The Insecure Writer's Support Group is a community of writers who share ideas and encourage other writers. It's a great place to express doubts and concerns as well as offer and receive tribulations and guidance from other writers. IWSG posts the first Wednesday of every month. I think you'll find it to be a great writer's resource that's well worth your time. Be sure to stop by and visit with some of the other IWSG writers/bloggers at IWSG Members.
Join me in thanking this month's awesome co-hosts: Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Jennifer Hawes, and Tamara Narayan!
Hugs & prayers to all the victims and families affected by this past week's tragic event. The loss of lives and innocence is heart-breaking. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
IWSG Question: Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?
Personal information? How personal? Height? Weight? Ummm . . . No! I can honestly say I haven't been tempted to "clone" myself in any of my characters. However, it would be hard to keep any personal experiences that have influenced me from affecting or "coloring" my work in some way. A couple of times, a character or plot line has caused one of my past personal experiences to suddenly surface, and after mulling it over I've taken that past memory and used it as motivation to write a specific scene. Events from my early childhood may one day work their way into a story, but only if the time and situation are right. As for my "personal info", I'll keep that to myself! Lol.
On the other hand, I have found myself basing characters on other family members, friends, and acquaintances. Unique faces, features, and mannerisms fuel my imagination. No one's safe or off-limits! Shhh . . . mum's the word!
How about you? Have you ever cloned yourself in one of your characters? Or just used bits and pieces?
I've used situations I've been in and things I'd wish I'd done in them, if that counts! It's hard not to let who you are influence what you write, but writing outside your comfort zone is one way to accomplish it. Happy IWSG Day and THANKS for the great review!!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Writing is a personal experience...no way to avoid letting your own experiences seep over into your stories. LOVED Prince of Fools, Nancy! My review doesn't do it justice!
ReplyDeleteThe untitled project I began only today has a lot of me in there. I am unbiased though. My main character is seriously flawed and while I may not be so dark myself, she is still loosely based on me. At least she is right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it'll be interesting to see if she still resembles some of you in the end. While my life experiences & the people who surround me make their way into my work, I've never based a character on myself personally.
DeleteYour post went in a different direction than I thought when I read the title. LOL I need to clone myself so I can get done all the things I want to.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Me too, Diane! I'm home full-time now (that's not entirely true as I am my hubby's "secretary" doing all the paperwork for his business) - but I swear I get less done now than when I worked full-time as an Admin. Asst.
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