My character's not like me

CaroGirl · May 23, 2007

I like her anyway, in fact she's very likeable indeed, but she has some major differences from me. My story is contemporary but my character doesn't like to watch movies or television. I, however, am a child of television and find myself constantly wanting my character to relate things to stuff she's seen on tv and in the movies. Oh wait, she doesn't watch tv or movies. Crap. Anyone else have a problem like this?

veinglory · May 23, 2007

Is it a problem? My last POV character was a fifty year old violent American male vampire, the current one is a paraplegic pesimist who I don't even like very much but he makes sense in the context of the story.

Mandy-Jane · May 23, 2007

I think it makes you a better writer if you have to write about something that's foreign to you.

Anyway, why can't she relate to stuff she reads in books, instead of seeing it on TV?

CaroGirl · May 23, 2007

veinglory said:
Is it a problem? My last POV character was a fifty year old violent American male vampire, the current one is a paraplegic pesimist who I don't even like very much but he makes sense in the context of the story.

Hmmm, maybe it's only a problem if the pov character is a little bit like you, but not. My current pov character is a lot more like me than my last pov character. Maybe my problem is that she's too much like me (?)

CaroGirl · May 23, 2007

Mandy-Jane said:
Anyway, why can't she relate to stuff she reads in books, instead of seeing it on TV?

Yeah. That's what I've been doing instead. For some reason, though, it just keeps tripping me up.

veinglory · May 23, 2007

I tend to try and relate to my characters emotional world as I would to a friend, understanding without identifying...

Elektra · May 23, 2007

Maybe you just like your character too much. You keep wanting to find common ground.

Scrawler · May 23, 2007

My character does things I'd never do, but that's what makes it fun.

Chris Grey · May 23, 2007

I have a character who does the exact same things I do, and that's why I want to strangle him.

glassquill · May 23, 2007

I would be worried if my characters were like me because it would be a VERY dull book indeed.

Siddow · May 23, 2007

My character is deaf, and I'm having a heck of a time not putting sounds into the manuscript. There's no click of a latch, ringing of a phone, ding of a microwave, bark of a dog. Dialog is not affected by tone; there is no tone. I'm writing in first person. My character is a speech reader, but he sometimes reads things wrong.

It's hard.

And I feel great about it.

glassquill · May 23, 2007

That sounds like an interesting character you have there, Siddow. It must be a real challenge to write realistically. I applaud you for your courage in taking up that challenge. :Clap:

alaskamatt17 · May 23, 2007

In one of my story's the main character was blind. I tend to rely on a lot of visual description when writing. Needless to say, that story was difficult.

Beyondian · May 24, 2007

I think that part of ourselves will probably filter through somewhere in our character. Most of my characters have something somewhere that sounds like me.
Apart from that, I've wrtten: a 13 year old English boy, 3 male and 2 female warriors, and my WIP-to-be involves a 35 yr old ex-cop ex-soldier and a 31 yr old thief. Both male.
I've never really worried about whether or not they're like me. They're them. I'm me. It honestly never crossed my mind before. >shrugs<

ccarver30 · May 24, 2007

I have one character that won't shut her trap - something I can't stand. In my 2nd novel though, she chills out/grows out of it (thank goodness cuz it is annoying!).

maddythemad · May 24, 2007

glassquill said:
I would be worried if my characters were like me because it would be a VERY dull book indeed.

I have to agree here. Being a writer, I seriously don't lead a very interesting life. Sometimes I hang out with my friends or go out, but mostly it's lounging around the house, drinking coffee, and typing on my lap top. My characters, however-- starring in my high-concept, crazy, chick-lits-- are all the life of the party/the girl everyone wants to be/fabulously horrid.

If you keep wanting to have your girl make TV references, maybe you can drag in a side character who's a TV-junkie? However, I would recommend against this in general, because there are some people who watch absolutely no TV (like me-- I don't even have one), and then others who only watch a certain show(s). Chances are, if you refer to something specifically, you will alienate a fair amount of readers.

ScarlettLeopard · May 24, 2007

maddythemad said:
If you keep wanting to have your girl make TV references, maybe you can drag in a side character who's a TV-junkie? However, I would recommend against this in general, because there are some people who watch absolutely no TV (like me-- I don't even have one), and then others who only watch a certain show(s). Chances are, if you refer to something specifically, you will alienate a fair amount of readers.

Although they might relate to the main characters not getting the tv junkie sidekick. Another thing though, if you are bringing in TV references it can really date your piece.

CaroGirl · May 24, 2007

Siddow said:
My character is deaf, and I'm having a heck of a time not putting sounds into the manuscript. There's no click of a latch, ringing of a phone, ding of a microwave, bark of a dog. Dialog is not affected by tone; there is no tone. I'm writing in first person. My character is a speech reader, but he sometimes reads things wrong.

It's hard.

And I feel great about it.

That's quite a challenge! I've set myself a similar hurdle. My character suffers from expressive aphasia: she doesn't speak. So that presents a huge problem in the show v. tell department. She can't have dialogue, only internal monologue. I have to rely on the other characters' dialogue that she overhears. It's tricky.

Good luck with yours, Siddow!

janetbellinger · May 24, 2007

Your character would feel vibrations from sound though, wouldn't she, Siddow?

CaroGirl said:
That's quite a challenge! I've set myself a similar hurdle. My character suffers from expressive aphasia: she doesn't speak. So that presents a huge problem in the show v. tell department. She can't have dialogue, only internal monologue. I have to rely on the other characters' dialogue that she overhears. It's tricky.

Good luck with yours, Siddow!

Jacob Spire · May 24, 2007

For some reason, all of my character speak with the exact same grammatical errors as I do.

glutton · May 24, 2007

Ha, that's nothing!

I'm a 5'10", 140 lb. wussy guy (and only weigh that much because I have a gut despite being stick-thin in the arms) who has a 3.9 college GPA, would probably get beaten up by most girls, has a very boring life, and is positively addicted to the internet.

Most of my protagonists are sturdily to massively built warrior chicks who live in medieval-type settings, are not book-smart (but a lot more street-smart than me), can kick the crap out of giant monsters and/or dozens to hundreds of men at the same time, and constantly get into massive trouble.

Stew21 · May 24, 2007

I have two main characters. Both men. Not only are they very different from each other, they are quite different from me, not only man/woman differences either. I'm not nearly as mentally shaky as they are.

MidnightMuse · May 24, 2007

I don't exactly go out of my way to make my MC's very different from me, but aside from being Male (I'm not) they tend to say, do, enjoy and experience things I don't. Requires study and effort, which makes writing them all that much more fun and interesting.

Sassee · May 24, 2007

glutton said:
I'm a 5'10", 140 lb. wussy guy (and only weigh that much because I have a gut despite being stick-thin in the arms) who has a 3.9 college GPA, would probably get beaten up by most girls, has a very boring life, and is positively addicted to the internet.

Just for you glutton, I'll make a character exactly like that, AND have him be interesting. There is entertainment in the mundane, you know. Just gotta know where to look for it.

Lyra Jean · May 24, 2007

My main character is a girl/woman in her 20's. Okay I write stories, well not my short ones, that I wish would happen to me. I do not put myself in the stories. The only real thing we have in common is that we are both female.

She gets sent to the other dimension or gets to be a colonist to Mars. Most of my ideas for my failed novels to date are Fantasy. There I said it. Fantasy, fantasy, fantasy.

My character's not like me

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