Celebrity lookalikes within stories

[Emilymcplugger]

So usually when I write the people are generic and their visual appearance just a general vague sexy shape in my head …BUT in my latest story two characters took on the forms of two sexy female celebs, although within the story I’m not mentioning this or who they are meant to remind me of.

I just wondered if anyone else has done this within a story with either male of female characters to get their mind in a sexy place whilst writing?

 

[NotWise]

I did that with Mel in "Valentines for Cinderella." I had several ballet dancers in mind when I described her in the opening paragraphs, but a young Darcy Bussell figured prominently in the description. I was pleased when a reader commented to the effect of "Mel reminds me of Darcy Bussell."

That was probably the only story I've written where I described anyone in enough detail to create that kind of reaction, but I felt that Mel's appearance was important to the story.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

In my story "Desperate Measures: The Driver" I based the sexagenarian female lead on Helen Mirren. I never mentioned her or referenced her in any way, but I kept several pictures of her on my second screen while writing to keep her appearance, expressions and mannerisms in mind.

 

[MrPixel]

I have one story specifically written about the female character having a little bit of spontaneous fun with a celeb look-alike in Back Country Bookstore. The character had a major crush on this celeb and the look-alike did not disappoint.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I have one story specifically written about the female character having a little bit of spontaneous fun with a celeb look-alike in Back Country Bookstore. The character had a major crush on this celeb and the look-alike did not disappoint.

I guess in that case it was key to the success of the story then?

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I did that with Mel in "Valentines for Cinderella." I had several ballet dancers in mind when I described her in the opening paragraphs, but a young Darcy Bussell figured prominently in the description. I was pleased when a reader commented to the effect of "Mel reminds me of Darcy Bussell."

That was probably the only story I've written where I described anyone in enough detail to create that kind of reaction, but I felt that Mel's appearance was important to the story.

Is it me or does it make it a tad hotter?

For me in my current story I had a pop star from the now featured with a pop star from 20 years ago in the shower together and the combination was absolutely delicious in my head.

So much so I don’t want to stop writing the scene.

 

[MrPixel]

I guess in that case it was key to the success of the story then?

Oh, yes.

 

[NotWise]

Is it me or does it make it a tad hotter?

For me in my current story I had a pop star from the now featured with a pop star from 20 years ago in the shower together and the combination was absolutely delicious in my head.

So much so I don’t want to stop writing the scene.

I think it's situational. Readers have a vast range of preferences and it seems like any time you pin a character's appearance down in a lot of detail you run the risk of alienating more than you excite.

It might be very effective for the author, but it's harder to say where the readers stand.

 

[MelissaBaby]

So usually when I write the people are generic and their visual appearance just a general vague sexy shape in my head …BUT in my latest story two characters took on the forms of two sexy female celebs, although within the story I’m not mentioning this or who they are meant to remind me of.

I just wondered if anyone else has done this within a story with either male of female characters to get their mind in a sexy place whilst writing?

Yes. I nearly always “cast” the characters in my stories. I mind it a useful tool in visualizing them, though I rarely give much detail describing their appearance.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Yes. I nearly always “cast” the characters in my stories. I mind it a useful tool in visualizing them, though I rarely give much detail describing their appearance in detail.

Yeah, I didn’t give a lot of detail myself but I think it will help for later on in the story.

 

[jehoram]

I've used that device in my stories as a shorthand for describing what a person looked like. It also served another purpose: If my character said that another character looked like, say, Julia Roberts, it also told the reader that Julia Roberts was my MC's idea of what a beautiful woman looked like.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I think it's situational. Readers have a vast range of preferences and it seems like any time you pin a character's appearance down in a lot of detail you run the risk of alienating more than you excite.

It might be very effective for the author, but it's harder to say where the readers stand.

Well, we’ve always got to describe a little. Muscular, dad bod, blonde, petite, these are all descriptions of someone but none gives away what the person truly looks like.

Usually I don’t go down the celeb fantasy route as it can date a work. I just mentioned it because this time, that’s what my head did, but I’m not gonna mention that in the story.

 

[RetroFan]

I sometimes reference characters as looking like famous people if setting a story in the past to help get the story into the era.

For example, in 'Grumpy Humphrey's Easy Wife' which is set in 1960, the titular Humphrey notes that the disruptive teenagers at the high school where he teaches are always on their best behaviour for a young male teacher who looks like Frankie Avalon and a young female teacher who looks like Sandra Dee. And in my story 'Banging Cousin Becky in Blackpool' the narrator notes that his attractive cousin Becky looks a bit like English actress Diana Dors, who was a big star when this story is set in 1955.

