Tuesday, April 12, 2011

J is for Juxtaposition

In my writing group, the thing that I really love when I'm reading other people's stories is the juxtaposition of one thing against another.  Several obvious examples of juxtaposition from Star Wars come to mind:
  • A very naive Luke Skywalker interacting with a very wise Yoda.
  • The dark side of the force vs. the light.
  • Luke's boyishness vs. Han's manliness.
  • Stormtroopers dressed in white armor even though they are working for the dark side.
I love juxtaposition more when it's subtle.  I like to have a character feel a heat when it's bitter cold outside.  I like the idea of a character feeling alone and lost in the center of a large crowd of people.  I love the image of a calm, quiet evening while a character completely wigs out on the inside.  I think it's fun to create these dichotomies.  This is one of the things I love about writing fiction.

2 comments:

  1. I've never paid attention but you're right...it's that whole opposites attract thing!

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  2. Thanks for your comment. I visited your blog. I loved the scrunchie post.

    ReplyDelete