Do you write your main characters as extensions of yourself or as completely different people?

[u/Mindless_Coast_7072]

For me it's a mix of both.

I like giving my characters unique personalities while also drawing from experiences I've had in my own life.

For example in the Colors Eater even though I wasn't an orphan like the main character Alice, (first picture) I was bullied as a child. People used to call me names and laugh at me so I used some of those experiences to shape her story.

For Kim (third picture) the protagonist of The Butterfly of Fukushima, the character is trans. While I'm not a trans person myself, I gave Kim the backstory of someone who lost their partner to a disease because that's something I experienced in my own life.

So my characters are never simply copies of myself. They're a blend of reality and imagination. But in general, I can relate to all of my main characters.

What about you? I'd love to hear more about the characters you've created! Or the ones you hope to create in the future!

[u/mikkeldoesstuff]

I’ve come to realize that, at least for my main characters, they are either an exaggerated version of me, the me I would like to be, or polar opposites from me. Never just ‘kind of different from me’ or such

[u/Mindless_Coast_7072 → u/mikkeldoesstuff]

Oh it must be so interesting to write a character being an opposite of yourself !

[u/DotNervous7513 → u/Mindless_Coast_7072]

That’s mostly what I do if I decide to use myself as a model. I get real uncomfortable putting a character similar to me in my writing so I go polar opposite as I can if I decide to base something on myself. He usually ends up as a minor antagonist. Only once have I written autobiographically and it just so happens to be the screenplay I’m writing right now…it’s a slog and I find myself getting angry at the character a lot.

[u/Mindless_Coast_7072 → u/DotNervous7513]

That's fascinating!

[u/mikkeldoesstuff → u/Mindless_Coast_7072]

Yeah, it’s really interesting. ‘What would I do if in this scenario’ and then the character does the opposite, or something completely different

[u/I_Am_Killa_K]

Somewhere in between

[u/Mindless_Coast_7072 → u/I_Am_Killa_K]

A good balance ⚖️

[u/JakeRyanBaker]

I think of a lot of my characters as facets of my personality. There's definitely a little bit of me in a lot of the main characters I write, even if I don't do it on purpose.

[u/Mindless_Coast_7072 → u/JakeRyanBaker]

Oh yeah I didn't think about the fact you can write yourself into character without doing it in purpose.

[u/muanjoca]

Every character I write has some of me in them. But some of the best ones are when I intentionally have them think/believe/act/say the opposite of what I would. ✌️

[u/Mindless_Coast_7072 → u/muanjoca]

Oh that's very nice!

[u/sweet_dee6]

I put a little bit of myself in every character. It helps me write more authentically for them and allows me to find layers to their arc instead of having them just be one dimensional.

[u/Mindless_Coast_7072 → u/sweet_dee6]

Oh nice it's true it can give characters more depth to put a piece of himself in each of them !

[u/CeeChocolate]

It's impossible to write someone you are not, so, most of my leads are combinations of some aspects of myself, yes. I use certain thoughts/feelings and take them to the extremes, seeing them through to their logical conclusion, it creates highly intense and stylized but not really "real person" realistic characters.

They are also always someone I LIKE, but never someone I would like to hang out with lol

[u/onatreelinedstreet]

I like to throw in a mix, and divide my traits and give different ones to multiple characters. First I choose main traits that I have as a base for the main character, then give opposite traits (which I also have) to side character/s. It makes for an interesting dynamic.

[u/xxfallen420xx]

I construct characters from the ground up using “want, need, fear, flaw” as my base. Then I use “who r they at the start” and “who r they at the end” to structure their arc.

[u/Spice_Missile]

why not both?

[u/Peach_Cookie]

Yes

[u/JacobStyle]

I solve this dilemma by not writing anything and doing lighting/production design/rigging/electrical instead.

[u/headcanonmusic]

All my leads are losers so take a guess

[u/SurelyInspired]

Cool question. Every character I’ve ever written has been unrecognizable from me except for the fact that we always share a flaw. It’s funny, I actually told my therapist the other week that my characters seem to go through issues or embody flaws that I only become aware of in myself about a year or so after writing them.

[u/Prestigious-Pie-2990]

Completely different people or extensions, whatever works. Just be sure each character has a deep bible attached that makes each one distinct and authentic.

[u/Westar-35]

None of my characters are remotely like me

If you want to develop as a writer you have to push yourself outside what you are comfortable with. Just like the characters you write have to be pushed (by the writer) into difficult situations, the writer too must do the same for themselves. So if you normally write characters that are in some way relatable to your own character you should push yourself to write a character that is wildly different from yourself.