 

[NotWise]

Well, we’ve always got to describe a little. Muscular, dad bod, blonde, petite, these are all descriptions of someone but none gives away what the person truly looks like.

Usually I don’t go down the celeb fantasy route as it can date a work. I just mentioned it because this time, that’s what my head did, but I’m not gonna mention that in the story.

Like Retrofan, you can use celebrities to intentionally date the story.

I accidentally used celebrity look-alikes for Hannah and Gabby in "Love is Enough." I had 1920's-vintage pictures that I initially assumed were unnamed models. I found out later that they were Clara Bow (my model for Hannah) and Louise Brooks (my model for Gabby).

Were I to intentionally write historic fan erotica, it might be based on the late Louise Brooks. I think she would have liked it.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Like Retrofan, you can use celebrities to intentionally date the story.

I accidentally used celebrity look-alikes for Hannah and Gabby in "Love is Enough." I had 1920's-vintage pictures that I initially assumed were unnamed models. I found out later that they were Clara Bow (my model for Hannah) and Louise Brooks (my model for Gabby).

Were I to intentionally write historic fan erotica, it might be based on the late Louise Brooks. I think she would have liked it.

Oooh, Louise Brooks.

I know I said celebrity lookalikes might date a piece, but that’s a piece anyone would have loved to date (her tastes included everyone).

 

[NotWise]

'Nuff said, I think.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

'Nuff said, I think.

Love the nude shots of her as well. She would be gorgeous in the modern era she was that fit.

She was also a great essayist and wrote a number of great pieces on Humphrey Bogart.

 

[NotWise]

Yeah, she was also witty, well-read, and one of the elite dancers of her time. She performed with the Denishawn company along side Martha Graham. The nudes were mostly shot while she was still a featured dancer with Ziegfeld Follies. She was underage by current standards, but not by a lot.

An extremely interesting person, all-in-all. She seems to have wrecked her own life with drinking.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I've used that device in my stories as a shorthand for describing what a person looked like. It also served another purpose: If my character said that another character looked like, say, Julia Roberts, it also told the reader that Julia Roberts was my MC's idea of what a beautiful woman looked like.

I employ this technique as well in some of my stories. And you're right, it does serve two purposes.

I also have four stories posted in "Celebrity/Fan Fiction" that are of real-life women celebrities. I received a PM once from the nephew of one of these celebrities who said that I "wrote his fantasy".

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I employ this technique as well in some of my stories. And you're right, it does serve two purposes.

I also have four stories posted in "Celebrity/Fan Fiction" that are of real-life women celebrities. I received a PM once from the nephew of one of these celebrities who said that I "wrote his fantasy".

Extremely perverted and incredibly flattering.

I can’t think of anything better.

 

[RetroFan]

I used this for humour in my April Fools Day story, 'The Lost Hours With Annabelle'. In the story which takes place in 1962 the narrator Jim's younger sister is named Doris, and she looks very much like Doris Day. Doris takes herself very seriously, and doesn't have any tolerance nor humour about frequent comments and jokes about her celebrity lookalike with whom she shares the same name.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I employ this technique as well in some of my stories. And you're right, it does serve two purposes.

I also have four stories posted in "Celebrity/Fan Fiction" that are of real-life women celebrities. I received a PM once from the nephew of one of these celebrities who said that I "wrote his fantasy".

That is pretty common here I think, I mean writing fictional accounts of real-life people. I know I've done it at least twice, and there was never a problem with it. I did have one actress for which I changed her name (and also her birthplace), but I certainly left enough clues so that it was obvious who she was.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Yeah, she was also witty, well-read, and one of the elite dancers of her time. She performed with the Denishawn company along side Martha Graham. The nudes were mostly shot while she was still a featured dancer with Ziegfeld Follies. She was underage by current standards, but not by a lot.

An extremely interesting person, all-in-all. She seems to have wrecked her own life with drinking.

It's a little pixelated, but this is a photo of her at age sixteen in 1922.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Louise-Brooks-HS.jpg
She seems to have done most of her writing much later than her acting career. I just love this: Brooks described the hometown of her childhood as a typical Midwestern community where the inhabitants "prayed in the parlor and practiced incest in the barn." She did make it to the age of seventy-eight.

 

[NotWise]

I don't think I've seen that photo before. It would have been about the time she moved to NYC.

This photo (scanned from her autobiography) would have been about a year later.
View attachment 2151066

 

[Seadog777]

In my stories, I used a "celebrity look alike" as a mental visual aid, for the reader.

I want the reader to have a basic idea of what I'm seeing in my head OR of the actual person.

There are elements of truth in all my stories, whether it's the person, the place, the scenario, etc.