Ever use Write Who You Know?

Has anyone here ever based an original character off someone you knew? Did they ever find out? How did they react? I'm just curious :)

When I was originally drawing my comics, it was a semi-collaborative effort with some people I knew, who had characters named after them and had some input into details about those characters. They weren't really "based" on the real people, though, and lost any resemblance after the group broke up.

I also named certain villains after people I disliked, but they otherwise bore no relation.

In general I don't really feel it's appropriate to directly base characters off people you know without them knowing about it, although there's nothing wrong with drawing inspiration.

I'm sure I've seen at least one other thread with the same "do you base characters on real people/how did they feel about it?" vibe.

I draw inspiration from others and frequently make composite characters - "kinda like A in personality, has B and C's hobbies (where B and C have similar interests anyway e.g. one's in the Quickdraw club (enactment, firing blanks at each other) and dresses in period, the other does Cowboy Action Shooting (live blackpowder rounds at targets), so the character belongs to both clubs and likes to dress in period for both - to use a real example), is named after D, relates to the MC like E relates to F".

I frequently use real people's mode of speech to get the sound right, especially for ESL characters or different "flavours" of English - my German character speaks like a German friend of mine, American characters speak like my American friends ("oddly enough", they also "come from" the same States as my American friends do) etc.

I used to base characters directly on friends - with their prior permission - but have largely dropped that in favour of composites.

edited 29th Jul '13 3:55:56 PM by Wolf1066

I've had an ESL teacher, which I later used for reference when writing a character who did not speak English as a first language. Knowing how much error is actually plausible was actually a very good help in avoiding falling into 'over-exaggerated stereotype.' Other than the fact that both the teacher and the character happened to be quite intelligent, they didn't really share any personality traits or mannerisms (sans a couple minor Vocal Tic)

• I've also based two characters off a couple people I was well acquainted with, although I mostly took from their 'dynamic' rather than anything particularly 'personal.' They do share some minor personality traits, but (even though their characterization is still in early development) they've branched off greatly from their 'inspirations' and the people who I've shown the rough drafts of their characters of have noted no similarity.

Knowing what errors are plausible or common is paramount in writing ESL characters - my German friend's "we'll tell us stories", one Chinese friend's difficulties with He/she and his/her (I'm going to my friend's house, now, he is lending me her course notes). Far better than "preese to be taking raundry" or "vee haf vays of making you tok" or other cringe-inducing crap.

Dynamics are one of the things I'll pinch - I ensure that the characters have the relevant personalities, though. I wouldn't base one's personality on A and the other's on B then give them the dynamic that C has with D. They have A and B's dynamic - but they might share C and D's hobbies, speak like E and F and have G and H's personal habits.

edited 29th Jul '13 4:10:02 PM by Wolf1066

Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly. In nearly all cases, it's not that the character is depicted badly and that is why I don't want to risk fhe person 'recognizing themself,' it's just that A. That would seem kind of creepy and B. most of the stuff I write is kind of weird anyhow and C. They'd probably be weirded out that a character that is based off of them is something like 'the owner of a sex toy shop' or such (note: I've never actually done that, that was simply a possible example)

I usually pick one or another trait, not the whole character. Such as a small quirk or some aspect of their personality, like Asmodai's easygoing nature, which was taken from a close friend of mine, but being a heavy-drinking, brawling irish-accented Bloodknight is pretty much the opposite of his personality.

The closest to using a whole perosn was Elizabeth Tremble, co-protagonist and daughter of the main protagonist Jonathan Tremble, who had her physical appearance taken wholesale from a female friend of mine (Raven Hair, Ivory Skin, Shes Got Legs and whatnot), but the personality was entirely different.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."

I developed an almost complete roster for a military outfit using the names (and sometimes ranks) of people I knew in the Army. While such characters are solely a one chapter affair (and pretty much solely background) I did do such a thing.

For instance in that chapter it's mentioned that one of the units involved is led by my former C.O. named Captain Summerville. One of her platoon sergeants is named Howard who was my drill sergeant (and the best damn leader/teacher you'd ever find). Then there were the guys around me like Vignali, Zhang, Pembleton, Tuggle, Abdul, Olivo, Woodbury...

If they ever find out (I doubt they will) and they come to ask me sometime in the far future, I'll flat out be honest and say it's them in that chapter.

edited 29th Jul '13 4:54:30 PM by MajorTom

"Allah may guide their bullets, but Jesus helps those who aim down the sights."

Yes and no. I sometimes find out that certain characters fill roles of people in my life (the most awkward one being when I noticed similarities between my mom, and my 6 foot 3 gay muscle man.)

But I usually just snipe quirks, facts, or general vibes.

Read my stories!

This is most likely bad form, but nearly all of my characters are composites of people that I know.

