Author/Character Relationship

[Snappy Penguine]

Removed

[Zombified]

There are times where I did have emotional attachments to my creations and times where I didn't.

For instance, my character, Winston the manatee was one of my favorite characters to write for. When I was writing the story, I knew I wouldn't be able to bring myself to just kill him so I left the ending ambiguous.

As for other characters, I usually don't really care much for them. I put them in terrible situations (The Sewer) and toy with them to see how long it will take for them to die.

I know, it sounds twisted, but you all do the same thing!

[Andy]

So, to the question and point of this thread: should authors have feelings for their characters? Should they have emotional attachments to them one way or another? Probably a stupid question, but it's just been bothering me for a while.
I think the more you use a certain character(s), the more you'll get some sort of emotional attachment to them.

Now, I've had certain characters for a few years. And I do sort of feel attached to them. When I say "attached" I don't mean I'm dependent on them, or that they affect my life, or that they get me through the hard times. :rolleyes: But the more time you have to refine them, the more lifelike they get.

I'm not sure what sort of emotional attachment you mean, actually. I certainly like and dislike certain characters, and enjoy thinking of the sort of things they'd say in certain situations, but that's about it. Should authors have some sort of attachment? Doesn't matter, probably. Unless they start talking out loud to them.:mellow:

[-Wallflower-]

Personally, I think authors should try and get attached to their characters for the pure reasons that, first off, if you're attached to your characters, you'll want to write about them. Second off, it makes it easier for you to learn to sympathise with them - and readers need to be able to sympathise with your characters, and third off, sympathising with them helps you know what they would do in whatever situation, because to make them believable people, they need their own separate personalities.

Or I could be blathering a load of crap =p

[Starry]

I think getting emotionally attached to your characters helps with and results from creating better and more realistic personalities for them, so it's good, but by no means necessary. I certainly have some characters I prefer writing about because I like them more, but that doesn't mean I'll have a problem killing them off later.

On the other hand, if you do what I did and decide halfway through your story that you hate one of your protagonists, then you've got a problem. :)

[Shaun]

My characters actually talk to me, so I must be insane. But I don't always get attached. It really depends. I get attached to characters that actually mean something to me (James from WISB, Mr. Bungle from "The Gnomes of New Timberfax", Atlas from "Artemis," and some other characters from other stories I've written). You don't have to be attached to your characters, but I find that I enjoy writing about characters that I actually care about more than I do writing about characters that I don't care so much about. Plus, there's something far more internal and entertaining about putting characters you care about through the grinder. James, for example, has probably been beaten on by me more than any other character I've written.

So, don't feel bad about not having a connection. You don't have to have it, but if you can develop one, it might improve your writing. That's my opinion though.

[sXe_Jinxeh]

I feel really strongly for my characters. I think it makes things much, much easier. For the story I should be working on if life didn't suck so much for nano, all the characters I have very strong feelings for, good and bad.

I think it's just completely natural.

[appleofmyeye]

All of my stories start with a character. I'll see something and it'll trigger my imagination (and yes, I do know how corny that sounds). They are my best friends at times. Truly, I grow to love them. That's why most of my stories are never finished. I just love the characters and don't spend enough time on the actual plot.

[dj4ever]

It totally depends on how long the story is and how much I personally relate to my character. Some of my characters I actually wouldn't be friends with or even talk to. The stories where these characters exist are usually abandoned. Who would want to write about someone that they don't really like? But, back to the point, I usually create my characters as people I would want to be so I care about my characters because a lot of the time I envy them. It's like being jealous of your best friend because...whatever they got this, they have that, the point is I do care about my developed characters deeply.


Also, like Zombie said it's easier to write a story where horrible things happen if your distant with the character. Thats probably why I'm hopeless when it comes to sad endings. I can deal with bad things happening but i couldn't actually KILL one of my characters. Hey, but the bright side is, its fiction, they could just come back to life the next day if i felt like it! :P

[Majyk]

I don't think it's necessary to have an attachment to your characters. Although it does help when writing about them. If I don't particularly like a character, I won't write about them as much, and as I was editing a few weeks ago, I actually cut a character I didn't like. Then again, I do have a few characters who I'm kind of attached to. But that doesn't stop me from torturing and killing them. I think the more I like a character, the more they suffer, actually :P

[jordanisonfire]

The annoying thing about my (primary) female character is that I usually make her to be a girl I would love if she were real and thus I have regrets when I make her go through rough times and even die, haha. But I don't think of her being real or anything, I know she only exists in my what I write and in my mind (NOT in the insane way).

As for all the others, I usually make an awesome protagonist, then an awesome antagonist and all their friends/subordinates/minions etc. are stupid cos I've made those two so awesome. I need to spread out their abilities to other people, really. But as for killing off them, I don't mind. It's only the girls, haha.

