Do you create characters based off of people you know or from your imagination? If from your imagination, how do you do it?
Why are we ignoring the fact we are writing now?
But Victor is just a figment of our imagination, after all.I mean fiction, stories.Why are we ignoring the fact we are writing now?
Do you create characters based off of people you know or from your imagination? If from your imagination, how do you do it?
That is interesting. So do you think that a character will be an ISTJ or whatever and then describe how you imagine an ISTJ would react to the situation?I try to be original but then realize that is impossible. I think most of my characters are a mix of attributes from several characters or people I know. I'm even influenced by MBTI.
It's a mix, really. I usually start with the basic idea of the story, just a few sentences. From that I identify a very broad sketch of the main characters, again just a sentence or two. Then I flesh out the protagonist with traits from myself or people I know, and write a one page biography of him. Then I'll build the other characters in relation to the protagonist, and let the details of the plot come from the way these characters interact.
Imagination. I tend to first identify the character's roles and mechanical reasons for being in the story, and then build them around that functionality, flesh them out in a particular way that's important, ascribe to them certain traits that'd make sense for their role.
Ha I feel that way about a lot of creative stuff, or just kind of make stuff until you get through the block or do something else until you feel ready or something.When I write, I picture scenes happening and I just go with it. I have to be in the right mood. I don't think about it too hard. If my mood is right, it just flows.
Haha take that GUY.It tends to be a blend of both for me.
I try my best to make it as wholly imagined as possible with a swirl of someone from real life to lend them that extra bit of soul.
I find it too restrictive to try and base a written character off of someone I know... plus, you never know what may happen to that person... Funny story! In college I took a writing class for short stories. I was dating a guy at the time that I cared enough about, I tossed him into the main character role of my story. Then he breaks up with me on my birthday. I was very upset, to put it mildly, and had this dumb story to finish for my class. So.... I ended up changing a few details and made him end up miserable and alone. Revenge is a dish best served on paper.
The End.
But Victor is just a figment of our imagination, after all.
My fictional characters usually start as a seed of something I have seen - either a real person, or a preexisting character - but then soon take on a life of their own.