Oh, the constant struggle. It's tempting, satisfying, terrifying, and deliciously exciting all at the same time. I'm not sure that there is a convincing argument on either side of whether it's a good idea or not to write about people you know. All I can say is, you never know until you try and in my personal experience...it's been awesome. Of course, none of my works have been published yet, and that may very well have something to do with it. But as someone who always writes with publication in mind, I thought I would share a few tips with you if you are considering incorporating family members or friends into your stories.
First of all, if you are writing about someone you don't like or someone who has hurt you, for the sake of not seeming catty at least, DON'T make it obvious. Change their name, don't let your character have the same physical features as the person you know. And don't directly re write situations from real life. "Well where is the fun in writing about them?," you might say. The fun comes when you can take the hurt that they inflicted upon you, and make your hero or heroine experience it. Rather than directly recreating an insult or a particular scarring incident, make up a different situation that has the same outcome. That is, your villain who is based off of someone you know, inflicts the same pain you/your main character experiences, but in an entirely different way. That way, should the IRL person in question read your story, even if they have an inkling that it might be about them, they will have no proof to rub your nose or confront you about! It's really the perfect crime. You get to express how you feel to yourself, and the public, and the person who it's based off of may never find out! Oh the glory of fiction!
Also, if you are planning on basing a character directly off of someone you know, it's not a bad idea to ask that person if it's okay, or at least inform them about what you are doing. I'm assuming that if you are basing a character off of someone you know, they must be pretty cool and you probably like them and won't be writing any nasty stories about them. But if you know it will become obvious to that person who the character is based off of, inform that person about it before you let them read anything. Chances are, they will be flattered and excited to see how you interpret them into your story.
Have you ever written about people you know? Sometimes it can be subtle, and you incorporate character traits from several different friends into one person, or maybe you are taking the more classy form of revenge by basing your villain off of someone who has wronged you. I personally think writing about IRL people is fun, but it must be done in good taste. What are your thoughts?
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Writing About People You Know
Oh, the constant struggle. It's tempting, satisfying, terrifying, and deliciously exciting all at the same time. I'm not sure that there is a convincing argument on either side of whether it's a good idea or not to write about people you know. All I can say is, you never know until you try and in my personal experience...it's been awesome. Of course, none of my works have been published yet, and that may very well have something to do with it. But as someone who always writes with publication in mind, I thought I would share a few tips with you if you are considering incorporating family members or friends into your stories.
First of all, if you are writing about someone you don't like or someone who has hurt you, for the sake of not seeming catty at least, DON'T make it obvious. Change their name, don't let your character have the same physical features as the person you know. And don't directly re write situations from real life. "Well where is the fun in writing about them?," you might say. The fun comes when you can take the hurt that they inflicted upon you, and make your hero or heroine experience it. Rather than directly recreating an insult or a particular scarring incident, make up a different situation that has the same outcome. That is, your villain who is based off of someone you know, inflicts the same pain you/your main character experiences, but in an entirely different way. That way, should the IRL person in question read your story, even if they have an inkling that it might be about them, they will have no proof to rub your nose or confront you about! It's really the perfect crime. You get to express how you feel to yourself, and the public, and the person who it's based off of may never find out! Oh the glory of fiction!
Also, if you are planning on basing a character directly off of someone you know, it's not a bad idea to ask that person if it's okay, or at least inform them about what you are doing. I'm assuming that if you are basing a character off of someone you know, they must be pretty cool and you probably like them and won't be writing any nasty stories about them. But if you know it will become obvious to that person who the character is based off of, inform that person about it before you let them read anything. Chances are, they will be flattered and excited to see how you interpret them into your story.
Have you ever written about people you know? Sometimes it can be subtle, and you incorporate character traits from several different friends into one person, or maybe you are taking the more classy form of revenge by basing your villain off of someone who has wronged you. I personally think writing about IRL people is fun, but it must be done in good taste. What are your thoughts?
First of all, if you are writing about someone you don't like or someone who has hurt you, for the sake of not seeming catty at least, DON'T make it obvious. Change their name, don't let your character have the same physical features as the person you know. And don't directly re write situations from real life. "Well where is the fun in writing about them?," you might say. The fun comes when you can take the hurt that they inflicted upon you, and make your hero or heroine experience it. Rather than directly recreating an insult or a particular scarring incident, make up a different situation that has the same outcome. That is, your villain who is based off of someone you know, inflicts the same pain you/your main character experiences, but in an entirely different way. That way, should the IRL person in question read your story, even if they have an inkling that it might be about them, they will have no proof to rub your nose or confront you about! It's really the perfect crime. You get to express how you feel to yourself, and the public, and the person who it's based off of may never find out! Oh the glory of fiction!
Also, if you are planning on basing a character directly off of someone you know, it's not a bad idea to ask that person if it's okay, or at least inform them about what you are doing. I'm assuming that if you are basing a character off of someone you know, they must be pretty cool and you probably like them and won't be writing any nasty stories about them. But if you know it will become obvious to that person who the character is based off of, inform that person about it before you let them read anything. Chances are, they will be flattered and excited to see how you interpret them into your story.
Have you ever written about people you know? Sometimes it can be subtle, and you incorporate character traits from several different friends into one person, or maybe you are taking the more classy form of revenge by basing your villain off of someone who has wronged you. I personally think writing about IRL people is fun, but it must be done in good taste. What are your thoughts?
2 comments :
Great post! I definitely base characters off people I know--or at least the personality of characters off people I know. I think as a writers we are always taking from daily life.
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Anne Lamott, in Bird by Bird, gives some great advice on this. Basically, she says, we must change everything but that one trait--that defining characteristic which makes that person "that person". I don't know the exact quote off the top of my head, but it's good advice!
I really like that advice! Sounds like a good book, I may have to check it out :)
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Great post! I definitely base characters off people I know--or at least the personality of characters off people I know. I think as a writers we are always taking from daily life.
ReplyDeleteAnne Lamott, in Bird by Bird, gives some great advice on this. Basically, she says, we must change everything but that one trait--that defining characteristic which makes that person "that person". I don't know the exact quote off the top of my head, but it's good advice!
I really like that advice! Sounds like a good book, I may have to check it out :)
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