[Eilidh]

i'm pretty attached to my characters Frankie, Ted (Unknown) and Laura (Canderson High) Canderson high isn't a very good book, because I payed to much attention to Laura, and not to the detail/rest of the characters.

But Frankies my favourite one, the original idea is that she was killed but I decided to give it a story so she didn't die, yaay!

[Starry]

I actually can't stand one of my main characters right now, but that doesn't stop me from writing about her. My story has three main characters (who I'm not going to refer to as protagonists or antagonists because I'm not sure how that distinction works with an antihero), and I absolutely love my crazy evil main main character, but her little sister is kind of designed to be her total opposite, which may be why I don't like her. I think she's a whiny annoying brat, actually. But that doesn't stop other people from liking her. *shrug*

[Mercy]

If you have a connection to your character, writing about them is much easier, I think. However, caring about them too much is terrible, because you run the risk of making them a Mary Sue/Gary Stue and you try to keep your character "safe". So, having a connection and caring about them is good, just don't be afraid to make them suffer.

[dj4ever]

So, having a connection and caring about them is good, just don't be afraid to make them suffer.

Too true. Liking your characters makes it easier to write but a super happy sugar coated book is just boring and lame to read. So it's all about balance.

[Mercy]

It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you, I think. That's just the way you write. In reality, it doesn't matter if we care if our characters die or not, because they aren't real. So you don't have to care.

[Ace]

I personally have emotional attachments with my characters. Only the main ones, however. In two of my books, including the one that is getting published, I have cried more than once while writing it. In my newest one I was sobbing my guts out when the main character's best friend died.

But even though I am attached to them doesn't mean I try to keep them safe...the story controls the characters, and if they die, they die, and I have to write it.

Actually, a lot of people die in my books, so I guess you could say I'm not too attached (no main characters have died yet, though). I'm a murderer. *evil grin*

[Nanyoky]

Hey, maybe I'm crazy, but I have a very personal attachment to my characters. Not that I actually think they're real, but when I write for them, it's like... I dunno. I'm working under the assumption of 'say, for argument's sake... they WERE real... then they would...' and go from there. I mean, as a reader, I want to relate to a character or understand them in some way. Even the antagonist. Sure I don't agree with them, but I understand why he/she is the way they are and what their motivations are. I dont' think any way is right or wrong, I think it just depends on your own personal approach to writing.

[electrilad]

I think it's majorly important to have a connection to your character. You should be able to understand your character, know everything about them, understand them on an almost intimate level. After writing for a certain point of time, you know so much about the character and what they're feeling that you should, in a way, become the character. If you can relate so much to them, it's easier to write in their voice and come up with reactions that fit their personality. Because, in a way, you are the character- you made them, you know them, and if you hadn't created them, they wouldn't exist. They are entirely in your head, a part of you, and if that's not some sort of connection, I don't know what is.

* I say this because just about every one of my stories is told from first person perspective.

Yay! Ranting! :D

[Rafael Domination]

Like Shaun, I talk to my characters. The thing is, though, I AM my characters. I pour a little of myself into them. That can sometimes get me very attached, or very hostile towards them if I pour a part of myself that I hate into a character.

*I told you guys I was insane*

[Starry]

To some extent, I see myself in all of my characters. Take angry, paranoid me, remove any redeeming qualities, and look! You've got my villain. Take away the paranoia, add some responsibility and some healthy self-humor, and you've got my protagonist. I think it's more of a development of "If I were this character, what would I do?"

But you do have to be careful not to make any of your characters a duplicate of yourself, or else you'll end up with a Mary Sue and a really boring story. Creativity is key!

[Silverwolf]

For me personally i find my charcters takeing on some of the charcteristics of my friends. So yea i get attached to them

[Simmi]

All of my stories start with a character. I'll see something and it'll trigger my imagination (and yes, I do know how corny that sounds). They are my best friends at times. Truly, I grow to love them. That's why most of my stories are never finished. I just love the characters and don't spend enough time on the actual plot.

So I'm not the only one! That's very nice to know. My friends always scold me on how I never finish a story...

To answer the question I'm always very attatched to my characters, I usually end up cosplaying them or feeling the same emotions I make my character feel. I might sound crazy but that's how my mind works. And that's why most of my friends get attatched to my characters. Having a connection makes writing easier. But like apple said I also have stuff that triggers my imagination and I just have to write it down at that time, then I never finish what I started.

[dj4ever]

Yeah thats the same for me. I usually write a lot about how the character is feeling (descriptions, detail) but I don't realize it because a lot I'm just writing similar to how I would feel in the situation. I have to remember to keep myself and my characters seperate

[Crazy Shyness]

I do get attatched to my main ones a lot of the time. For some reason though I always have some character who I despise and is essential to the plot. Whenever I put in said character in any of my chapters it doesn't seem natural and I just want to have that character shot. :ranger: