In my first book it became apparent to me that there is nothing more important to a good leading character than friends. Whether it be a party gathered at random from the local tavern, people they've encountered in their adventures and have helped each other through tough situations, or people they've known all their lives. A good friend beats all. He/she can be that fateful wrench thrown into the villains schemes, the only one who will believe their innocence, or the only one who will listen in times of trouble.

I've found that modeling characters after my friends (having attempted to model the main character after myself), can give me a much more "Living and believable" character. I know these people, I can name any situation and I know how they'd react to that situation.

Plus it's cool when it's all said and done to tell your friends that they're in your book.

I am an Iron worker. A profession which draws some of the most base scum, lost souls and all around nasty people there are. From these people I have gained many a character idea: Villains, Dark heroes, Father figures, mentors, sidekicks, secondary characters and what not.

Men who have been to prison, turned over a new leaf, turned back to their vices. You name it, they've got it.

Does anyone else do this? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.

(I can be kinda long winded sometimes.)

*chuckles * That is long winded Wow, I'd hate to see what you'd call me...

Yes, I do this as well. Though none of my characters are specifically tied to one person I know.

I'm the kind of person who likes to watch people; When I'm out grocery shopping or working at the library. In places like these it's fun to see the variety of people, and I imagine them in different roles in books. Sometimes even looking at a specific person can sometimes give me an idea for a story.

So yes, I sort of do that! Only usually it's the inspiration I see for a book in a person, not basing the character wholly off people I know. I would be more likely to base characters off other book characters. The book I'm currently writing I base a lot of character traits off my own for the MC though.

Sometimes.

I sometimes do this. But not very often mostly because I know no one that is really like the characters I use.

Oo...I want to try this!

I don't really know that many people (at least know them well enough to know how they would react in the situations I put my MCs in) so I don't think I've ever really done anything like this...perhaps unintentionally I have created a few characters off some of my more colorful friends, though, nothing on purpose. If I do end up using a person to model one of my characters after, odds are, it will be a family member (though none of my family members would hold up well...or really at all, in any of my books ). But I've heard of a lot of other writers that do this...perhaps the idea will cross my mind next time I'm dabbling with another book.

Bethany Faith

It can be a lot of fun but in a way it is still dangerous. If you do a bad job portraying the person as the character and they know you used them as the character they may take offense.

But in my book, The main character I modeled after myself (heh, heh) and his two best friends were modeled after my two best friends. So I knew we'd work together. After all, these are guys I've run the woods with, literally with sword in hand, faced down bullying neighbors with, beat off wild dogs with.

The look on their faces when I told them they were in my book was priceless.

Lewis based some of his characters off of real people.

I do this but not as much as everyone around me seems to expect (they all naturally assume they're in my book). I add pieces of people though. One of my characters was originally based off of me and still holds a great resemblance but she is now a character separate from me. Likewise with Stellwento and Fulgar. They're based off of my best friend and me when we've had altogether too much sugar and caffeine. Other than that, most of my characters are based off of dreams I've had when I've needed characters.

Well, if you must kill off your friends then make it an epic death, one worthy of remembrance.

I can see it now...

"Look, your in my book okay? No no stop hopping up and down. You see, you um die in the end... No don't look so sad, no I'm not simply killing you off. It's complicated but don't worry, you die well."

I've actually had to do this. It's not pretty.

Except if your friend is a guy, then give him the most epic death possible and he will be happy.

The things fantasy writers talk about....

eruheran

I usually don't tell people that I based a character off of them because I've only done this with villains....

Haha...90% of my Villains are characteristics I got from my sister. I would never tell her that, though...

It would either give her an ego boost or hurt her feelings

I think if you can base a villain off of someone that much the last thing they need is an ego boost

When I started making a character, I wanted her to be totally different from me. But as I started writing her, and working on her backstory, she got more and more like me! I couldn't help it, the circumstances demanded it. But she acts the way she does for different reasons than I do. She is still obviously not me, I think. I also based one of her sisters on my sister. But I made them look completely different from us.
That's a cool idea, putting someone you know into the story. I like it.

I must confess that I do this for almost all of my characters... I used to make my main character me, and then my friends were sidekicks or whatever. It is fun. My two main characters now are Cirindiel (Me) and Malladryl (my best Girl friend)

Hello, Justin!
Justin is my friend from church! We know each other!
That's cool.

Hi Aemi!

Yes, I remember one of Justin's early stories. He made himself the main character, and then made my sisters and me his sidekicks.

Many of my characters are based---loosely based---on people I know. (Not necessarily at all well.) But the idea is that the people (I call the group "the Chosen") were pulled from our world into that world en masse, and this, followed by the circumstances they were thrust into, changed them significantly (to say nothing of that world! But that's another story), so the characters are probably 90-95% my invention and 5-10% inspired-by-so-and-so.

I think often you do draw inspiration from people you know, or meet. I know I do, even if only a little, some little part of someone I know will show themselves.