Finding your Character Base

A Flipside article

by [Po]

Using real people as your character base

Many people start by basing their characters on themselves and on people they know. Obviously, this is very sound in that the people we deal with every day are by definition real, living, breathing beings. However, it is brimming with risk.
First of all, you run the risk of offending your friends. By pointing out their idiosyncrasies, you may hurt or upset them, and by omitting elements of their character you may make them appear less rounded in fiction than they are in life.
Secondly, you run the risk of appearing uncreative, even if the situation you put your characters in is one that they have never encountered, if your readers know the same people you do (and you can bet that some will) then when they recognize your characters they will assume that you are simply describing real events.
Thirdly, you run the risk of not being thorough. Because you know your partner, child or best friend so well, there are things that you would never think to say about them, because you assume other people have the same unconscious knowledge that you do. This results in characters that are indecipherable, because vital elements of their personality are missing. The same thing may happen if you omit elements deliberately to protect people’s privacy.

Creating a character entirely from your imagination

Honestly, this is almost impossible. First, it's incredibly hard work. You need to create a complete human being with quirks and frailties, talents and motivations. If you don't, what you get is a false, lifeless medium for either your own opinions and ideologies, or for those your plot needs right now. Stereotypes will start to rear their ugly heads.

So, what do you do?

The answer is to combine the two. Every encounter you have with another person is marrow for your figurative bones. Become a people-watcher. Notice mannerisms you can build into your characters. Verbal tics, like people who say "actually" a lot; people who punctuate their sentences with "Y'know" or "like"; those who say "right" instead of "yes". Look for features that stand out, like a pattern of freckles, a particularly funky hairstyle, or an unconventional way of dressing. Build from these features: why does the girl wear a flowing cape instead of a coat? Why does the man resolutely grow a pony-tail that hangs below his bald spot? What inspired that tattoo of Tinkerbell on the woman's shoulder? Unless you have an excellent memory, take notes. Jot down single sentences that will call the things you've noticed back to your mind later. Mix and match your observations to create new and interesting fictional characters.

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