tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post3246716522360801663..comments2024-03-28T12:01:31.049-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: I Met One of my CharactersJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-70231142410279991212013-10-19T11:53:38.190-04:002013-10-19T11:53:38.190-04:00I met one of my characters long after I had writte...I met one of my characters long after I had written three books using her. Hortense Duckworthy, I swear, walked into my credit union right after we moved here a few months ago. If she'd had a Texas accent instead of Tennessee, I might have fainted.Kaye Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05596677617002735674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-68403387677160733002013-10-19T08:32:18.525-04:002013-10-19T08:32:18.525-04:00I think all writers do that in some form or anothe...I think all writers do that in some form or another. A character trait, a mannerism, something that strikes us in such a way that we file it away for a later book. The world right now is full of potential story meat. Just not sure any reader would believe most of what I'm storing away.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-27667304966899787822013-10-19T08:31:33.115-04:002013-10-19T08:31:33.115-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-86546584779375729162013-10-18T15:04:03.907-04:002013-10-18T15:04:03.907-04:00He sounds like he will be an interesting character...He sounds like he will be an interesting character, Warren.<br /><br />Like you, I have found that chance meetings can provide the basis for a good character or even a plot. For some reason people seated next to me on planes like to talk about their lives...Kara Cerisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16484336785514235707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-20968177505352838612013-10-18T12:39:51.276-04:002013-10-18T12:39:51.276-04:00Like Linda my characters arrive with their unique ...Like Linda my characters arrive with their unique possibilities based on all my experiences. Early on in my writing, I kept a notebook of interesting characteristics I observed while out and about. Then I realized I never referred to it and abandoned the writing down part, but I think it is all there for the choosing whenever I start writing.<br /><br />~ Jim<br /><br />Jim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-13864563762387580212013-10-18T12:29:11.522-04:002013-10-18T12:29:11.522-04:00Sounds as if you've got a good take on this ch...Sounds as if you've got a good take on this character, Warren.<br /><br />My characters are usually an amalgam of traits and features from several different people I've known, and some come to me full-blown from I know not where. But occasionally, I drop someone in fairly whole-cloth. It's certainly not often and usually a side character.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-87163397371163777802013-10-18T09:03:51.390-04:002013-10-18T09:03:51.390-04:00My stories are mostly peopled with characters base...My stories are mostly peopled with characters based on folks I've known over the years. An alcoholic uncle, fellow steel fabrication workers, members of an iffy bike club, marginal musicians, etc. But since I write crime fiction, maybe the richest source has been the guys in my inmate work crew when I was employed in a medium security prison. On my own, I could never have come up with material like the conversation on whether it's "ethical" to rob Mom & Pop type stores, one argument being that having insurance is a cost of doing business & one can assume they will not ultimately suffer financial losses, the other being that their income is so marginal they might not have insurance & that it's unfair to prey upon people who serve the community.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-83633320413389184582013-10-18T07:08:33.460-04:002013-10-18T07:08:33.460-04:00When it comes to bad guys, killers, who I don'...When it comes to bad guys, killers, who I don't usually associate with, I rely on reality. For normal characters, like my MC or her BFF, I feel as though I can create them from my imagination--although I do make histories and traits for them. But when it comes to the bad guys, I'm of the opinion that I couldn't make up characters that are authentic without basing them on reality. I'm lucky. I haven't come into contact with dastardly people. Yes, maybe I know bad guys through a friend of a friend of a friend. But I go to the newspaper to portray my bad guys. I really can't make it up because some of the stuff I read, I can't believe--even when it's true!E. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-63919395332501804492013-10-18T06:42:22.470-04:002013-10-18T06:42:22.470-04:00I meet people, too, I plan on using for a future b...I meet people, too, I plan on using for a future book, or people I've already used. I like your take on this musician you met, and how you'll delve deeper into the character you create from this guy. I go to a lot of folk concerts at a lodge in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and I find the musicians more accessible and friendly both during the concerts as well as the intermissions and afterwards. Several of the musicians from a group from Scotland that I recently attended will be in my next book, at least how they look.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.com