If you have characters and incidents based on true events in your story, how do you adapt that for fiction publishing? You risk angering friends and family IF and when it does get published and also all fiction works have a disclaimer that the characters and incidents are imaginary. Somehow, I can't believe that is true, as many must write about what they know (part from fantasy and horror and such genres). So how do you adapt non-fiction incidents and characters for fiction? Please advise as I am finishing the edits to my Fiction which is 'based on true events'.
Thanks Robert. It's very nice of you to say that any nastiness is generated by you, I wish I could say the same. However, I try not to be judgemental about the main characters, but as they have a goal, a conflict and an epiphany, they will do some strange things, but the reader can decide. I have one strong male character, who is a fusion of several people, who has a few soul-searching conversations with the MC. My story is in the genre of Literary Fiction, and not Fantasy sadly, and I am struggling to change my characters sometimes, because they are so much fun as they are right now. One is based on a very good friend so it is a compliment to that friend that she is fun, but I did call and apologise to that friend just yesterday as she is reviewing my work and will come across a passage where the MC is just furious with this female character.
Sky blue is a very nice colour.
Hi Sonya,
I do use real people as inspiration occasionally, but I always follow one central, unbreakable rule when I do it: Only use a piece of them and mix, mix, mix.
As an example, one of my main characters is comprised of an ex's hairstyle, another friend's height, loves my favourite colour (sky blue, in case you're curious), has the same vocal pitch as another friend, etc, etc, etc. The end result is essentially a new character who comprises aspects of at least ten people and does not have the name of any of them. To be extra safe, he is a professional wizard, lives in a flat on the edge of the New Forest and hails from Poland (again things that none of the comprising people can lay claim to unless they have a very well kept secret somewhere).
I also only ever use positive traits if I am going to include them. Any nastiness in the resulting character is always but always generated by me, as are their flaws.
I think it is very difficult not to base your characters on someone you have met. However, the trick is to deliberately change several things about them so that they are definitely a new individual. For example, make them left-handed instead of right (or vice-versa), change their accent or their mannerisms. Always include a get-out clause as mentioned by Megan above, "these characters are not based on anybody alive or dead" etc