tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post5107089516605439421..comments2023-10-09T07:40:18.991-04:00Comments on Having Fun with Writing: How real are your characters?Claudia Zurchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-71365759641867898972012-03-04T22:21:36.218-05:002012-03-04T22:21:36.218-05:00Hi Stephen,
Yep! So do I. :DHi Stephen,<br />Yep! So do I. :DClaudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-13856200453371944902012-03-04T21:25:36.911-05:002012-03-04T21:25:36.911-05:00I agree with Hemingway.I agree with Hemingway.Steven Pagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09799157512641252014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-68915356561036098402012-02-23T23:25:07.242-05:002012-02-23T23:25:07.242-05:00I agree...You have to make your characters into re...I agree...You have to make your characters into real people.Sharon K. Mayhewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07799235347319851345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-80269862645246015762012-02-23T17:12:48.713-05:002012-02-23T17:12:48.713-05:00Claudia,
I am new to your site, and I love it so f...Claudia,<br />I am new to your site, and I love it so far. I agree with you and Mr. Hemingway. Characters must feel real to you, or they will feel flat to your reader (assuming it ever gets published). The stories that I love the most have characters I want to visit or name my children after. The books I put down are ones with characters I can't relate to or care about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-55089932254583509122012-02-21T21:39:07.729-05:002012-02-21T21:39:07.729-05:00Oh, okay.Oh, okay.Claudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-83416534934337715702012-02-21T20:04:10.482-05:002012-02-21T20:04:10.482-05:00Re: baby photos - actually, no, I don't have a...Re: baby photos - actually, no, I don't have any. Apparently due to the fact I spent much time as an ill baby in hospital. Sort of answers a lot of questions, really, come to think of it - don't say a word!Mark Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13002166292175980928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-45167866751885319112012-02-21T19:36:16.650-05:002012-02-21T19:36:16.650-05:00Glad to hear that Nutschell ;) I think most writer...Glad to hear that Nutschell ;) I think most writers find it easier to incorporate a bit of us in our characters.Claudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-19571401722336985162012-02-21T19:35:16.211-05:002012-02-21T19:35:16.211-05:00Yeah! this new security gadget that blogspot has i...Yeah! this new security gadget that blogspot has implemented it's a bit annoying, but it's for our own good ;)<br />I bet you do have baby pics somewhere, everybody does.Claudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-80506403013039089272012-02-21T19:32:46.568-05:002012-02-21T19:32:46.568-05:00LOL! I am not sure about the bear fighting story, ...LOL! I am not sure about the bear fighting story, Mark. I couldn't really tell you. But I can tell you that he liked drinking as much as writing. Regarding your question about Benjamin Button; well, I owe my good genes to my mother. It also helps that I am vegetarian and I used to practice yoga :D Thank you for your kind words.Claudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-87806950039503723402012-02-21T17:09:25.980-05:002012-02-21T17:09:25.980-05:00My characters are usually a mix of myself and othe...My characters are usually a mix of myself and other people I know :)nutschellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10967710710805174781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-585272635518464342012-02-21T16:10:22.348-05:002012-02-21T16:10:22.348-05:00PPS: If I have trouble reading the 'Prove you ...PPS: If I have trouble reading the 'Prove you are not a Robot' text, does that mean I have the potential to be 'a robot'?<br /><br />OMG! I've always wondered why there were never any photos of me as a baby!?Mark Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13002166292175980928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-37196772606580157172012-02-21T16:08:25.131-05:002012-02-21T16:08:25.131-05:00Was Hemingway mad? Or have I imagined that he did...Was Hemingway mad? Or have I imagined that he did some crazy stuff during his lifetime, i.e. try fighting a bear?<br /><br />Like the profile photo, btw - are you a female version of Benjamin Button? You seem to be getting younger looking?Mark Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13002166292175980928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-70026574555029122832012-02-20T21:52:01.440-05:002012-02-20T21:52:01.440-05:00Hi Anthony,
Definitely! I've done this before....Hi Anthony,<br />Definitely! I've done this before. But, I've also created some interesting characters who were conceived as an idea or an inspiration from a song/poem/event, etc.Claudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-78168535189155192372012-02-19T21:40:40.019-05:002012-02-19T21:40:40.019-05:00I think that characters in a novel may often be ba...I think that characters in a novel may often be based on real-life people. If you recall someone who you found interesting you could take those traits and embellish them to meet the needs of a character in your story.anthony stemkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15666462157746049139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-53150173907387206402012-02-18T14:48:29.616-05:002012-02-18T14:48:29.616-05:00Thank you, Raquel. WOW! This character you're ...Thank you, Raquel. WOW! This character you're working on must be interesting, yet complex. Yes, I've seen "Midnight in Paris" and I absolutely loved it. :DClaudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-65873399083008175732012-02-18T14:46:22.850-05:002012-02-18T14:46:22.850-05:00Hi Laura,
