I'm assuming I put this in the right spot...

Anyhow, the title pretty much explains itself.

I am most like Sapphira (which is why I use her name :P) and Esara, myself.

Sapphira represented me in the first version of her story. We have almost identical personalities, and her life in the first version of the story was what I would have liked mine to be at the time if I was in a fantasy story... although I've changed a lot since then. Although the story is VERY different now, I still use her name. And Roxdon is sometimes used as my fantasy-world reference to my future husband (although I have no idea who that is). I think it would be funny if it actually ended up being the guy Roxdon used to represent, but there's almost no way in the world for that to happen, and I honestly don't care. I was eight when I started the story, if that tells you anything. I made Roxdon just so I could have Sapphira try to kill him... although she didn't. I try to forget about that stupid idea...
Anyhow...

Esara is a more accurate version of a fantasy me. Kind, helpful, sweet... I'm more like her than I am Sapphira, now (but don't tell them that. You know how fantasy charries are :P).

But enough of my rambling. What about you guys?

I have this saying that most of our main characters have a little of who we are and a little of who we want to be.

I'm most like two of my characters, Liagiba & Erynne.

Liagiba is a queen who never acts like one--totally unladylike. She hates diplomacy and is a total straight-shooter. She would never admit to loving the guy she's in love with (the ever dashing & amazing King Eiram). She loves riding horses (stallions only) and refuses dresses, only wearing trousers, a tunic and chain mail. Her sword was given to her by Eiram when he asked her to marry him. When he asked, she laughed at him. Then he kissed her, she punched him and Lia walked away. Her favorite saying is "You can nay find good royalty these days". I'm a lot like her; I'm a total tomboy, and I can pound almost any body if I get a mind to. Most folks know better than to mess with me.

Erynne is a little more cunning than Lia, but similar. She's still a tomboy, but she'll wear a dress. I have the same brown curly hair, brown eyes and dark complexion. She has a hot temper, and a really quick tongue. You should hear her argue with Ti! She is good with a sword, and hates to admit to being defeated. She is also a straight shooter. I have the same quick tongue; I can convince anybody of anything and can cover anything up (not neccessarily a positive, but it is what it is).

Okay, now I'm shutting up. Saphira, what is Saphira's personality?

Liagiba sounds amazing ;D

I find it funny that Esara has no problem with wearing a dress, since I hate wearing them. Oh, and Esara jumps into things without thinking... not sure how much I relate to that.

Sapphira in the new version of the story is willing to do anything the Lord asks her to, hides her feelings easily, and is willing to risk her life to spread the gospel. She's actually still a lot like me, but her character has become a bit dry through the rewriting, so I don't relate to her as much any more. I need to work on that eventually... she has no character now.
The first version, she was moody (she nearly killed Roxdon just because she thought he betrayed her, without finding out the truth, and then the next month she said she was in love with him... she's weird :P), brave but afraid to admit when she was wrong, and wasn't sure of her purpose in life.

Thanks, I love Lia too. I can relate to that "unwilling to admit that you're wrong" part.

Well, it really depends on which stage of my life you are talking about and which stage of my character's life you are talking about.

Kimun went through several stages in his life that I also went through, but I think that is mainly because that is how people generally grow up. He quickly diverges from my personality, however, as he becomes more apt to the One's hand. He ends up having a different calling in life than I do.

Ithilrun is the most tenacious of my characters, having stuck with me all the way back from when I was 6-7. Of course he is quite different now, though. He used to be named Luke, but then Luke became a different character and the character that he was became me, then he became someone else (finally named Ithilrun), and he has gone through a few morphs since. But you can still trace him all the way back. He is more like me in the way that I want to be, but he is also different from me in many ways. He also takes a very different path.

Beduuin is like what I would like to be, but he also has a very different calling than I: he dies young (sorry).

Those are my main characters (except for Beduuin). I have a multitude of other characters, but they really are very dissimilar from me.

Oooo, hard question. Most of my characters are bits of me. Tyra is like my alter ego, or my evil twinn.

Tyra: But I am NOT evil.

I didn't say you were. Any way, the character I'm most like... I think I'll say Kait, she's the hero of novel number two, (which is being outlined.) She's very thoughful like me, and a bit proud, ah... like me. She is willing to see her mistakes and is the first to tell herself what she did wrong, but she can go on beating herself up about it for weeks. Crazy imagination, a bit shy... and other things, but I don't want to bore anyone.

What are you sorry about? Sapphira dies at the end of her story as well. And she's only going to be 19 or younger (I haven't decided yet :P). Roxdon's still mad at me for that... and I haven't even written that part yet.

Yeah, my main character, Fyrstar, is burned at the stake to save the fallen elves. Then, before she can get to Aurahome, she has to go through Shadywvalley barely alive and be tempted by Clethdyr. And then...oh wait. I don't want to give the plot away.

