Do your characters seem real to you?

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Nathrad Sheare
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Re: Do your characters seem real to you?

Post by Nathrad Sheare »

The world would be much less interesting without people in it who compulsively connect to other people they imagine. Don't you think?
Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who only dream at night.

-Edgar Allan Poe
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Amsha
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Post by Amsha »

Some stories that just tugs at your little heartstrings can feels like the characters in the story are real.
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."

-George R.R. Martin
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likealioness12
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Post by likealioness12 »

In certain books the characters do become real. I just finished the Divergent trilogy and literally cried like a little baby at the end of the last book. Ive literally cried over several books when characters died or just because the series was over (I'm still stuck on the ending of Allegient)... Ive caught myself sitting at work thinking what would so-and-so do? The characters become very real and very much a part of me when I catch myself thinking about how someone from a book might handle a certain situation. Reading is just a great way to escape the stresses of life and live an entirely different world for a little bit, sometimes even becoming the characters yourself.
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Dream Catcher
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Post by Dream Catcher »

It's like giving birth
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Scorsee
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Post by Scorsee »

I definitely develop a connection to my characters that makes them seem like people I really know. I think without considering to be real it isn't possible to develop them into complete people.
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Jennifer-Hamilton
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Post by Jennifer-Hamilton »

When I write I am creating a character by placing a little piece of myself into the page. There may be only a microscopic part of myself in the character, some little thought or idea that when placed within the page as part of a character begins to grow and flourish.

Writing in a way reminds of me of a quote on influence from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray - "to influence a person is to give him one’s own soul." When I write I place some of my soul into my characters, how then can they be anything but real, even if only to myself.
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NovaJay2415
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Post by NovaJay2415 »

Yes, they are very real to me. I think all writers think so too. :)
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whewlett
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Post by whewlett »

I began writing the Taylor Sinclair Series of novels on a whim. I love reading and I had some time on my hands and decided to put pen to paper. What I didn't expect was to become so involved with the characters (you're living with them every day) that they do seem very real. They become a part of you, a part of your family. I feel so blessed that Taylor Sinclair, Chris Cain, Gray Rowan, and the rest of the crew came into my life. Whatever happens with the series, they will always have a special place in my heart.

Wendy
amber200419
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Post by amber200419 »

Every time I read the characters come to life so much that I am literally sucked into the book. My husband has to shack me cause I can't hear him when I am reading
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Swalka1991
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Post by Swalka1991 »

Seem real? They are real! I often say things like, "This character is telling me..." or "This character won't get out of my head!" They live in my mind and speak through me so I can pen their tales.

Saying that makes me feel like I'm a bit schizophrenic, haha. But I really do feel like my characters are real, if only to me and the people who read my work.
Samperry82
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Post by Samperry82 »

I usually think about it like a movie. I picture me as one of the characters (if not the main one) and actors as other characters. It's kind of weird but I enjoy thinking about books that way. :P
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RILENTLISS
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Post by RILENTLISS »

Yes, over time, as you develop new obstacles for them, you stop trying to mold them, and instead begin to mold the plot around how you would suspect them to react. For example, I had a character Claire Fanning that I was working on, and after some time, I had to delete a large portion of plot because her reactions didn't feel sincere, lol, imagine that, and it's all coming out my head!
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buttafly74
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Post by buttafly74 »

Yes! Very real to me. I have a deep imagination anyway, so when I read a book with a good story, I totally feel the characters. And when writing my book, i have often cried at what I had to write because of the pain I was inflicting on them. My hubby is all like ' baby, you're not supposed to cry over your own book' and I say 'yes I am! (sniff, sniff) if I don't cry, then my readers won't cry. If it's not real for me, how will it be real for anyone else?'
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bookmark
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Post by bookmark »

Absolutely. Which is what I find so hard about series. I hate waiting a year to find out what happens to them.
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kiwes
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Post by kiwes »

I suppose this is one of the reasons why I love reading because the characters so often remind me of real people. Sometimes a story can take hold of me to the point where I actually forget I read about them, and are not real people. Any time an author can make you feel like that, I know they've done an excellent job. Almost always, I feel the characters in the stories I read are real.
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