Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Tuesday Tropes: Crash Into Hello


You've started your story, introduced us to your main character, and things are going well, but if you don't introduce us to that sexy love interest soon, people will yawn - what better way than a collision course?

Crash Into Hello - a quick, usually action oriented way to introduce two (or more) characters to each other, often because a character is running late and is not paying attention to where they're going (with multiple variations). This trope can be used both for comedic or dramatic effect.         < in this case, Catch Into Hello.

Remember when Bella met Edward? Yeah. Potential boyfriends don't usually throw themselves into a car's path to save a girl. Well, maybe they do, but the boy rarely gets out of such a clinch without a scratch.

Crap ... I nicked a nail!

When Korben met Leeloo, he never thought the girl of his dreams would crash through the roof of his cab.

Future girls don't use doors!

Sometimes the Crash happens by other means and requires a rescue - Hello still finds a way in there.

Sometimes it's good to miss the train ...

These encounters are typically messy - papers fly, books drop, or orange juice spills all over the place.



Other examples of this trope include Sturm and Alhana from The Dragonlance Chronicles, the last minutes of The Secret of NIMH, and a scene from season 2 of Heroes, including countless examples from Anime.

Since people typically watch where they're going, this trope is not always easy to pull off effectively - but accidents do happen, as do chance encounters. Feel free to take a creative approach and crash into it!

Ever used Crash Into Hello? Has this happened to you in real life? Name other examples? Do you have $3.50?

I'm David, and who's up for a game of Mistborn?

I'll have some Atium, please!

40 comments:

  1. I haven't used this one yet. And the only other one I can think of is in She's the Man, lol. But that's between two girls and it sparks a one-sided love interest...

    Not sure if that one counts, lol.

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  2. I don't really use a 'crash' to get my romantic tension started, but it definitely works! I've read so many books that use the Crash into Hello way of beginning, and I really like it! It's fun to read :)

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  3. I haven't used this one yet either. :) I do have an idea I'm toying with though...

    Great post. :)

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  4. I love Crash Into Hello! There's an instance of this in Strength. :)

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  5. Haven't used that one yet.
    Crap, now I have this strange urge to watch The Fifth Element. Wonder if it's a live stream on NetFlix? (Yes, I watch movies at work. While working. And blogging!)

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  6. I don't think I've used this one yet. At least, I don't think so.

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  7. How about a ship crashing into a bunch of dragon hunters? Does that count for Crash into Hello? I LOVE how Korben and Leeloo met!

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  8. Love it.

    Now it'll be my goal to write in one of these "hello's" ...

    :D

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  9. I have used a crash into hello. It was an opener for a book I've since put aside. It had a great hello crash, but then went nowhere.

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  10. I have used this for one of the scenes of my YA book. I know its a cliche (boy saving girl) but I couldn't resist it ;)

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  11. Crash...nice idea. I think what makes this work is that fact that it sets the characters against one another initially, which gives them extra tension and something to overcome before falling in love. Very neat:)

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  12. I've never used it. But I've had it happen to me a couple of times, so it seems real to me. Hmmm, maybe I need to pay more attention to real life.

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  13. Nope, never used this trope, as it seems more like a cliche to me since it's so common. Reminds me of the hate-becomes-irritation-becomes-love trope. Sometimes, it's just too obvious a mechanism to introduce a love interest.

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  14. Oh, my freakin' heck! A Mistborn game? Is it a board game or a video game. I so want these movies made in to a movie. The fight scenes could be epic!

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  15. I write middle grade...not too much romance going on there. But your post is so nicely done. :)

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  16. I haven't thought about Sturm and Alhana in forever. I loved those books. Hmmm... now I'm thinking about the crash meetings. I never thought about it before, but I'll be paying more attention now!

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  17. Pick me! Pick me! I'll play Mistborn!!

    Haha ( : I love your crash-and-meet concept! When in doubt... have hot guy and hot girl--litteraly--fall head over heels for each other!

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  18. Love the Notting Hill clip. I've seen the last half of that movie at least a dozen times but I've never actually seen the beginning.

    I used the crash into hello in my last YA novel.

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  19. Love Knotting Hill, great example! I have used the crash into hello. Love it when a good relationship starts that way.

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  20. You're right; that is exactly what Edward would say.

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  21. Wow, what a concept! I did not realize just how often the concept is used to introduce characters or love interests. I used a crash scene to introduce my main characters to each other. But in my story, the girl saved the guy :)

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  22. I think I might have actually used this one. The characters didn't quite smash into each other, but they came very close.

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  23. Hey David, you have been tagged! Please come over and visit my blog. Thank you :-)

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  24. I haven't used this one, but I REALLY want the Mistborn game when it comes out. And yes, I have $3.15, but it shall be going toward my next coffee so you can't have it. *sticking tongue out like a 5 year old*

    Great post, David!

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  25. No, I've never used this as a way for characters to meet. But you've got some great examples here. Thanks.

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  26. I'm guilty of this one. But typically, I'm lost in my head and I walk into walls. Crashing into hello isn't unusual in my mind!

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  27. There's lots of bumping into people in bars in terms of real life, sometimes I've wondered if they were engineered "crashes into hello" but haven't yet used it in a story that I recall.

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  28. Crash ... crash ... um ... does falling back through a statue and meeting Anubis count? ... Wait! Wait! My space centaur! He rescues his future love! Surely that ticks the box. ^_^

    And no, I don't have $3.50. I is broke. -_-

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  29. I've noticed it, but haven't used it yet myself. I'm keeping it in reserve for one of those desperate moments ^^

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  30. Hi Dave,

    Congrats!

    You earned Fourth Place and won a special prize at my "Got Green?" St. Patrick's Day Blog O'hop:)

    Check it out when you have a moment, and thanks for taking the time to participate:)

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  31. I haven't tried using this one yet, though I did plan on a version of it for a novel I never finished.

    Interesting post!

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  32. I love the crash into hello. It can be hilarious and romantic in the same moment!

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  33. I've used that in my WIP actually in the first chapter. It pretty much makes me get all giggly. I hope it works well for others... not just me. Eep!

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  34. I haven't ever given this much thought. Though, I am now! Maybe the next book, and then I'll throw you in the acknowledgment section for it :)

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  35. It seems like there is a movie when the characters crash and coffee spills but for the life of me I can't remember what it is. I have an almost crash in my WIP - maybe it needs to be full fledged. Great post.

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  36. My main characters meet by crashing into each other, but they were going to meet anyway, since she was looking for him. ;)

    By the way, if you've got any spare time, tag!
    http://rachelvtsira.blogspot.com/2012/03/youre-it.html

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  37. If only I could write humor.... I'd write a crash hello... I can see a funny one, but my style of funny doesn't translate to paper :D

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  38. I do love me a good meet-cute! I don't think I've used a literal "crash into hello," but my MCs always meet in fun zany ways. :)

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  39. I haven't used this, but now I want to write something where she saves him :-)

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