You couldn't have said it better, La...Hi Laura,<br />You couldn't have said it better, Laura. If the reader connects with the characters to the point of feeling acquainted with them, then, they're real.Claudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-69352949560458945102012-02-18T14:43:34.237-05:002012-02-18T14:43:34.237-05:00Hi Mike,
Yes, one can also get certain traits or c...Hi Mike,<br />Yes, one can also get certain traits or characteristics from TV/movie stars as inspiration. After all, they, too are playing characters who were the creation of a writer. But you're right to say that one must pay heed to dialogue and diction.Claudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-30715256620086933312012-02-18T13:43:28.312-05:002012-02-18T13:43:28.312-05:00I don't think it's vanity, Jay. I think so...I don't think it's vanity, Jay. I think some/most writers like to incorporate a bit of us in our characters because they are our creation. We want to immortalize a part of us, just like procreation ;)Writerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16217417326857522438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-77351634970796119372012-02-18T12:41:07.542-05:002012-02-18T12:41:07.542-05:00Hi Indigo,
I like what you said, "I think we ...Hi Indigo,<br />I like what you said, "I think we bring ourselves into elements of our characters." This is pretty much like art imitating life and life imitating art. If a person impact us in a profound way, this is inspiration enough for us to bring certain elements into our characters.<br />Hugs to you, too! :DClaudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-44311800466126718782012-02-18T12:30:27.913-05:002012-02-18T12:30:27.913-05:00Thank you for including me in the tagged list.
I w...Thank you for including me in the tagged list.<br />I will participate and tag other bloggers but until Wednesday (that's when I publish my weekly posts). Thank you for highlighting my blog. :DClaudia Zurchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302024950570710809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-62457284160348621392012-02-18T02:28:59.874-05:002012-02-18T02:28:59.874-05:00What a very thoughtful post, Claudia. The protagon...What a very thoughtful post, Claudia. The protagonist I'm working with right now is an extension of several people I know, though I've exaggerated certain characteristics. By the way, have you seen "Midnight in Paris"? The character of Hemingway in the movie is spot on-- just what you'd think he'd be like. My husband and I were roaring.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08397400242153470523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-71127169948822796272012-02-17T08:41:07.774-05:002012-02-17T08:41:07.774-05:00I think that if characters are very real to the au...I think that if characters are very real to the author they will be real to the reader. When creating my characters it's important for me to know everything about them. This way it will transfer onto paper not in details but in action. I get confused when reading books where the character will act "out of character" so to speak and it makes me wonder if the author truly knows his characters and forgot that character X would do that and not character Z.Laura at Library of Clean Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15252118683176350398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-69183298548301144712012-02-17T07:31:08.443-05:002012-02-17T07:31:08.443-05:00My characters/people emerge from somewhere or othe...My characters/people emerge from somewhere or other, don't know where. They just emerge from everything I've ever read or seen.<br /><br />However I have found it useful, sometimes, to use a person I know, or a film/TV star as a visual clothes peg. That has its own dangers of course because a Clint Eastwood visual might end up talking like film dialogue. Mind you, if you use the visual for, say, a Roman Centurion then you immediately short circut that possible danger.Mike Keytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15116528233058221536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-12879035099914934482012-02-17T01:15:11.368-05:002012-02-17T01:15:11.368-05:00Acting and writing both deal with the creation of ...Acting and writing both deal with the creation of characters. <br />It doesn't matter who inspired my characters. As vain as it might sound, my characters are primarily an extension of an aspect of myself.Jay Paolonihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09647807643476130105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652875193826011637.post-64171403081089530682012-02-16T23:17:08.989-05:002012-02-16T23:17:08.989-05:00I find personalities bring a character to life in ...I find personalities bring a character to life in a real sense. Just as each of us have our own personality. As for how real, I think it's how we perceive a person. I tend to study people whenever possible, how their body moves when they talk, facial expressions, clothing. All these elements bring a character from a caricature to a fully developed personality. <br /><br />How real? We had to have had something, someone who made a lasting impression on us. Even the smallest roles in a play are memorable for the part they play. In that sense I think we bring ourselves into elements of our characters. I don't believe you can get any more real than that. (Hugs)IndigoSage Ravenwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17143502548162174269noreply@blogger.com