I was wondering what to blog about and thought I might share a weird thing that happened.
I have character named Peter Delaware, or Del as he’s known to most of his friends, in a book (that is yet to see the mess of an editors desk), but he’s been a main character in a series I’ve written and popping up in my head a lot lately.
I was in the car, when a Nickleback song came on the radio, and I’m not sure why, but it suddenly occurred to me that this was what Del sounded like- no, he’s not a singer, but something about the gravely tone of Nickelback- reminds me of Del…okay so this may not be a mind blowing piece of information for anyone else - since very few people have even heard of Peter Delaware, but it was a very big moment for me, to have a little piece of reality, blur with my characters.
I had an image of my hero in Fallout- Jake Holden, singing Karaoke with his mates to Cold Chisel – good old beer songs like Khe Sanh, and Cheap wine- but he doesn’t have a Scottish/Aussie accent like Jimmy Barnes! He just likes the music- I don’t have a voice that’s hit me as purely, Jake yet, but I’ll let you know if I ever hear it!
So all this got me thinking- as it does…
Do you have anything that reminds you of your characters?
I’d love to hear about it. Maybe like Del- there’s a song or a voice that sparks that little bit of a reaction. Maybe it’s the look of a certain Actor, I’m sure there are lots of different ways we relate to our characters, and I’d love to know.
For all my reader friends, I’d love to know if you get any images or similarities for characters you’ve read in your favourite books as well.
Hey Karly,
ReplyDeleteusually when I haven't been paying as much attention to my characters as I should, they remind me at work - their names pop up on my computer. I constantly see Chloe and Luke pop up either as the main record I'm looking at, or as a child of that record, and occasionally see Kirsty and Dylan.
Strangely enough, I have yet to see Cinderella or Snow White.
But this is my inspiration for Prince Henry and he is sitting on my wall at work staring at me: http//www.runninginheels.co.uk/articles/model-moment-malcolm-jackson/
Welcome to the blogosphere. I will subscribe to your blog in google reader.
Hey, Karly, I see my heroes in the faces and voices of some actors. It could be the colour of their hair, the way it's styled, most often though it tends to be the expressions conveyed on their faces.
ReplyDeleteThe expression of one my fictional heroes has come from Sam Worthington in Terminator:Salvation - the scene where Skynet reminds him he'll always be what he was made to be - for a moment you see utter despair and horror on his face as he relises what they made him to be but then his expression transforms into one of determination and I'm-going-to-kick-your-ass-so-bad-I'm-human-and-I'll-be-that-no matter-how-much-machine-like-you-made-me! That is one look from my ex-soldier turned sex-slave hero in my sci-fi romance.
Great blog - thanks for the chance to share! :-)
Kylie, I can so totally see that image of Sam in terminator- very graphic and great inspiration for your character.Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteDiane, isn't it strange how these characters do that! I sometimes have to watch what I call my husband!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Kylie, great topic. I often hear words from a song as I'm driving to work, just a line that encapsulates where my hero is at that moment in his journey. I think, yeah, that's exactly how he's feeling. I say to myself, 'I have to convey that.'
ReplyDeleteThen I go to work... and probably forget again. But you're right, it's a really cool moment when you connect to your character and I think it helps the layers of a character. xx Fi
Midwife In Million HMB Medical 02/10
I forget to write things down sometimes too, and it is really hard to recall what it was that gave you that spark of insight- I need to start jotting things down, a lot more than I do at the moment. Thanks Fi for your input.
ReplyDeleteMy sister sent me a poem written by a Tang dynasty poet that made her think about one of my heros. He was one of my most complex characters so I was thrilled that he'd made an impression.
ReplyDeleteI never quite find any pictures that give the full effect of any of my heros. But I'll sometimes see bits and pieces, as you described.
I was sitting at a stoplight one day, and a big truck pulled into the convenience store on the corner, and this tall, dark and handsome guy swung out of the cab and I stared and said, "That's Nick!" The hero from my book Ashton's Secret. It was the strangest feeling. So sometimes yes, fiction and reality do blur. Best of luck to you on your new blog, Karly, and what a great cover you have. Love the sound effects on your trailer, too!
ReplyDeleteYep, like Liana said, I've "seen" my heroes in the strangest of places too. Or their vehicles. I actually said once to my husband, "Oh, that's Josh's truck," and he was like, "WhoTF is Josh?". :D
ReplyDeleteOddly enough (not really LOL), I connect the sound of Nickelback's music with my current hero's character, too. A little rough around the edges, confident, horny... :D
I love, love, love when I make connections like that. I wish I could capture those little moments in a bottle or something and give them a little sniff every now and then when I feel like I'm losing touch with my characters. Or that I could just pour it on the pages and voila!...great characterization. :D
Sally aka Molly
I still hear the hero of a short story I wrote in my head sometimes. His voice was ruined in an accident and he sounds like something out of a nightmare. It was such a visceral realization for me that I still get chills thinking about it. Combine that with Clive Owen's frigid green eyes -- ooh. Made me shiver!
ReplyDeleteOften I start out with a photograph of my hero, but as I write, he begins to look more like himself and less like the photo. Same with the heroine.
I think a lot of people identify characters with personality traits of people we know.
ReplyDeleteIf you know an interesting and captivating individual, why not?
Sally, Mary and Sela, thanks for sharing :) It is a little strange when you tell someone(like your husband!) something about your character,and then remember they're not real people!Then again, maybe that's what makes a great character, when they seem so real to us :)
ReplyDeleteHi Karly,
ReplyDeleteGreetings from a fellow Aussie.
Great blog. "Real" characters are what make me keep turning the pages of a book. If the characters are weak, makes me want to throw said book at the wall.
Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Sometimes I'll hear a song when I'm in the car and I'll realize that it relates to my character's emotional state. I always find that quite interesting, because as I mainly write historicals, it might seem weird for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, for example, to remind me of my Regency hero's struggles with his father. But I've long realized that my mind works in mysterious ways :)
ReplyDeleteNot weird at all Kate! I think music is able to transverse the ages- well maybe not rap!! but good music!!! And Margaret I hope you have a great Christmas as well, thanks for commenting :)
ReplyDelete