Basing a character "kind of" on a real person?

Give him a small penis and you'll be fine.

What the Inspector said.

Or you could exercise your imagination a bit more and make the character Jorge from Brazil, Rose from Cote d'Ivoire or Kev from Tauranga.

InspectorFarquar said:

Give him a small penis and you'll be fine.

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It took me a second...

The small penis part might not work for Rose from Cote d'Ivoire.

Writer's often create stories off real people or events. Changing characters names and locations are best, unless you want to write a non-fiction manuscript. If writer's weren't allowed to be inspired to write things they've come across (people or places) and put their own spin on things, we wouldn't have so many retellings. I say go for it!

InspectorFarquar said:

Give him a small penis and you'll be fine.

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Assuming he likes penises.

Once! said:

Assuming he likes penises.

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This might clarify.

Alan Grant in Jurassic Park is based on real-life paleontologist Jack Horner, so there is a precedent for this sort of thing (mind you, Horner did serve in an advisory role on the films-not sure about the books though-so your mileage may vary).

kwanzaabot said:

Alan Grant in Jurassic Park is based on real-life paleontologist Jack Horner, so there is a precedent for this sort of thing (mind you, Horner did serve in an advisory role on the films-not sure about the books though-so your mileage may vary).

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Every fibre of my being wants to ask if that was Little Jack Horner - but I'm just going to wait for Helix to say it....

Everybody is modeled after somebody because people are people. You've met the same people throughout your life only with different faces. Someone must remind you of your crazy aunt, your nosy neighbor, or that jerk you used to work with.

Here's one: did you choose the name Oscar because he's grouchy because he has a small penis? Ahem.

mccardey said:

Every fibre of my being wants to ask if that was Little Jack Horner - but I'm just going to wait for Helix to say it....

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I don't know what you mean.

I don't "kid of" base characters on real people, I deliberately base my character on specific people, and draw the characters as close to the way these people really are as I possibly can.

Made up characters always seem to be too this, or too that. Too big, too smart, too talented, too sexy, too pretty, too perfect, too flawed, on and on. Not one of them even seems to have hemorrhoids. Worse, they also always seem to have just the skill and just the knowledge required to defeat the bad guy.

There are six billion people out there, and I know enough of them well to keep writing forever. I know them, and I use them in books.

Roxxsmom said:

The small penis part might not work for Rose from Cote d'Ivoire.

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Then again, it might. It all depends on her backstory.

Hublocker said:

Sorry. I don't get the small penis reference.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_penis_rule

I seem to remember that Amy Tan loosely based her dog trainer character in one of her books on real-life trainer Ian Dunbar. I'm guessing she had his blessing, however. I've read other books, though, where it's pretty clear that some character or event was inspired by someone or something that had been in the news around the time the book was written.

Hmm, and wasn't that awful woman in the Harry Potter books (Rita Skeeter) loosely based on a real life gossip columnist?

Hublocker said:

Let's say I know of a real a squatter in the mountains of the Yukon named Klaus from Austria who fancies himself a grizzly bear researcher and has found funding from private sources to finance his "research," despite not being a biologist or possessing any real scientific qualifications. But he has found real credibility with the bear hugger crowd.


Now let's imagine I create a character named Oscar from Norway who is essentially doing what I described above and in my story ends up in a collision of purposes with a real scientific observation team sent out by a university with official government approval.

Is Oscar too obviously modeled on Klaus?

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I agree with those who say just switch up the details a bit. Maybe Oscar from Finland who's researching wolves.

I know Mr. Ritchie said this somewhere in the thread, but I agree with him. Base your character on a real one, but just shift the details a bit. I put my mother-in-law in two stories and my great aunt in one. I put my sister in another, though she'd never in a million years recognize herself. The thing is, you know this person, so you know how they will walk, talk, act, react, nag or whine, scream or cry, be silent or introspective, whatever they are. It's so easy to write a character this way.

And sometimes I make up the person from the bottom up, but what happens is he or she walks on stage and there they are. (And maybe they're based on a real person, too, and I just don't know it.)

But the first kind is easier to write, and strangely so, more enjoyable.

I'm not even sure that it is possible to create a character that uses no traits borrowed from real people. I have tried.

As a counter question. Is It possible to create a human character that is not based on a reason person?

I base all my characters, always, "kind of" on real people. That is, having some of the characteristics I've observed in real people, combined to my liking for the purposes of the story. I think a lot of writers must do this.

caw

Ah, the old "putting someone into your story." As others have said, we can't write without pulling from real life. That said, when I base characters off people I know, it's usually only one or two traits that I use and the rest is made up to make the character their own person and to suit the story I'm telling. (not to mention it's way too much work to try and perfectly replicate someone else as a character, unless you're trying out a memoir or the like.)

I will say, though you can base a character off anyone you know, I'd advise against telling people this. I made the mistake of mentioning to my boyfriend that I put a character in my new book that is sort of like him. Now he's ultra reading into everything and comes to me with, "Is this what you think of me????" No. It's a fictional character. Lose the ego.

Funny thing about this question is that I created a character in my current WIP long before I met someone who does the same job I decided the character was going to do. I laughed and told the person I met about it and asked if he minded me asking him questions so I can flesh out the character more.

If you're using someone's history, then change their physical appearance.

If you're using their physical appearance, then change their history, and/or personality.

Avoid making their history, personality, and appearance ALL recognizable as a particular person.

Turn Oscar in to Ophelia and you'll be good