More seriously...

[owlmoose]

So this poll, about writing characters, comes from a conversation I had with cupcakemonster. Is it easier or harder to write characters with whom we identify, in terms of personality? (This is mostly geared toward fanfic writing, of course, but I bet some of this could apply to working with original characters as well.)


[Poll #762022]
Bonus essay question for comments: How do you decide which characters to write about? Is it personality? Plot? Or something else?

Comments

[glacial-phoenix.livejournal.com]

Okay. Here's my take on it, really - this applies to both fanfiction and original characters:

How do you decide which characters to write about?

Most often people write about characters that appeal to them; I know I do. Take Seifer, Quistis and Squall from FF8 - I typically write Seifer and Quistis and very little Squall, because I often feel that I won't do Squall justice. It's hard to accurately portray a character you don't connect with, and I connect far more with Quistis than with Squall. Obviously, however, fangirling has much to do with it - you wouldn't write about a character if you didn't like him or her. I don't like FF9's Quina, so I don't write about ...er... it.

And I find the most convincing portrayals of characters come when you do connect with them, or when they have a personality trait that is startlingly similar to your own - you can simply think "What would I do in this situation?" and there you have your answer.

It applies even more for original fics, I should think, given the number of self-insertion fics out there. After all, connecting with character doesn't always mean good writing.

And it is possible to write characters very different from you, though it's a lot harder - as long as you can empathise or sympathise with their situation, it should be enough. Usually, the ones I've seen don't come out as well.