Hmmm...I actually have very few characters that are like me. I have lots of characters who are patterned after other people I know, and I have characters who are extreme exagerations of my siblings!:D

Sarah, is maybe the only character I have who is anything like me at all. She looks like me, and she embodies all my flaws, but grows into the woman that I want to be somedays. (as you might imagine I am VERY attached to her as a charrie.)

All of ya'll's charracters sound amazing!

I'm probably most like my character Elana (planning on chaning the name. I liked it when I was eight, but not so much now). She's a little shy, and doesn't like standing out from the crowd, but around her family she can go crazy. In my story, she's called to be a leader, which brings her out of her comfort zone, and she grows a lot. She loves encouraging people.
She likes to swim, too.

Ain't that the truth! I love them all!

I know, they all sound so awesome.

We're so humble.

That is true. He dies heroically, though, so it isn't too bad. I like making my readers cry...

Same here. I've made a vow to myself that I will cry over a book someday. It hasn't happened yet, so get to work, Jay.

The closest I've come to crying was in the Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker. Maybe you'll be the first, Jay!

Sapphira dies fairly heroically... she's killed by a tribe of they-don't-have-a-name-yet (:P) while trying to tell them about the Lord.

If your story can make me cry, you must be an amazing author. I've come close once or twice, but I never actually have. Hmmm... maybe I should make this an official challenge :P If you can make me cry, you're pretty good.

The only two books that have ever made me cry are White, by Ted Dekker, and Return of the King by Tolkien. But I LOVE it when a book is realistic enough to make the reader cry, (and laugh for that matter!) I think that's a writer's highest acheivement.

I have cried over books myself, even though I am a guy. I do not consider tears to be a sign of weakness (see all the times strong characters in the Bible cry, even Christ cried). But I try to avoid sobbing out loud (not that I have ever come close to that). It can be embarrassing.

For all of you who have challenged me to make you cry:

You will have to wait for me to write a whole book, because to get it right, you have to have a lot of character development. I will do my dead level best to extract some tears in The War of Weaving Strands, but I do not know how it will go since it is looking like it will be my first book to finish. The Power of Darkness comes in for a close second for summoning tears, but that is the second book of my trilogy, and it is going to be waiting a long while to be written.

Well, hurry up and get to work! I'm not saying crying is a sign of weakness, it's just something I NEVER do.

I completely agree. My Main main character, Forest, has a lot of my traits and even looks kind of like me, but she also has several characteristics that I would love to have (like pointed ears). Ayanna, one of my main characters, has some of me in her too (she tends to be more cautious abut things than Forest, sometimes too much so)

Those are the two I can think of, although I admit, I have put some characters in stories that represent me (although they're never main characters; they're usually some person from ancient that only the history books remember).

(I think crying is awesome. After I've sobbed my heart out I always feel better.)

Elestar: Do you really want pointed ears? You might end up looking kind of like a vulcan.

Okay, THAT idea just killled my desire.

I agree about the crying as well. I kind of have to, since I cry at about every good book I read (usually when I finish it, because there's no more for me to read). I can't wait to read your stories. I like crying at books. It helps me get through the transition from reading a good book to not reading a good book.
And yes, I think it is very sad if someone young dies, especially if it is a good person. Just to be clear, I'm not criticizing anyone, because have killed at least one young main character in my story, and I plan to kill a lot more (and for some reason, my sister refuses to read my books). Kill someone young, likable, and relatable (yes, I did make up that word), and you shall have me in tears. I know, authors love readers like me.

Yes, I empathize. My mother won't read mine for the same reason. I like the word 'relatable.' Very good. We need to start a thread talking about how to make your characters relatable.

Well, I know I will have a few of you in tears then, at least. I do not kill people just because I do not know what to do with them (unlike Diane in Anne of Green Gables (yes, I have read the whole series, and loved them (don't tease me too much))), I kill them because they need to die for the sake of the greater story. Such as... Oh never mind. I don't want to ruin it for y'all!

Lol, that makes me laugh. I'm about ready to kill this one character. He's cool, but useless! Maybe he should be a martyr...just kidding.

(YES! A boy has read Anne of Green Gables! *snickers* No, really, I think everyone should read that hilarious, wonderful series.)

As to crying in books, it's not so much characters dying that makes me cry. It's extreme sacrifice, and epic triumphs of good over evil. Anything that stirs the heroic warrior in my heart gets me crying like a little baby.

I forgot. I did cry over one story, a little. "The Martyr's Song" by Ted Dekker. Wow. That books amazing. Talk about tear-jerking heroism and simplicity, that book is amazingly profound.

I almost cried over that one. But I think we are getting off topic. Does anyone want to start a thread on crying?

Lol. We should. Do you mind, Jay?

No I don't. Go ahead.

New topic on crying...right now.

oh, boy.

I'll reply about crying on the new topic But to change the subject back to the title of this topic...

