Thanks Lori for posting that question yesterday. It got me thinking.
I have the honour of being the namesake for a villain in Crystal’s latest book, which for the most part makes me happy. I mean, once she promised me it wasn’t a passive-aggressive way of getting back at me for something I might’ve said to upset her.
Because the one sure way to get yourself into one of my books is to make me mad. I wrote a story in high school about a woman who was trying to steal my boyfriend. She was transformed into a hog-like beast with skin blemishes and halitosis of the highest order. More recently I took a skinny bitty thing who gave me the up-down look because I still can’t fit into the jeans I wore before I had my last son. (she was transformed into the botoxed, lipo-ed, implanted villainess of a story.)
Not that these people would ever recognize themselves, or be recognized by others by being in one of my stories. Usually my anger just fuels a scene. (when I was younger, my sister and I had a huge fight. I worked on a story, and the scene ended with someone being decapitated. Tell me being angry didn’t have anything to do with that!)
But as I thought about it, I realised I tend to put pieces of people I know (who haven’t made me angry) into my books. My one heroine has my youngest son’s eyes, because the almost-black brown of his eyes fascinates me so much. She also has a bit of my CP’s attitude. One of my heroes has my husband’s eyes, which range from amber to chocolate brown, depending on his mood. Again, no one else would notice it, but it’s there.
And I’m there too, though I’m not going to be nearly as forthright about what of myself I put into my characters. It’s not always good things, I’m going to leave it at that.
As a writer, I hope that those pieces of other people will help make characters more real to my readers. Because as a reader, there’s nothing more amazing than reading a book and thinking “That character was me…”
So today’s question is this: what book have you read that made you squirm a little in your seat, wondering if maybe the writer had tapped your phone–they just got a character that hit too close to who you are?
October 20th, 2006 at 6:33 pm
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like that. Well, maybe Good in Bed, because I could totally relate to the heroine!
But I used my daughter’s dad in many books. Just look for the name John. >:)
October 20th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
Hmm, I use people’s names, sometimes their personalities. And I have read books and say to myself, “that is so me.”
October 20th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
I don’t think I’ve read many where I can say that some part of the character traits were like me… My main thing is I think, “I wish I was like that.” *Grin* Usually, exceptionally brave, or willing to say things or do things that I don’t see myself doing. I’m not a mouse or a small personality, it’s just one of those fantasy factors.
October 21st, 2006 at 12:32 am
I’ve done it once, I used his real name but not his real profession =)
IMO there are some people who just don’t deserve to be immortalized