Realising There's a little to much of yourself in a character.

[Ajid]

I wonder if anyone else has come accross this. What started as a short story from a few years ago has become an obsession of mine, i have written and rewritten and it's become a beast. It wasn't untill I passed the first draft to my sister (an exceptionally gifted artist in my opinion) that My attention was brought to the fact that the main character is somehow me. I neber realised this but now she's said that I do see it. I'm not very comfortable with this. The character seems flat, empty and hollow where I felt him full and to have his own soul. Should I rewrite or embrace myself and add to the story? i never wanted to write myself. Should I just accept I have?

 

[Droflet]

I think it's something all new writers do. I have. But of course my hero is very brave, and talented and gifted so I guess I'm projecting characteristics onto him that I wish I had. Joss Whedon made a similar comment about his own writing. So listen to your book and go where it leads you. Good luck with it.

 

[Ajid]

It's good you've said new writer because that's very much what I am. I have no qualms about it I have no idea how to write anything of length and have only done so from the confidence boost I recieved recently from selling a short. So this is my first long story. By long most are written at about 10,000-20-0000 and this is closer to 50,000, I cut about 33% aswell so still a short but not a magazine sale if you follow. IMm just worried my characters are some how all me and therefore require a faint interest from the reader. Thing is no one else thought it was me, just my sister, I'm sure she's senial!!

No it is me I see bits of me in the character but I see bits of others and there's an element of me not in it. I'm going to have to read it again and that means I'll never be happy and never sell it:-(

 

[Droflet]

Firstly if you got 50,000 words then try doubling it and you'll have written your first novel. Hey mate, this writing gig is not easy and not everyone can do it. But before you start making assumptions just write the story. The more you get into it the more the juices flow the 'easier' it becomes. You might amaze yourself if you just write. It's quite cathartic. You're overthinking this. Just let it flow and see where it leads you. First, second and last, story, story, story. Write a story you'd be happy to read and you've done your job as a writer. At this stage, newby, take it easy. Don't agonize, just write. You've got all the time in the world for rewrites and edit. First, write, write, write. Amaze yourself and you may amaze the world. Now get off here and get to work.

 

[tinkerdan]

It's common to write yourself into a story. The advice always goes-write what you know. And who should know you better. The same goes for artists and painters. They will often see a bit of themselves in many of the faces they paint. Watch for this in your sisters art.

That much said I'm a sixty year old male and wrote a novel from a young female point of view and I see a bit of myself in there and it doesn't scare me one bit. To be honest though no matter how much of me leaked into the person they still took a life of their own and dragged me along for the ride.

 

[Charles Parkes]

"My attention was brought to the fact that the main character is somehow me."

Much better than someone pointing out they think they inspired one of the characters and didn't like it!

It's often been said there is a lot of the author in the first novel - I'd go on with the intention of making a great story and not worrying too much about how much of yourself is in there (because it sounds like you felt the character was full, until your sister pointed out some similarities with you - sounds like a confidence issue, rather than a quality issue).

And if you find it's disruptive then go write some interactive fiction (my solution to everything) it's practically impossible to write a main character from one perspective and it might shake you out of your groove!

 

[The Big Peat]

There's no shortage of hugely popular writers that project huge amounts of their own personality and experience into their books with no one caring, and I know I often see parts of myself in my characters and it doesn't bother me.

In short, I think you're worrying about nothing.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Firstly if you got 50,000 words then try doubling it

Though maybe in a different story, some stories are smaller than that and would suffer being padded bigger.
My 1st story in 1992 approx was 46K. My second in 2014 was 156K. I think my best story is only 32K (A novella rather than short story)

 

[Stephen Palmer]

A huge number of first novels have the writer in there as a, or the main character. Once you've got over that phase, you'll be more comfortable with seeing aspects of yourself in characters - and there's nothing wrong with it, even decades down the line. We all use our own experiences, thoughts and feelings to get across the inner lives of our main characters.

 

[Droflet]

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of. ”
― Joss Whedon

 

[Juliana]

Like Stephen said, I think there are tiny slivers of myself in a lot of my characters. Not huge amounts, just small things.

 

[Annoura Black]

I agree with Juliana, try to write to your highest or best self! I find different aspects of myself in almost every character I write. I enjoy walking through my darker, crazier side!

 

[Brian G Turner]

I agree with Juliana, try to write to your highest or best self! I find different aspects of myself in almost every character I write. I enjoy walking through my darker, crazier side!

Welcome to the chrons forums, Annoura Black.

As for too much of yourself in a character? Isn't the problem usually when there's not enough, leaving the character(s) looking thin and undeveloped?

 

[thaddeus6th]

It doesn't *always* happen.

[Says the man whose most recent book is about an arrogant, selfish, thieving, adulterous, lying cad].

 

[Ray McCarthy]

is about an arrogant, selfish, thieving, adulterous, lying cad

I thought you where one of the other characters, actually?

 

[The Big Peat]

I'm sure he identifies with Dog more than anyone

The only possible way I can see having too much of yourself in a character as a bad thing is if people start accusing it of being wish fulfilment. Which I've always found to be a mildly odd criticism to begin with, but some people set great store by it.

 

[J Riff]

I started a story about a writer who writes himself into a story about himself writing a story about a writer who wrote himself into a true story about someone else's life, but it's been on the wip pile for a few decades now, and things have changed, apparently.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

My best friend says that reading my work is like sitting inside my head and he finds it disturbing.

The characters we create come out of us and each one is a part of us.

 

[Annoura Black]

Welcome to the chrons forums, Annoura Black.

As for too much of yourself in a character? Isn't the problem usually when there's not enough, leaving the character(s) looking thin and undeveloped?

Thanks! Multiple personalities are a bonus in this line of work being in touch with all of them is a little crazy making though!

 

[hopewrites]

The only problem I've had with finding myself as a character is not taking it personal when the way that character is written gets critiqued. "No no, she's supposed to be an airheaded Flibbertigibbet at this point in the story. It makes her transformation into a dragon later on all that more shocking." -possibly misremembered quote, I haven't worked on that WIP for a long time. But not because of anything anyone said or didn't say about it. I realized I was trying to maintain the emotional integrity of the nightmare that inspired it, while adding in all the logical bits that gave continuity to the story, that the nightmare didn't require to make sense to me. I realized too, that using logic to express emotion wasn't working out as well as I had hoped. That my writings based on this particular spring of inspiration were ether too close and excluded the reader, or too far excluding the writer.
Working on understanding my balance before I go back and have another crack at it.


I agree that writing in a Roll Play scenario helps me to figure out how much of me is in a character, how much isn't, and what it is the character would do regardless of my personality or inclinations.

Talking with friends and relatives (you could ask strangers, but I doubt they'd be as forthcoming as someone you've built a trust bond with already) about the how's and why's of the choices they've made in life helps too. Broadens the experience base your imagination has to draw on.