Your favourite character to write - and why?

[Mirannan]

Oddly enough, the main character in my WIP is far from being the viewpoint character (although there is some close third in some of the chapters) because I think I would find writing from her POV rather difficult. (She's from another plane of existence, and three thousand years or so old, and...)

The odd thing about that is that when I'm playing RPGs the player character she is a development of is my favourite character to play. Some might come to some rather unkind conclusions when I say that my favourite alter ego is female and "hard as nails" but I couldn't possibly say. (In case it isn't obvious, I'm a man.)

Which leads me to another point. IMHO pen-and-paper RPGs are quite a good way of developing character ideas, although of course in most of them there is rather a lot of emphasis on (rather unrealistic) combat.

There's a good reason why really outlandish characters are only used as POV by real professionals. Could you really appreciate the mindset of an elder vampire or Galadriel, for example? Being thousands of years old has to make a difference...

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Hmmm. All of my characters tend to be introverted, introspective, uncertain, and rather passive. So I suppose what I most like to create are self-portraits.

 

[David Evil Overlord]

My super villain Pyromania. She's the kinda psycho who burns a cinema full of innocent bystanders to death because the guy who broke her heart might be working there tonight. She's also described in a later chapter as someone who pockets the ransom money, and then burns her hostages to ashes anyway.

Why do I enjoy writing her? Because she's the character whose personality is so very different from mine.

 

[ralphkern]

The 'baddie' of my current WIP. He starts out as a pretty clear cut antagonist, and I almost want the readers to just assume as much. But as the MC pursues him and learns more about why he's doing what he's doing, hopefully the reader's perception of him will change.

 

[Azihayya]

So, I haven't done a whole lot of writing -- more piano playing, really -- but I'm involved in a few Pen & Paper RPG's now and I've given some of the characters quite a lot of thought, and really enjoy thinking about them. I'm prepared to play my character Gedon, a Cleric who worships Pardieu, which is Tom Hank's characters' character in Mazes & Monsters. Gedon has an interesting backstory: Gedon hails from a congregation who reside within and near the Tower of Pardieu, who focus on being able to provide for and protect themselves. Frequently members of the congregation leave to become adventurers seeking justice in the world. Gedon's father, Banon, was one such adventurer, who had never returned home to see his wife Maeve. Gedon is betrothed to Vera, whose father Rorthul was his master.

 

[reiver33]

As a good guy - Sgt. Gary Cooper (his parents were into old, old film) of the Earth Alliance Marine Corp. The man is just solid.

As an evil bitch - Greta van Lears (ask Boneman).

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Hard to say, really...


Right now, the one character I enjoy writing down is my security AI, Purge. She's almost like a child right now and is asking the main character all sorts of interesting questions and having some good conversations.


My least favorite character...eh...probably any of my villains.

 

[Boneman]

I LOVE Greta van Lears!!! Wouldn't want to meet her, but I'd love to be in a pub and watch her in action... Bloody Mary anyone?

When I read the opener (great thread, Springs!) I thought it must be one of my male MCs and then found a weird thing - I actually have a favourite character to write and it's Laóra - she's blind since birth, but has incredible sense of self, and is really easy to write - she's got a caustic sense of humour and doesn't let anyone get away with bullsh*t, and when a whole world opened up to her, the joy and amazement she showed was a real eye-opener for me. In second place is a fairy called Annabelle...

 

[Sancho]

My MC's normally start out as my favourite characters but they rarely stay there. The ones I really enjoy writing are convinced that there way of life is the right one!
Ashley is one of these. He is from the ruling class of scientists and bullys the MC at school because he comes from the street. Then when the MC saves his life twice, he has to find a way to come to terms with having to defend him against his own friends and family.
Another is Caitlin who is the super intelligent, perfect student, from the perfect family in a technologically advanced dimension. She is humbled by the courage and empathy of the MC, a (relatively) ignorant Earth girl uninterested in science.
Sharing the terror of both these characters when he/she watches the foundations of his/her life crumble before their eyes but have to find the strength to re-assemble the pieces moves me more than the heroics of my MC's.

 

[Mirannan]

I'd like to make another point. A character you find fun to write might well be one you would hate to actually meet. A lot of viewpoint characters, particularly in fantasy and SF, are obsessive and/or monomaniacal and/or extremely focused to the point that they really wouldn't be either fun or safe to be around. Commandos, trained assassins and the like aren't usually very nice - at least when on a mission.

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Especially if you're their mission.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Well, there isn't exactly a villain in The Rune of Unmaking books, but there is a character who, if there were a villain, I suppose it would be he. He's powerful and mysterious, there is a hint of tragedy about him, and other characters react to him very strongly. So even though I spend more time writing about my female protagonist, and I do love her, I'd say that when it comes to the one I enjoy writing about the most, he would probably be the one. Definitely not safe to be around. He never acts maliciously because he's basically stripped himself of all emotions, but he'd swat you like a fly if he thought it would serve his purposes.

I think I am drawn to physically imposing, mysterious male characters, because in The Queen's Necklace, it was Raith I enjoyed writing about the most. Partly because he seemed to write his own lines, and I could just sit back and listen to what he had to say, and sometimes be surprised by what he said when he did speak.

Although any tormented and secretive character will do it for me, especially if they say and do surprising things.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Oh yes, I do like me my tormented and conflicted characters. I actually really like writing edge-of-madness characters as my long-suffering betas can attest to. I can have a lot of fun with them and do things slightly outre.

I found the villain in my trilogy hard to write in the first book but easier in the sequels and normally enjoy writing my antagonists because they're normally... Um.... On the edge-of-madness and conflicted.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

I have to say, TE, that I really enjoyed Sinderion as a character, and honestly, I wish I could put one together like her.


Trouble is, a lot of my characters are really all the same...and not really in good ways. So like I said before, I think my AI character is probably my favorite right now.

 

[Kissmequick]

My fave character ever to write was one under my real name -- a lady pirate who was such a blast to write. I never used her POV, but hells she was fun anyway. Could never be sure what she'd do next!

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Like swipe an entire field of corn and salt the earth afterward?

 

[Kissmequick]

Could be! I'd put nothing past when someone is between her and what she wants