My character, Naarah, is myself in every way except that she lives in an awesome world that I created She looks the same as me (hazel eyes, chestnut hair...) and has the same personality. I'm very moody and a bit on the timid side which hinders Naarah in the story a bit. But we have the same calling. To rescue lands taken over by the dark lord. In her case it's Dolorous ruled by Arcane, for me it's Uganda ruled by Satan. I love allegories and the reason I wrote the book is for it to be an allegory of my calling. Along the way Naarah's journey takes some different turns than mine, but the idea's the same.

Some of you mentioned your characters died. In the third part of my novel (which has yet to be written), Naarah and her husband are martyred. This is considered by them to be the greatest honor through the whole story and it's the climax of the book.

Well, that's my character counter-part.

Awesome! Naarah sounds very cool.

Firstly, you are mean to go killing people like that. If you go over and read my post in the crying thread, you will see what I mean. You'd better be careful, or you may lose an editor. Just kidding.

Secondly, oh good!!! I am glad you read them and liked them. I, shockingly enough (not), also read the whole series and liked them. Now I know that I can allude to the story and or quote it and you will know what I'm talking about.

Is it bad that you've read the whole Anne of Green Gables series and I haven't? :P They were okay, but definitely not my favorite.

And killing characters is fun Muahahah*cough*hahaha*gag*
just kidding :P

I've never read any of them, guys...

Me neither. My mom told me I should... but I never seem to have time!

We aren't capable of staying on the original topic, are we?

And to further the confusion *imitation of Sapphira's excellent laugh*, I have only read the first few Anne of Green Gables books. The first one is my favorite, followed by the second, but after she got engaged to what's-his-name (and no, that is not meanness, I have actually forgotten his name), I got bored. Maybe because I wasn't old enough to relate to her anymore...

Great, now I'm going to have to go back and read them just to find out.


And to those of you who also kill your characters (although you seem to have more fun doing it than I do), I will most definitely read your books sometime. I enjoy sad stories.

Once she married Gilbert and had kids, I just had fun reading about all THEIR little escapades. But I DID lose interest in Anne, I have to admit.

As to characters, I just realized something...HONDANE! Like, the first heroine that I ever wrote about, was basically me living the adventure I made up in my head.

Of course, I've changed so much from when I was eight, that she's nothing like me now... But still.

That's right! Hondane! How could either of us forget her? No, really, how? The Krystal Keeper was life itself for how long?

wow...a couple YEARS I guess. That's all we talked about, planned for, or THOUGHT about...

*sigh* The golden good old days...when we were in middle school with minimal homework.

Ah yes. Alas. I do miss them.

Everlar

In my Book the Musicthiss I am most like my Character Ana but people hardly ever see that side of me.
She's stubborn and can never shut up. When she makes up her mind to do somthing she does it.
Her father died in battle against the evil King when she was ten, and she swore to kill her Father's murderer, a young archer. The only problem is she is stuck in the protection of Tonjara, an oasis far from the Kings sight. When she's 17 she gets her wish and goes off to the outer kingdom to be a spy on the King, but most of all to kill his assassian who was the one who killed her Father. When she enters the gate and tells the guard her business there he calls someone to escort her to the king. So there walked Maverick, a tall, dark, handsome, young man walking toward Ana. She is taken by his charm and lust overcomes her until he speaks.
"Hello, my name is Maverick. I am the Kings Assassian" he said.
She is dumb founded. So this is the Man she's supposed to kill. All of her confidence drains.
But anyways, what ends up happening is she find out he was one of the first Rebel spys and is madly in love with her! The King sees their love for each other but wants Ana for himself, so he makes them duel to the death for the position of second in command.
PM me if you want to know what happens next but yeah Ana is so much like me. I am quick to take revenge on people evan when I should take a deep breath first and figure it all out I am also very strong willed.
Ana

My main character is a side of me that people don't usually see too. She's a little bit of a leader, which I can be if no one else feels like it, and she acts really crazy around her family and close friends, but she is more quiet and thoughtful around others.

Hey, Ana, just going to let you know I edited your post to make it easier to read. I thought I would let you know. It was kind of hard to tell what you were saying. I wasn't sure about the "So there Run Maverick, a tall, dark, handsome, young man walking toward Ana" part. Hopefully I got the rest right. You might try using a little more punctuation thanks

Opps! Thanks Sapphira. Sometimes I ramble a bit. Thank God for second drafting (and third and fourth) or my stuff would never come out right.
Thanks again I did edit it to make sense I think.
Ana

No problem

Your story sounds pretty awesome, by the way. I would definitely read that book.

Dude... your birthday... for real? AWESOME!!!

I don't think I have yet written a character that is like me; the closest one would be Yashir, a young man studying to be a scribe at the University of Lescatia, but not even he is like me except in the fact that he loves to learn and he is somewhat shy. I am not sure why none of my characters are like me. It is probably because I find myself rather boring and would rather write about people who are unlike me.