Character that is too much like me.

The only thing I can think to say is write whatever you want. Novelists have had success writing characters who are just like them and who are nothing like them. There are no rules.

From the way you describe the character, it doesn't sound like you're trying for a wish-fulfillment thing that would run you afoul of Mary-Sue problems. It sounds like you're trying to examine the life and troubles of a character that happens to have the same form of autism as you. Nothing wrong with that.

My only word of caution: If you yourself are still in school, do not under any circumstances make that story available to anyone at your school if you end it with a shooting. Don't post it on the internet, don't print it out and stick in your binder, don't talk about it to your teachers. You're likely to run afoul of a Zero Tolerance Policy and get expelled.

Of course you can.

Just do it well.

You risk being judged by your character if you acknowledge that the character is based on yourself. There isn't anything wrong with that, just be prepared for it if you're going to do it.

Great authors have done just this sort of thing. Tolstoy acknowledged that the character of Levin in Anna Karenina was based mostly on himself. Anne Bronte did the same with Agens Grey. Orson Scott Card didn't even realize he was writing about himself in one of his manuscripts (not sure which one off the top of my head). His editor pointed out that his character "really hates his body" and Card realized what he had done.

I think it's a good exercise in self-exploration and, perhaps, self-discovery. If you're comfortable with it, go ahead and do it.

As long as you have the capacity to create characters differing from yourself in other contexts, I don't see what's wrong with basing certain characters on different aspects of yourself...

I have a character who's a lot like me in her thought process, but very different socially. I have characters with very different temperaments and lives and circumstances than I'll ever have, but carry one or more of my traits (or traits of people I know.) Whatever, really. As someone said, no rules. And as someone else said, just do it well.

BlueLucario said:

Should I write about a character that I can relate to?

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As the main character? Absolutely! How would you convey them if you didn't relate to them? There's plenty of room for characters you have nothing in common with in supporting characters.

I find aspects of myself in all my protagonists. The MC of my current WIP is a teenage boy, while I'm a growed woman, but our ways of thinking and our aspirations are very much alike, and my friends have recognized me in the kid.

You may find if you make the character too much like you that it becomes difficult to handle any sort of criticism of the work. It can be hard to separate what may be valid points about character development, motivation and action from criticism of you if you make the character a really close reflection of yourself.

Imagine, you spend a lot of time pouring yourself into the character, making him say the things you say, do the things you do and then a reader/critic says "All this guy does is whine/goof off/waste time/whatever." That can hurt because even though they are just talking about the character it can feel like they are talking about you.

And, you may leave important information out because you know the character so intimately you forget or don't realize what the reader doesn't know. This can result in critique that views actions as implausible or unmotivated and, again, it may feel like a personal attack even when it's not meant that way.

None of this is to say that you shouldn't identify with your characters. You should try very hard to identify with your characters because this will help you make them more real. But there are pitfalls to making a character too closely resemble yourself.

Every character I write is exactly what I'd be like if I were them instead of me.

If you see what I mean.

Yes, yes you can/should.

If the character and the story feel relevant to you, then definitely go for it. You should keep in mind the ways the character differs from you, just to keep some perspective on the story, but...just think how much fun writing his reactions to things will be! You will also probably find the process comes a lot easier to you with a character who hits so close to yourself. Good luck!

David I said:

Every character I write is exactly what I'd be like if I were them instead of me.

If you see what I mean.

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An excellent point!

I'm not so concerned about the Mary Sue aspect of this, since the character is not getting something you would like to achieve, no wish fulfillment, but rather that it sounds much like premise and ending, and not much like plot. A novel is more than a fake "documentary" of events. Make sure you have a true plot.
I don't think there is an issue of you being like this boy, since I don't believe that a condition in common makes him "too much like you."

Your character can be as much like you as you want and in order to make the character believable, you need to relate to them somehow. If the author can't relate to their own MC, that's a big problem. It's crossing the line into actually making the character you that can cause problems. Like someone stated above, make the character you and your ability to handle criticism of your work as an independent entity from yourself could suffer because you'll end up taking it as a personal attack instead of constructive criticism (one of the reasons Suethors get so defensive when anyone makes any kind of criticism about their work).

Unless you're writing your memoir, remember that you, the author and the character are two separate entities.The two can meet and can share traits but you need to keep your distance in order for your character to grow and develop as their own person instead of melding into you.

BlueLucario said:

And at the end either he's going to start a school shooting or kill himself. (I'm still thinking about the end. I'm afraid of making the public scared of Aspies, they already have been badmouthed enough by the mass media.

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I agree with what others have said. There is a little bit (and sometimes a lot) of the writer in every character. This is not a problem. This is a good thing. It's why we all write different books even if we're covering the same subject matter.

Honestly, writing a character with Asperger's will probably be a benefit to you come query time, assuming you don't mind letting the agents know that you share the condition.

But let me go off on a tangent (which is the reason I quoted the passage above). I would not assume that this character is going to end by shooting up a school or killing himself. Your character is obviously starting the book in a negative place (and he may even think those are the only two ways his story can end) and that'll make for an intriguing character. But don't forget to let the character guide you and surprise you a little. Who knows where he'll end up when all is said and done?

Don't worry about what statement you're making about Asperger's. You're uniquely positioned to write this character honestly and empathetically, which means you'll avoid the stereotypes and cliches other writers might resort to. Sounds like an interesting project. Good luck.

Don't worry about having characters like you if it doesn't feel to readers that you're simply showboating talents and cool abilities that you have (or you wish you had). That will then bring you into the tricky land of ego accusations.

Many successful authors (eg. Darren Shan) have managed to directly put themselves in as the main character and still emerge victorious! It's still a risky road, though, in general.

BlueLucario said:

Should I write about a character that I can relate to?

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Yes, you should. You, the author, being able to relate to the character is the first step in getting the reader to relate to the character.

There is also an age-old writer's axiom that says, "Write what you know." Many people interpret this writing guideline too literally. It sounds like you are at least trying to take it in the proper spirit.

My male characters are almost always based off of things I see in myself.

I really don't see a problem with it. It hasn't worked out for me, mostly because I allow the characters to indulge in my daydreams that I have, and that just turns out horrible. But hey, it sounds like a good idea to me, and if it works out in the end that's great.