How Fiction Works Writing Meme - Day Twenty Two and Twenty Three

[meridian_rose]

22 - Are the characters you create like you? If you write fanfiction, are there shades of yourself in the characters you choose to write about? Some people suggest that the mark of a great author is the creation of free and independent characters that are separate from the author. Can an author who writes characters similar to themselves still be a great author?

Sometimes yes. Sometimes they embody characteristics I wish I had. Sometimes they're not. It depends. And yes, an author who writes similar characters can be a great author – I'm fairly certain that some of the classics reflect the author's own 'coming of age' or 'development of religious or moral philosophy' real life narratives.

23 - Static and Dynamic Characters: By definition a static character possesses one key attribute and does not change, while a dynamic character is possessed of several characteristics and changes over a story. Is one superior to the other? Do these categories really exist, or all characters simply characters? What kind do you use most often?

A static character isn't much of a character, surely? All characters grow and develop. Any who don't are probably more background figures than true characters – I'm thinking in terms of full length novels, a movie, a series here rather than a ficlet or one episode of something. I think perhaps characters just become more themselves the more you write about them; the more detail you give them, the more real and dynamic they become.

Comments

[hrhrionastar.livejournal.com]

I think writing a character - or portraying them in any way, like acting - involves putting a bit of yourself in them. But that doesn't mean all my characters are just like me, because that would be boring.

(In fact I think a more pressing danger is that one's characters have all one's strengths and none of one's flaws, and are therefore not believable; the Mary Sue problem.)

I think perhaps characters just become more themselves the more you write about them; the more detail you give them, the more real and dynamic they become. What a lovely idea :D

[meridian_rose]

Acting is a good example, since actors are chosen for what they bring to a role rather than just how they look.

My favourite antiheroes and hero types are already broken and damaged - River Tam, Cara, any snarky male badass usually has some angst in his backstory - so I hopefully do the same to my own creations :D