Wait… Is that Character based on me?

One of the most asked questions that a writer gets is: Where do you get the ideas for your characters?

Honestly, it varies from author to author. But I will tell you where I get the ideas for my characters.

First of all, I never base a character on ONE person. I learned the hard way that it just doesn’t work. If you are mad at the person in real life, then someone how it comes across on the character.

For example, I once killed a MAIN character in a book because I was very angry at the source inspiration in real life. LOL talk about major rewriting!

I like to take characteristics from several sources and create a character. Or sometimes I make up a character and give them a characteristic of a personal source.

1) From my Family- those nuts…uh… I mean very normal people (haha!) are always saying and doing things that are funny or interesting. My niece is definitely a constant source of inspiration.

2) My Friends - Of Course my friends inspire me. I spend time with a diverse group of people, with different views and goals. I would have to say that three of my friends inspire me more than others, though.

3) Strangers- Basing a character on someone that I don’t personally know is always fun. You get to imagine things about them and then run with it.

So, if one day you are reading a book of mine and think, “Wait… is that character based on me?”

Well… it just might be! Then again, maybe not… ;-)