Using real people to build fictional characters
How to do it without losing friends and making your brother angry
Note! In the following, I am referring to how a writer integrates observed behaviours and overheard expressions into the writing. The sexy way your friend Vira flips her hair. The sag of Alesio’s lower lip when he’s focussed on a task. The conversation you had with a stranger on the bus. There are no legal implications here. Just benevolent shoplifting from regular life.
Writers are constantly gathering material from the world around us. Our past experiences greatly impact the themes that we write about and current experiences enrich the storytelling with visceral emotion. Even if your genre is fantasy, threads of your life events, reactions and relationships will feed the writing.
So when a family member asks about the novel, “Am I in there?” or a friend squeals, “Is this character me?”—the answer is yes, but not really. The people around us provide inspiration for the writing, but details are usually blended into the whole. Nuances of your best friend exist in this character, but there’s also some of you in there too, and their speech patterns were maybe lifted from a professor you once had.
Funny thing is, friends and family members will see themselves in your writing whether or not it’s true. What’s important is how you manage it both on and off the page. Here are some things to remember when using real-life people for inspiration:
Don’t tell the person. Firstly, spare yourself having to answer questions like, “Is that what you really think of me?” But also, spare yourself having to negotiate with the person, who may suddenly develop ideas for “improving” your work. This is a work of fiction, not a biography. Your novel is not a group project either.
Don’t make it too obvious. Rename Anya to Patricia. If she only wears black, dress your character in colours instead. Give her a new country of birth, etc. Put enough distance between them so that the person doesn’t recognize themselves and start asking questions (refer to first bullet point above).
Don’t be lazy. You are creating a fictional universe and that requires imagination. Never steal every character from the world around you. If you mash together thinly-veiled versions of yourself and everyone you know, the writing falls flat. Writing fiction is thrilling because you are discovering the characters as you build them, so don’t cheat yourself (and your readers) by being lazy.
What are some of your best stories of borrowing from real-life people? Did you feel guilty? Did you ever ask permission? Tell me some stories!