There are certain questions a writer will be asked at some point:
1) Are you published?
2) How do you write?
3) Do you base your characters on anyone you know?
I'm going to answer number 3.
3) Yes and no. Characters are a weird. Some like to pop into your brain fully formed and ready to cooperate. Some take time to show who they are. I've never based a character on a particular person. Aspects of their personality may be taken from my friends and family and people I know. I may even add a bit of myself in there. Also, I like to people watch. A character may come from the person in the street/shop who was doing something interesting/reacting in a certain way.
Inspiration is all around. Drawing on what you know, what you want to know, what your experiences are etc., can help create a rich, complex character for you to weave into your story.
How do you create your characters?
My characters come from everywhere.
ReplyDeleteOne character I had was based on "what I imagine my dad would've been like as a teenager if he had been abandoned by his parents...and born in Wales."
Two others came from friends of mine saying "Put us in your book!" I kept their names and started with one defining character trait from each of them but extrapolated the rest.
I would say every character I have starts with something pulled from myself or someone I know, but where they go, nobody knows :-)
My main characters usually start with an aspect of myself (yes, I'm that narcissistic I guess!), but then evolve into their own characters. But interestingly, in my first book, the love interest/guy was actually the most like my real personality, not the mc. Although, I am a Gemini and my "real personality" is subject to change at any given moment.
ReplyDeleteI have some characters (both main and side) that are inspired by real people. Some more than others. But most of them are formed more by what I want for that character to be, if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteMy most recent PBs main character is based on one of my college students. The MC in the book is only six, but his story was inspired by real life.
ReplyDeleteI don't tend to think of any one person I know when I develop characters. I might take traits here and there (a friend's twitchiness; my grandmother's feistiness; a college roommate's sadness) and see where that takes me.
ReplyDeleteMy characters start out by fitting a particular situation or need. By the time I finish a first draft, I've gotten to know their personalities and interests. The second draft is when their true colors come out, and sometimes a strong or unexpected personality can change everything! (a good reminder for me: don't dwell too long on a first draft) :-)
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