Bssing characters on people you know?

[Inkent]

Looking at the replies it seems we all go about things in different ways.
I've just recently been challenged by my wife and friend to piece a short story short together based on the fact we were sitting in a restaurant in Hamburg a couple days back.

I'm a light sleeper so done it over a couple mornings on my phone and three of the characters can easily be aligned to us by physical description but not by personality. (Story pending publication- Fun in the Dark.

The longer piece I'm working on is the opposite. The main characters persona based closely on a colleague but the physical description not. Like many of you sometimes it's just a simple mish mash mixed from anything such as a conversation, watching people or people I know.

I also read loads on here and have my favourite authors and stories. I don't use the characters but sometimes pick pieces of their persona. In a longer piece I'm publishing I've taken part of the attitude displayed from one of the lead characters and effectively tried to recycle it. The stories have no similarly but the characters view to life is very similar. For those that are curious The story is 'Promotion Comes with Strings Attached' one if my favourites by Cagivagurl, the character come to life in my Actions, Reactions and consequences pt III and fully centre stage in the subsequent parts.

That actually poses another question - how much do people look to material within Literotica to help them pave their own way?

 

[KeithD]

I don't usually base characters on people I know, no.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Basing characters on people you know?​

Also, I was asked to write The Pornstar Experience by a Lit member who subscribed to a well-known pornstar’s OF. It was meant to be about the two of them meeting IRL. I was uncomfortable using her until he showed me a screenshot of a series of OF messages in which she provided consent, if some caveats were honored (not using her name, not being specific about tattoos that might identify her etc.)

I watched serveral of her vids as research () and it was really weird having her in my mind all the time I was writing, yet trying not to identify her. I did use her actual name a few times, which thankfully a combo of me and the guy who asked me to write it were able to catch.

Em

 

[MyBareTorso]

Looking at the replies it seems we all go about things in different ways.
I've just recently been challenged by my wife and friend to piece a short story short together based on the fact we were sitting in a restaurant in Hamburg a couple days back.

I'm a light sleeper so done it over a couple mornings on my phone and three of the characters can easily be aligned to us by physical description but not by personality. (Story pending publication- Fun in the Dark.

The longer piece I'm working on is the opposite. The main characters persona based closely on a colleague but the physical description not. Like many of you sometimes it's just a simple mish mash mixed from anything such as a conversation, watching people or people I know.

I also read loads on here and have my favourite authors and stories. I don't use the characters but sometimes pick pieces of their persona. In a longer piece I'm publishing I've taken part of the attitude displayed from one of the lead characters and effectively tried to recycle it. The stories have no similarly but the characters view to life is very similar. For those that are curious The story is 'Promotion Comes with Strings Attached' one if my favourites by Cagivagurl, the character come to life in my Actions, Reactions and consequences pt III and fully centre stage in the subsequent parts.

That actually poses another question - how much do people look to material within Literotica to help them pave their own way?

I've written stories inspired by IRL encounters that I've had, but these were not with people I actually knew, so to speak. I've written stories featuring celebrities that I lust after, but probably wouldn't do it with people I know...that would bring things a little too close to home for me. I have certainly been inspired by the works of some authors on Literotica, with one pushing me in the direction to have a recurring, sexually adventurous character as the focus

Do many of you base characters on people you know, if so how close is the characterisation to the person.

In my first couple of stories it was heavily base on my wife, myself and another simply because it was an embellishment on real events.

I often look at friends behaviours and model characters on people I know. In the current series I'm working through the main character's behaviour is based on someone I've worked with but in a scenario he would never be in.

There are parts of myself in some stories, in a discussion with a friend that reads my work pre-publish I descible the characters as shadows of the real people. It's not them but if those people ever read my work I could imagine them drawing comparions. Not necessarily in whatever they are doing but the way they would deal with that type of situation.

I'm a fair way though a piece of work based on my own real life experiences and there would be no doubt should the other parties included in my scribbles would align the character to themselves.

But how close to the sun do my fellow Literoticans dare fly using the persona of real people??

I've written stories inspired by IRL encounters that I've had, but these were not with people I actually knew, so to speak. I've written stories featuring celebrities that I lust after, but probably wouldn't do it with people I know...that would bring things a little too close to home for me. I have certainly been inspired by the works of some authors on Literotica, with one pushing me in the direction to have a recurring, sexually adventurous MC as the focus of all my stories. I thank him internally every time I post something...

