*Hey Guys, I redecorated, hope you like it:-) I also added helpful tabs at the top for easier navigation, though most of them are still under construction, but should be finished soon. Anyway, just in case you were wondering, you have come to the right blog. And if by chance this was not the blog you originally intended to come to, then what other conclusion can there be but divine intervention. Obviously, you should stay and hang out awhile;) And....onto the regularly scheduled post.*
OK! So I think it's a pretty universal thing that we pour ourselves into our characters, especially our main characters--though hopefully not too much.
I know for a fact that I gave my MC, Lilliana Brandywine my hair texture, and big family.
JK Rowling gave Harry Potter her glasses.
Maggie Stiefvater gave James her bagpipes.
However, what I didn't expect was to find myself becoming more like my MC.
In STOLEN, Lilliana is forced to train as a knight--it's very physically demanding to the point where she can barely stand it--and she is someone with absolutely no athletic ability believing running is only something you do when you're being chased.
Oddly enough I was also someone with little athletic ability--though granted more than Lilliana since I've been a professional dancer (and dancers ARE athletes). But for a month now I've been going to the gym (for the first time in my life), lifting weights, meeting with a personal trainer and actually keeping track of my progress.
And the amazing thing is, I'm getting stronger...just like Lilliana does.
Now this could be pure coincidence, or it's possible she's influencing me. She also has a penchant for vintage looking Victorian styled jewelry, and I've been finding myself more drawn to those necklaces and wanting to buy them because I know Lilliana would like them--I'm more of a chunky jewelry kind of gal--big turquoise and coral stones are my heaven.
So I'm curious, have you noticed that you've started taking on traits particular to your MC. How many of your own traits did you give to yours? And which of theirs have you walked away with?
I think I may be coming away with more than just a penchant for the gym, but I don't want to give too much away:-)
Well.
ReplyDeleteI have forced myself to try drinking Mead. And the taste is really growing on me. I did it mostly because I felt like if I didn't drink some kind of mead at some point, Thor would disown me (and he's a large part of my books). Does that count?
Love the new look blog.
ReplyDeleteIf I had any of my MC, I'd like to be as brave as she is. I'm a wuss. lol. I think I share her vulnerability though. And her love of books. She also has my hair. :)
Love the new look! Very nice. I think my MCs sarcastic comments come from me. Her strength and her determination is rubbing off on me.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post!
Love the look.
ReplyDeleteMy mc has witty internal thoughts, and she's a runner (me and me). Well, technically she's a swimmer (I'm not), but she's a runner at the beginning of the book.
Hm, well...my MC is kind of skinny. I'd like to take on that trait. But so far I think she gets more from me than the other way around. Although I do have a character in my next planned book that has a quirk that was inspired by my part-time job, and I like it so much I just might take it for myself, too.
ReplyDeleteNo PURPLE?! Ironically enough, that's one thing separating you from Lilliana and her favorite color! Like the redesign, though!
ReplyDeleteLove your new layout Frankie!
ReplyDeleteLove the new layout. It puts #windinmyhhhaaaiiiirrrr!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I'll let you know if we get embroiled in a crazy mystery. But we do have snark in common with Kate. Of course we were snarky before we decided to write about her.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I haven't thought about this. I actually try to keep myself separate from my MC (because I don't want all of my characters ending up the same way, no matter how awesome I am), but I do occasionally give her a random trait of mine, like star gazing.
ReplyDeleteI want to try mead now, Amalia! Although I feel like it sounds like it would be delicious, and it's actually just beer. Which would make me le sad.
Good question.
ReplyDeleteLove the blog design and new tabs. I need to learn how to get those on my blog some day.
As for my characters, it's hard to tell. I can't think of much. I had one character that was originally designed after me, and the other ones in the group were my friends, but the more I developed the idea the more they grew on their own. Now, the characters aren't really like us at all. Then again the novel started historical fiction and is now epic fantasy. *shrugs*
I have so many different ideas and different characters that there's plenty I would like to try but haven't. Yet. Might try to work on that in the less overwhelming future.
This is why most of my characters drink too much and have avoidance issues. They're pretty much like me already, so I don't have to worry about becoming like them.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and psychoanalyze me now, mademoiselle psych prof. (Just make sure you put on the horn-rimmed glasses first.)
:)
As does everybody, I love the new look! I gave Violet my hair and the way she dresses is very similar to me. She is very direct and I've become more like that.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I'm really involved in one particular story, yeah I find myself becoming a little more like my MC. I rub my collar bone when I'm anxious like my old MC Lydia and gnaw on my lip like Zoie. All subconsciously they;re just little quirks I've picked up along the way.
ReplyDeleteBut sometimes I do it on purpose. I'll decide to be my character for a day and go out with my friends, to see if the things I have them doing make sense. It's fun to be a character for a day.
And I love the new style.
There are definitely random things my characters have in common with me (a crazy love for ice cream, for example), but I don't know if they're having an influence on me. That's probably a good thing since I think some of them are kind of crazy (but I still love them...mostly).
ReplyDeleteGood topic. Now that I think about it, I've been better at saying No - and my MCs are both good at that. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. I too tend to give my MC traits that, oddly enough, are ones that I also happen to have.
ReplyDeleteI like the new look as well! Very pretty background. :)
~TRA
http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com
Her strength and her determination is rubbing off on me.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post!
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Haha... This is actually Perfect, because my friend and I were just talking about this.
ReplyDeleteYou see, there's a story we're working on together and my character is very laid back and serene, and hers is angry and wound up.
And we were sitting in her living room and she was spouting off wondering why she was all angry, and I was just sitting there calmly, nodding my head.
And then we realized we were totally becoming our characters! *sigh* I love it when that happens.