One of the most common bits of advice thrown at fiction writers is to “show, not tell” when it comes to describing characters. Showing, rather than telling is good advice and does indeed lead to stronger writing and deeper, more believable characters. Showing your hero rush into a burning orphanage will create an image of bravery in your reader’s head that’s far stronger than merely describing your hero as brave ever could be.

However, there isn’t always an orphanage available for torching. Or, you, the author, might wish to make a more subtle play at the act of showing. In these instances you have several options at your disposal, but one of my personal favorites is to show through a contrasting character — a foil, in the terms of the trade.

So, what’s a foil?

In the most basic form, a foil is a character with a distinct trait which stands in dramatic contrast to another character — typically contrasting the protagonist. The dynamics are classic. Bravery is contrasted with cowardice. The tall are poised opposite the short. The attractive against the ugly. The strength of a foil is that most traits which can be applied to a character typically have an opposite.

Types of foils

Simply picking out the opposite trait is merely the first step in crafting a foil. How you, the author, utilizes the foil boils down to the foil’s actual role. But there are three basic methods for implementing a foil: the simple, the obtuse, and the complex.

The Simple Foil

The simple foil, as the name suggests, is a one-dimensional character. This type of foil has but one prominent, descriptive trait which contrasts your protagonist. The simple foil is a quick character, frequently only used to make a contrast and then not seen or heard from again. A simple foil is basically an adjective that makes a cameo.

The Obtuse Foil

The obtuse foil is a more fully fleshed-out foil than his or her simple counterpart. The character has traits that they can be associated with, appears numerous times, but still has that one obvious trait which sums them up. How obvious? Well, that largely depends on the character, but that contrasting trait will usually come out when describing the character. For instance, “Oh, Charlie? He’s a real…” Nice guy? Jerk? Thrifty? Depends on what you’re contrasting.

The Complex Foil

Taking things a step further leads us to the complex foil. For the majority of the story, the complex character is a simple, fleshed-out, fully realized character. Until it’s dramatically appropriate. Want to establish your young hero as being straight-edge? Having their friend throwing a party with beer, while cliché, turns a realized character into a foil. This change, and the character’s, reaction provides the contrast as well as plot-fodder for the remainder of the story.

The Point of a Foil

The point of a foil, and the key to a good foil, is to provide a marked contrast and cement the desired image one character in the mind of the reader. A foil is merely a means to an end, but when done right, can show things about characters that will even surprise you, the author. When using foils, perhaps the most important question to ask it — what sets my character out, and how do I show that best? Sometimes it’s the burning orphanage, and sometimes it’s a best friend with a six pack of warm beer.

This article was written by P. Bradley Robb http://www.bradleyrobb.net/ P. Bradley Robb is an author and copywriter. He maintains his own personal writer's website, as well as an online site catering towards fiction writing. You can follow him on Twitter as @knownhuman. To see more posts click here

Related Posts

• Understanding Narrative Mode
• Conflict and character
• How to write about real people without getting sued
• The Power of Archetypal Characters