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4 Tips for Writing Foils

Anybody Can Write a Novel 2.0

Chapter 5 “Characters” – Section 6 “Foils”

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"When you have a Green Lantern mixing with a foil like Batman, you get scenes that are comic-book history. There's the epicness of it all."
-Jim Lee

A Foil, a character that contrasts the protagonist or another major character, is one that most writers and readers do not pay very close attention. This is for two reasons. First, a well-crafted story interweaves the foil so well that he/she is often difficult to identify. Second, the foil always falls into another character type. They are your antagonists, your supporting characters, your sub-protagonists, your universe fillers. In fact, all of the characters in a story can exist to foil others in various ways. A wise old mentor can foil the young protagonist in terms of experience while foiling the antagonist in terms of ethics. Today, I'm going to talk about how to foils to enhance the roles of your characters and to add interesting dynamics to the story.

Tip 1: Identify the qualities you wish to emphasize in your story and then foil them.
We've talked a little in the past about depth, symbolism, and meaning in stories, as well as the ideals and attributes that your characters should embody. Well now comes the time to list these major attributes and ideals for both your story and your characters. In the Harry Potter books, for example, what set the hero apart from those around him was his love for his friends. This was foiled by other characters in a number of ways, The bully Malfoy demonstrated a life with friends who simply feared you. Harry's father demonstrated the consequence of having a friend who would betray you. Voldemort demonstrated a life where one refuses to look at friends as respectable people but mere pawns. Figure out the major themes in your story. What about your protagonist sets them apart from the others, so that we actually care about hearing that person's story? Once you figure that out, you can create variations in that themes for many other characters in your story.

Tip 2: Figure out which natural foils you have already created.
Naturally, your idea for an antagonist will likely serve as a foil for your protagonist—as the ideals which set them against one another will show a stark contrast for both of them. But also figure out which supporting characters have natural foils—opposing mentors or perhaps different love interests. These characters need not be enemies, only characters with personalities that starkly contrast one another. One thing I particularly liked about “Harry Potter” was how Rowling created Crabbe, and Goyle to serve as foils for Draco Malfoy. They showed that by comparison, Draco honestly was trying to work hard, find a place for himself in the world, and had a surprising amount of depth (especially for a minor antagonist). When you create characters who work together, they will naturally have things in common. They will all be driven to a similar degree or have a similar interest. Once you find what brings them together, you can see how the different characters react, look at, or deal with this commonality. If the fictional friends want to slay a dragon, for example, you can foil them off one another in what means they are willing to undergo to achieve that end. Find commonalities between groups of character and think of dynamic ways to contrast your characters.

Tip 3: Make sure that none of your characters' entire identity is in being a foil.
While I loved how Rowling used Crabbe and Goyle to foil the good attributes in Draco, I hate those two characters in and of themselves—and consider them a failed opportunity. Why? Because they had no depth or character outside of being plot devices. At no point did the author cause me to feel any amount of empathy for either of them. Now, this may not come off as any sort of grand loss since we don't have any basis for comparison. But let's contrast it with a story that has an interesting subplot with minor antagonists. An example that comes to mind is the television show, the Venture Bros. The two monarch henchmen who very easily could have been mere foils of better henchmen become so interesting in the story that the creators eventually have to give them their own story-arc. As with all characters, make your foils deeper than mere plot devices and you will create an unexpected gem in your story.

Tip 4: Remember not to overdo it, and to foil only those attributes which make the story more dynamic.
You don't need to foil each and every good attribute in your protagonist. If your hero is a brave boyscout who hates fire, you don't have to make your villain a cowardly lawyer who loves ice. Apart from as satire (which, come to think of it, I kind of want to watch now) that would be ridiculous and noticeable to the audience. It creates a better story dynamic to balance the good and the bad things that you foil in your characters. Focus on a few solid attributes that you want to foil and make sure that one person is not the sole embodiment of everything your protagonist stands against. Subtlety will make a world of difference for the quality of your story and the best plot devices are the ones that the audience doesn't even notice.

Write-a-Novel Exercise 5.6
Using the tips above, create a list of all the foils you plan to create between characters.

-O-

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