Character Inspiration #LifeBooksWriting

AUTHOR BLOG CHALLENGE

To be honest, some of the Post Topics for this challenge do not apply or interest me (right now) so I'm skipping around with this one.

Character Inspiration

A lot of different factors go into the creation of any, one character in any of my novels.

Most often, however, they are based in-part on someone I actually know who went through some type of adventure-mishap-calamity that intrigued me to the point of devising an entire novel derived from said instance.

For example, in Sing to Me, Liv is loosely based on a girl from my high school years who was attacked for being 'too pretty' as the truth became known.

She was transferred to Franklin after the insane kidnap and hours of mindless torture the girl suffered at the hands of an immature girl who couldn't quite deal with her own insecurities.

Liv's circumstances in my novel are not dramatized but my own idea of something similar in order to avoid a lawsuit.

Neal, the male lead in Sing to Me, is loosely based on another guy from my high school days.

He arrived late in his Senior year and took everyone by storm with his European good looks, a winning smile, terrific bod, and energetic personality.

His real story ended up being a tragic one, but I'm saving that for another novel.

I just used my impression of that guy as inspiration for Neal's character and nothing more.

Also, in the Contemporary Romance Series I'm currently working on, the family of 3 older brother and a younger sister are loosely based on another girl I befriended in middle school.

She was quite popular, but it had a lot to do with the fact that her 3 older brothers were hot, Hot, HOT.

The tall, dark, and handsome variety every girl had at least one fantasy about with at least one of those brothers that often culminated in their becoming romantically involved.

So, for my series I've drawn from that experience and created my own version of an interesting family of 3 hot brothers and a youngest sister who adores them as much as she wants to defend, provide for their needs, and love them the way they do her.

Other times, I'm inspired by the things around me, like air travel.

In my second novel, Love Over Time, Perry is a retired Air Force Pilot who slowly creates his own private jet service.

My inspiration for his career choice has nothing to do with knowing anyone in the Air Force but from my love of travel and flight.

One joy in life is to be outside after dark looking up at the stars and moon, with the occasional high flyer passing by to make me wonder where the plane is headed, who's on board, and what sorts of adventures await them.

So, as a way to enjoy this myself, I created a character who can take me (and Kaisa) up into the clouds and see things from that perspective.

Inspiration comes from odd dreams I need to write out upon waking so I don't forget them, where characters actually form before my minds' eye to startle and intrigue me.

Which is how I started setting up a future Fantasy series of Romance novels that I intend to work up at a later date.

Three of the four in the series are already rough-draft complete.

I also watch a ton of Korean and Japanese dramas and movies, which inspires me to create hot guys with flaws but especially the not-so-hot guy who possesses enough charm and chivalry to become extremely appealing as time goes by.

My female characters are not so much tough as nails as they are insightful and mature but some who also need to overcome things like self-doubt, indecision, or a past issue that still weighs heavy on their heart and mind.

I'm not a huge fan of reality-based fiction, but I do like my leads to possess some form of realistic personality so that they don't come off like fairy tale characters or too outrageous to be believed.

Not a huge fan of feminism, either, but I do include self-sufficiency in my heroines.

I call it being mature and confident, not equal or feminist -- and if I do include the left-wing feminist ideal in a novel, the overbearing, hostile mindset is possessed by the antagonist.



As for my male leads, they need to be somewhat attractive and outwardly confident while still possessing some type of personality quirk that makes them believable and down-to-earth.

Even if they are gorgeous, the surface cracks show up at some point to make them less than ideal in some respects while their personality works to redeem them.

I don't have a problem with tough guys, Alphas who aren't shape shifters, and even semi-macho types as long as they aren't obnoxious -- which I leave to the antagonists and, again, give them the bad traits I deem reprehensible in a man.

Arrogance, rudeness, gutter mouth, crotch-swiping, spit hocking, uncouth 'guys' who behave gangster (immature) at all times and in front of the ladies.

Those are qualities I save for the antagonists.

And, again, they are loosely based on people I've actually met (although a few of my antagonists come from the tabloid news about the ridiculous behavior of some Hollywood stars).

I'm not a Hollywood fan and don't know anyone currently starring in any movies (save the comic book variety of hero movies, which I adore).

My attempt is to bring back the Golden Age of Hollywood and infuse guys like Cary Grant, William Powell, and Humphrey Bogart into the modern Heroes in my Romance novels.

Not too domineering but knowing how to be a man without overpowering in any way.

Being mature, humorous, and serious w/out coming off as stiff, boring, or egotistical.

And especially knowing how to treat a woman w/out making it look like he's above her in station.

I'm attempting to bring back the lost art of flirting, true romance that takes its time heating up to the boiling point, and with a heaping helping of mutual respect tossed in for added effect.

On a personal note, I create characters who inspire me, whom I'd like to meet in real life, and men I wouldn't mind falling in love with myself.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post, and if you are interested in joining the cause, I've included everything you need to know to get started below.

All you need to do to join in is use the hashtag #LifeBooksWriting and include the image below in your post.

#LifeBooksWriting