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Joined: 4/3/2011
Posts: 66
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In my book My Novel Affair, I have written an MC that is so much like me that my spouse cringes. He pointed it out and had to ask me if I thought he was Gary? I found myself unable to answer the question.
I am cynical, a smartass and speak my mind in my head and spend too much time in my own land of make believe.
Hearing that my MC seems bitter worries me. Is it the writing or her overall attitude that make it so? I'm not trying to make her sound that way.
Have you ever accidently written yourself? Is this a bad idea?
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Joined: 3/13/2011
Posts: 412
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if the character is basically a carbon copy of you, but you treat them fairly, its fine. If you make them all powerful all knowing, ect, you have a problem.
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Joined: 3/29/2011
Posts: 25
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I think it's impossible to avoid including at least a little bit of yourself in each of your characters. It's okay for a character to have an attitude, as long as there's something for the readers to connect with. Maybe it would help if you had someone who doesn't know you quite so well read a chapter or two and decide if the character works or not.
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I think all characters are in part an extension of ourselves. There's some part of them that's born out of a part of us, and that's why we connect to them. When I have a sarcastic character, it's mostly my brand of sarcasm that comes through their voice. I tend to write characters with the same political or religious ideals as a default, unless the story calls for something specific. But I've yet to write a character that can be picked out and identified as me.
That being said, whether the MC works or not depends on whether the MC (whether only vaguely or fully like you) is balanced within the world they inhabit. There's a checklist called "The Mary Sue Litmus Test" which goes through some of the things that make a character stretch a bit too far. Is the character getting too many good breaks? Is the character always the center of attention? (Not that any of these might apply to your story, but it's a helpful list to look through if you think your character might be unbalance.)
If the character isn't working, maybe try and think of a personality trait opposite to yourself that might edge a bit of the bitterness that's coming across and work that it. Hobby? Secret obsession? Hidden tender moments?
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Joined: 3/13/2011
Posts: 24
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I love Sinnie! I think she's amazing. I think I might have written that she sounded bitter.
Let me explain: she's bitter about her fame. She hates her MC in her famous series. Of COURSE it's going to read "bitter."
As for it being so much like you...well...I have to agree with everyone: each one of us puts something in our characters. Whether it be a habit, an interest, eye color, a weird ingrown toenail...whatever it is...we put it. We know ourselves better than anyone, so why not add a bit of ourselves? 
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Joined: 3/16/2011
Posts: 214
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@Sinnie,
Well, only you know how close your character is to you. I suppose that’s the one reason I’ve always found it difficult to write in first person – too much of my own personality ends up in my MC. Believe me, I have tried and tried to distance myself from this, but to no avail! ☹
I don’t particularly see Sinnie as bitter as much as detached. I feel like there’s something else she really wants to tell me – more personal things about her feelings about Gary and her marriage and what she really wants out of life (and love). She has to be hurting about something … but what? She’s decided to write a romance, right? The (very unobtrusive) vibe that I get from her is that this is how she’s living out her need for romance and love. If I’m right, I’d like to see her express this in some way. Let her have vulnerability.
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Joined: 3/14/2011
Posts: 8
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People who know me in real life will absolutely hear my sarcasm and cynicism in Davis (my MC). She's sort of a combination of myself, my sister, my hairdresser's cousin, and several of my students. In fact, I actually had my best friend read several chapters without really telling her much other than the genre to see what she picked up and it was pretty much what I said minus the cousin and sister because she doesn't know them as well. She even said, "I picture her making that face you do." On the other hand, she got that we weren't the same. My husband, I think, might confuse the two more because he's not much of a reader.
Thus, does your hubby read much? Is he giving something like tone of voice or slang more weight than maybe it deserves?
(Or does he just suspect Gary is the neighbor?  )
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Joined: 3/4/2011
Posts: 58
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There's a different part of me in every main character I write. My straightforward side comes out in this one . . . my sensual side comes out in that one . . . I try not to put too much of myself in any one particular character, because let's face it. I'm not that interesting. And my critique group knows me very well and will point it out if characters sound too much like me.
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Joined: 4/26/2011
Posts: 29
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I'll take the counter-point to what's been said above. It's an easy thing to write a character that is you. You know you (presumably) so you don't have to do any digging to find the truth of the character. Your husband will not be the only person that then asks whether you're writing about them, too. You'll be constrained in what actions you can have happen for fear of offending friends and family who may perceive a particular character as a representation of them.
You may not be using friends/family for the basis of other characters (though you said yourself you couldn't answer your husband's question of whether he was Gary), but it won't matter because your friends will draw the conclusions they draw. They see you. So they'll see the way they think you see them. You'll end up hurting a lot of feelings and losing friends you don't want to lose.
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