 

[elizaloo]

Absolutely - my very first story started as a spark because my ex's nephew flirted with me...since then I've featured all sorts of people in my life - those passing through and some I still know.

 

[BarracudaSwordfish]

I have used real people in a few stories, but as with others in this thread, they are mainly composites, such as my barmaid Trini in 'Transfomers.' She is an amalgam of two other barmaids in my home town and is even more spectacular than either of them. Sadly, neither are currently active. I would still give a King's Ransom to trace Trini's back tattoo on its real owner.

Most of the rest are based on pure fantasy, except those that are based on porn stars I like.

OK, you got me - the porn stars are pure fantasy as well.

I did base the main male love interest for Beth in my 'Beth's Summer Break' series on a good-looking guy who served in a local pub for a while, but if he ever gets lucky and meets her in real life, I will plead insanity and involuntary manslaughter at my trial.

 

[LonRivers]

Do many of you base characters on people you know, if so how close is the characterisation to the person.

In my first couple of stories it was heavily base on my wife, myself and another simply because it was an embellishment on real events.

I often look at friends behaviours and model characters on people I know. In the current series I'm working through the main character's behaviour is based on someone I've worked with but in a scenario he would never be in.

There are parts of myself in some stories, in a discussion with a friend that reads my work pre-publish I descible the characters as shadows of the real people. It's not them but if those people ever read my work I could imagine them drawing comparions. Not necessarily in whatever they are doing but the way they would deal with that type of situation.

I'm a fair way though a piece of work based on my own real life experiences and there would be no doubt should the other parties included in my scribbles would align the character to themselves.

But how close to the sun do my fellow Literoticans dare fly using the persona of real people??

Oh hell no...lol. In fact, I will not use names of people in my life or that I know simply because their faces pop into my head when I do. I can't deal with that. I will come up with names to avoid that. I will reuse names as well.

 

[ElectricBlue]

That actually poses another question - how much do people look to material within Literotica to help them pave their own way?

Never. My imagination is quite adequate by itself.

 

[KeithD]

I don't base many of my characters of people I know.

 

[Writer61]

Do many of you base characters on people you know, if so how close is the characterisation to the person.

A few of my female characters are inspired by people that I know - an old boss, my hairdresser - but it is more appearance than behaviour. I often use pictures of people to help me fix the character in my head.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Do many of you base characters on people you know, if so how close is the characterisation to the person.

In my first couple of stories it was heavily base on my wife, myself and another simply because it was an embellishment on real events.

I often look at friends behaviours and model characters on people I know. In the current series I'm working through the main character's behaviour is based on someone I've worked with but in a scenario he would never be in.

There are parts of myself in some stories, in a discussion with a friend that reads my work pre-publish I descible the characters as shadows of the real people. It's not them but if those people ever read my work I could imagine them drawing comparions. Not necessarily in whatever they are doing but the way they would deal with that type of situation.

I'm a fair way though a piece of work based on my own real life experiences and there would be no doubt should the other parties included in my scribbles would align the character to themselves.

But how close to the sun do my fellow Literoticans dare fly using the persona of real people??

I’ve written a bunch of stories which are quasi-autobiographical, so the characterization of the FMC is pretty close (some fictional elements added).

In these some other characters are based on real people, or amalgamations of real people. This was all with permission - with the exception of one person. For her I had the - totally invalid - rationalization that we’d fallen out. All since resolved amicably and I learned a lesson.

With characters other than me, I tend to change more about names / appearance / personality / job etc. This is to enhance their privacy.

Outside of my quasi-autobiographical stories, Emma and Lily (my she-demon and ex-angel girlfriends) are rather transparently based on different aspects of my character (which makes perfect sense in universe as they were for a while my guardian angel / demon - aka super ego / id).

Ella in A Good Girl Gone Bad is explicitly acknowledged to be my friend and fellow author @EStaccato - we worked together on my characterization of her and vice versa for her story, Baby It’s Cold Outside.

But people like Eden Baker aren’t based on me, despite her being ASD. Most other characters are wholly fabricated, e.g. Cressie.

Emily

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I deny everything.

OK, there's about 3-4 stories where a character is me, one includes the spouse, then a few other people of my acquaintance, but most of those have been disguised enough that, should they read the stories, they shouldn't immediately recognise themselves and there's definitely a good argument they're a different person. This is all fiction! It says so on the Lit T&C, so it must be true...

