choosing characters
By amymelissa
@amymelissa (136)
Australia
March 31, 2008 8:04pm CST
This goes out to all of the fiction writers here on MyLot. How do you choose the characters for your stories? Do they create themselves and have a life of their own or do you control everything that they do? Do you base characters on real people in your life?
I find that somewhere in any of my stories I will always write myself into the story. Either as the main character or as a minor part I have a habit of putting myself in there. My friends always seem to pop up as well, whatever I write. Of course I change all of the names and even a couple personality traits, but it's obvious that they still are the people around me.
4 responses
@Darkwing (21583)
•
1 Apr 08
Sometimes I'll use real people... i.e. friends and myself, as you do, simply because my storyline is perhaps based on something that happened in my life, which I want to develop in my fictional storyline.
Other times, I'll sketch the characters, give them each a name, and a personality and work round that. I'm in control of them in a way, but because I've given them a personality before I begin writing, I will develop the character within it's creational state, if you know what I mean. 
Brightest Blessings.
Brightest Blessings.@amymelissa (136)
• Australia
2 Apr 08
Thank you for your response. But do you find that when you're writing pure fiction (no relation to your real life) that you'll put in friends or just made-up characters?
1 person likes this
@mhayelynna (363)
• Philippines
3 Apr 08
like you i put myself and my friends into my stories, i just change a couple of personality traits and give some twists.. but me and my friends only play minor characters and the major characters are just from my pen.. well i had a couple of stories that me and my friends are the lead characters.. but all others we're just minor character..because if we would always be the major characters.. my stories would be boring.. and the ploy would always almost be the same..
1 person likes this
@amymelissa (136)
• Australia
4 Apr 08
I've found that whenever I write stories I only have generally about 2 or 3 characters to play the main role and I'll use their personalities in various stories, but just with different names. Thanks for responding.
@xavierkyle (223)
• Philippines
28 Apr 08
I don't know. I got a collection of names that I've been collecting every time I find it good to hear or just different. sometimes, I base my characters on a real person.
@autumnsong (42)
• Philippines
2 Apr 08
I usually base characters on me and my friends. But I do make up my own characters. But it's easier for me to write a story with characters based on my friends. I already know their personality and how I should portray their characters. I try not to make my own characters because they sound too perfect or flawless.
1 person likes this
@amymelissa (136)
• Australia
2 Apr 08
I agree with you. It's much easier to write how a character should act etc if you're basing it on someone you know. I've made up my own characters ocassionally and they just never turn out quite the same.
