I've kind of stolen someone else's question here, as its a comment on a previous question of mine, but it's a very good point - my leading character is a teenage girl, and I freely admit that if there is one person who utterly fails to understand the teenage girl, then that person is typing this question. Any previous attempts I have made at stories have featured someone I relate to - a young male - and all of them have been aborted. Does anyone else find themselves writing (and therefore immersing themselves in) a character who is fundamentally different to them? Or is it the same as, for example, writing about an assassin (which I don't) if you've never killed someone (which I haven't)?
Basically, can you create a believable, real, sympathetic character when you actually don't identify with them, or are even from the opposite sex?
Hi, I have just carried out this excercise with the writers group I run.
I asked them to write and describe a character till they felt they knew them and then wiite a scene where their character shows through. In this way you get to know the character itimately and can then use that charaterisation in the situations you put them in.
It takes practice, but then if it was easy we would all be best sellers.
Aslo you don't have to like the character, you are allowed to write about any one you like.
I have created both goodand bad, also male and female, so don't give up.
Good luck.
EVJ
Thanks for the replies. I have thought about this since and kind of answered my own question, as my book (Witchwood) is based on a play which I wrote and directed for the local theatre group and the leading character was played by (kel surpreese) a 15-year-old girl.
Which makes perfect sense of course, but Bethany brought the character of Hannah to life in such a compelling way that I'm now convinced the script must have contained a character that she could identify with. So hopefully the novel has captured some of that...
I can agree also. My main characters are usually female. However, I have a number of Males who I am struggling with the characterisation of. Thankfully, I have a bit of creative leeway in my current work as they are angels, but that can't go too far from what is considered normal gender behaviours.
I try to base my characters on people I know; if I wanted my male character to be a complete ass-hole he would be based on my ex-husband :-)
Joking aside. My biggest problem are parents (both male & female perspective)... having never been one, or had the inkling of ever wanting to be anything remotely parent-like (apart from to my cat). I struggle to get an understanding of them, which is why I tend to kill them off very early in the story, then I don't have to worry about them anymore