Can you base characters on yourself? Memorable characters?
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Can you base characters on yourself? Memorable characters?
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The problem people have is when it's really obvious that the author is living vicariously through a specific character, for fantasy fulfillment. "He'd just achieved the highest score possible in this specific video game, which is, of course, the most noble game in existence. The hottest girl in school wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him. 'You're the most handsome boy I've ever seen,' she said. Then the school bully tried to push him. He broke three of the bully's ribs in one punch, because he was also a fifth-degree black belt."
That gets annoying really quickly.
I think some of the better advice I've seen for making a character memorable is to give them a serious flaw that ultimately causes them to mess up their own life or the plot. The reader should, at some point, be yelling at the character not to do something, while understanding exactly why the character is definitely going to do it.
- KS Crooks
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That's not to say that basing a character solely on yourself is a good idea. Each character needs to have some unique aspects to be relatable. If all you do is base your character on yourself then you aren't tapping into your imagination and creating something new, you're just writing about yourself, and honestly, not many people want to read about how you lived your life unless it's clearly an autobiography.
- scullen
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“I don't think all writers are sad, she said. I think it's the other way around- all sad people write.” - Langleav
- Traxy
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Like others have said, most characters have at least an element of you in them, and I agree with Rebeccaej - if you write the character as wish-fulfillment, it gets annoying.
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I feel its more personal preference. Whatever you are most comfortable with will come out best in your writing!
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