationship takes. No, this is a career jump start. He talks Meri into letting him film every silly husband-catching attempt for a new online show. If it goes viral, his career as a cameraman will be made.
When Meri Me debuts, it’s an instant hit. People love watching her lasso men on street corners, drop handkerchiefs for unsuspecting potential beaus, and otherwise embarrass herself in pursuit of true love. But the longer this game goes on, the less sure Kai is that he wants Meri to snag anyone but him. The only problem is that he may not be the kind of husband material she’s looking for . . .
Angela Ruth Strong sold her first Christian romance novel in 2009 then quit writing romance when her husband left her. Ten years later, God has shown her the true meaning of love, and there’s nothing else she’d rather write about. Her books have since earned TOP PICK in Romantic Times, been optioned for film, won the Cascade Award, and been Amazon best-sellers. She also writes non-fiction for SpiritLed Woman. To help aspiring authors, she started IDAhope Writers where she lives in Idaho, and she teaches as an expert online at WRITE THAT BOOK.
Comments 2
Just this morning, I noticed how frequently Chuck Swindoll says, “Let me tell ya something.” I heard it twice in one short “Life track” broadcast.
Yes! I had an old professor who always said, “Let us share” or “we share” or “I will share.” One class I just counted all the times he said share.