Writing Characters Options

[nome]

How do you write your characters?


I write mine by a basic character purpose and a general personality, then move into ethics and quirks and interactions, as well as relationship to other characters, speech patterns, manner in different places, etc, as they come up. The characters backgrounds keep changing as the story tells me more of who they are, and physical is never set until I've lived with the characters for a serious amount of time. More characters slip themselves in as the plot gets its patterns set and I realize I need red herrings, etc.

as well, I know some authors have characters based on real people, and was wondering who here does that. I don't, but experiences with real people shape my ideas on characters (i.e. watching my sister so much growng up has slipped some of her into at least one of my characters, but I didn't realize it until a year after writing).

Nome.

[rdehwyll]

For me, it isn't writing the characters so much as writing the characterization.

To explain that statement: Thus far in my fan fiction writing, I use the already-established characters; Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Snape, Dumbledor... etc. The few new characters I introduce must have complementary personalities (or opposing, in the case of the bad guys) to those characters, so I ask myself, "How would (Established Character) respond to (X character or X situation)?" If the character's interaction isn't 'true' to the characters, the 'willing suspension of disbelief' so necessary to maintaing the illusion of reality for the reader is broken, the reader is disappointed by the break from the established 'reality', and I have failed in my intention to present the characters as if J. K. Rowling herself wrote the piece.

However...

I have had success with some of my 'original' characters that I introduce to my writings, and garnered some small amount of praise for their introduction. Writing them is far easier, as they are my own creation, and thus I can do more of what "I" want with them (I.e., not having to 'match' the writing/characterization). The freedom of expression that this (along with plot) gives balances nicely to having to 'match' the established characters, and keeps me interested in writing.