I used to do this very straight, and it was pretty bad form. Now I only reuse people from life if there's some kind of severe twist on them. One character's someone I know if they were more of a Stepford Smiler than an actual optimist and were also secretly gay. One character is someone I used to know a long time ago if I were closer to them and they were an Armored Closet Gay. One character is someone I know if they were actually asexual instead of having unobtainable standards (and were white). One character is me if I were black and more secure in myself. One character is the worst parts of me crossed with the worst parts of my former best friend who I no longer get along with well, except as a serial killer who eventually learns that he's The Antichrist. One character is my stepmother, who I never liked, or vice versa, if she were actually my mother but still treated me the same way. One character is someone who used to lead my Boy Scout troop if they secretly had a devious plan for attaining their goals, and were Ambiguously Gay. One character is my old science teacher if he owned a book store and was an extremely Tragic Villain. One character is my former best friend's ex-girlfriend if her boyfriend were the aforementioned serial killer and she slowly went sane. Interestingly, a lot of significant characters, including the protagonist and the main love interest, are not significantly drawing on individuals I know in real life. But I always try to have some major distinction from the real-life person.

I'd say I'm being refined Into the web I descend Killing those I've left behind I have been Endarkened

The first stories I wrote only had people I actually knew as characters. I'd take my friends and write them into a cliche plot or scenario (usually horror based) and try to write how they'd get react. They had a lot of fun arguing about how I portrayed them, and seeing how they fared before they were inevitably killed off.

I don't include real life people so blatantly any more, but the character archetypes I created based on my (not necessarily accurate) depictions of my friends have survived in some form or another.

Nobody wants to be a pawn in the game of life. What they don't realize is the game of life is Minesweeper.

I've done it. I worked a couple of my childhood friends into my stories.

I like to keep my audience riveted.

I generally work those who've been very helpful towards me and my writing process into my story somehow as a tribute to their efforts on my behalf*

. I have two rules on this though...

• 1: No character based on someone I know is going to die. Yes I'm aware that's irrational, but it seems rude to do otherwise.
• 2: I change the character enough that the source is not immediately obvious; if necessary, I take two people I know and make a portmanteau out of them.

Also, tribute characters are always either protagonists or sympathetic in some way.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

That's funny, because I just realized that only three of post 11's characters survive (a few of them are unsympathetic, too).

I'd say I'm being refined Into the web I descend Killing those I've left behind I have been Endarkened

Well you have your way and I have mine.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

For minor characters, ones who help the main characters along the way, if their name is mentioned, their names are most likely to be "Angus" or "Nigel" or "Ashley" or "Lindsay" if male and "Julie", "Debbie", "Sharon" or "Vicky" if female.

Old friends from school.

I neither confirm nor deny any significance to the names of antagonistic characters.

I've only done this when I have asked for, and received, permission ahead of time. Actually, I borrowed a character that someone else had wrote, but he had based that character on himself, so...

Also, I've based characters in my works on me. Specifically the villain.

"We learn from history that we do not learn from history."

I've considered it. But I've never used it.

Nous restons ici.

That's actually kind of funny Drunk Scriblerian, because one character I based off if someone (quite loosely though) ends up being belived to be dead, only for it to later be revealed that they survived. I could never have the heart to kill them off for real, I'm rather attached to the character themself as well as the real life person they are inspired by.

Basing a character off of a real person is a good way to give the character a depth that he wouldn't have if he was just from your imagination. I know a person I would want to make into a character if I could write.

Even though I often use it, I feel like I use it poorly. Hence one dimensional abominations of characters that plague my writing.

My characters often have some elements derived from people I know, as it makes writing their personality easier. Usually the more time I spend thinking about them the less they start to resemble the people they were based on as I start to develop their character.

For example, in Forgotten Lore, the three protagonists are loosely base don myself (similar appearance and hobbies, but different personality), a friend of my (similar appearance, but not much else), and a combination of two separate characters from an earlier version of the story, one of which was based heavily on a friend of mine and another which was wholly original (basically it ended up with them sharing some basic personality traits with my friend, but not much else. Also I imagine them talking with a similar voice but that can't really be shown in a printed medium).

For minor background characters I am more likely to directly use people I know as a template, since it's easier than coming up with a personality for a character that only makes a small appearance and doesn't really affect the plot. Sometimes I do it as sort of a shout out to people I know, like maybe a characters are eating in a restaurant and one of their mentions that his friend Harry works at the place (when in real life I'm friends with a guy called Harry who works in a restaurant).

Technically, yes: I take pieces of the personalities of people that I know (like my editor for instance, but he's cool with it) and use them as character attributes.

مرا داد فرمود و خود داور &

I, personally, feel incredibly awkward if anyone's too similar to someone I know. If there's someone I know reasonably well (talking to them on a regular basis, say), I can't even use their names any more because I don't want to associate my characters with them. Fortunately my stories aren't set in Europe/modern North America knockoffs, so there's no reason to use the names of people I usually get to know anyway.

I guess it just feels too personal? When I write, I write in my space, a world of my own creation. I don't want anyone real in there. And it would be weird, like I'm controlling their actions to further my characters' plots.

So, well, it's basically never happened. (Which doesn't mean I was incredibly original in character creation. I used to steal traits from fictional characters instead.)

You will not go to space today.