Some of my better characters have taken a trait or two from one or more people I've known, and had up to six people mixed up to create them. And then they take on their own lives as I write them.

But there's various anecdotes which could out me or others, which I have to be careful about my characters casually mentioning. On the other hand, they've probably read similar things elsewhere online where I might have got the inspiration from (Quora supplied most of my detailed stories about the Army, for example, and could have provided others).

 

[Paul_Chance]

Some are "loosely inspired by" and amalgamations of multiple people I've known. The others are pure imagination.

 

[MrPixel]

OK, there's about 3-4 stories where a character is me, one includes the spouse...

Hmm. I have to admit I left that little tidbit out in my original response telling of modeling a minor character after an old friend with a randy streak.

The main couple in all my stories is based on 25-30 years' younger versions of my wife and myself. Idealized, of course, but our senses of goofy play come out in the stories, as does the infrequent mention of her beauty - she's a former model - attracting attention in potential and realized play situations in the stories. Just how much this "borrowing" from ourselves resembles IRL experiences, well, that's for me to know and you to find out. Like KQ said, I deny everything.

Other than that, the rest of my characters are out of the deep recesses of an overactive imagination, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Also, I was asked to write The Pornstar Experience by a Lit member who subscribed to a well-known pornstar’s OF. It was meant to be about the two of them meeting IRL. I was uncomfortable using her until he showed me a screenshot of a series of OF messages in which she provided consent, if some caveats were honored (not using her name, not being specific about tattoos that might identify her etc.)

I watched serveral of her vids as research () and it was really weird having her in my mind all the time I was writing, yet trying not to identify her. I did use her actual name a few times, which thankfully a combo of me and the guy who asked me to write it were able to catch.

Em

Just realized that I replied to this twice



Emily

 

[StillStunned]

Just realized that I replied to this twice



Emily

As long as you didn't give two completely different answers, I don't think anyone will mind much.

 

[EmilyMiller]

As long as you didn't give two completely different answers, I don't think anyone will mind much.

Let’s see…

Answer #1

My early stories (and a few more recent ones) are suffused with either people I know / knew or amalgams of them. A handful of current and past Literotica friends also appear.

With one exception, I got permission from anyone who was the basis for a non-amalgamated character. I then changed elements of their appearance and bio. And I avoided anything that could dox them, like locations.

The exception was my best friend, we were both angry with each other for reasons I won’t bore you with. With her, I asked her retrospectively when we had patched things up. Thankfully she was fine. But I learned not to be so cavalier with people.

Of course the elephant in the room is that my FMCs are often based on me, either explicitly, or in light disguise.

Em

Answer #2

I’ve written a bunch of stories which are quasi-autobiographical, so the characterization of the FMC is pretty close (some fictional elements added).

In these some other characters are based on real people, or amalgamations of real people. This was all with permission - with the exception of one person. For her I had the - totally invalid - rationalization that we’d fallen out. All since resolved amicably and I learned a lesson.

With characters other than me, I tend to change more about names / appearance / personality / job etc. This is to enhance their privacy.

Outside of my quasi-autobiographical stories, Emma and Lily (my she-demon and ex-angel girlfriends) are rather transparently based on different aspects of my character (which makes perfect sense in universe as they were for a while my guardian angel / demon - aka super ego / id).

Ella in A Good Girl Gone Bad is explicitly acknowledged to be my friend and fellow author @EStaccato - we worked together on my characterization of her and vice versa for her story, Baby It’s Cold Outside.

But people like Eden Baker aren’t based on me, despite her being ASD. Most other characters are wholly fabricated, e.g. Cressie.

Emily

—

Phew! My CIA training came good. Always stick to your legend

Emily

 

[dadadadiox]

The most frequent MMC in my stories is a fantasy version of me.

I cannot say I based my main MMC on myself but he's from the same town, same era, and because I was in a 'write what you know' headspace for that story I gave him traits and experiences from my life. It's all exaggerated and fictionalized. I certainly gave him a more interesting life.

I often use people I've known as templates for characters. The urban Italian American goombas, the awkward nerdy kids in high school, their bullies and tormenters, punks with bad attitudes, and the authority figures. I know these people, so it's not difficult to build a character from there.