Character Attachment?

[Kantarii]

It happens with a few writers, but not all of them. I find myself in this boat now that my main storyline is drawing to a close. Don't get me wrong, a couple more chapters and it's time to turn the page and start all over again, creating new and exciting characters in a whole new world setting.

But, what about the ones that I've grown to love, that have taken on a life of their own? Do I just file them away to a "happily ever after" and let them go? Should I recycle them into a new story? Or, later on down the road write new misadventures for them?

The real question is - are there any other writers here "attached" to a character they have created and breathed life into. I can't be the only one.

 

[My I]

It happens with a few writers, but not all of them. I find myself in this boat now that my main storyline is drawing to a close. Don't get me wrong, a couple more chapters and it's time to turn the page and start all over again, creating new and exciting characters in a whole new world setting.

But, what about the ones that I've grown to love, that have taken on a life of their own? Do I just file them away to a "happily ever after" and let them go? Should I recycle them into a new story? Or, later on down the road write new misadventures for them?

The real question is - are there any other writers here "attached" to a character they have created and breathed life into. I can't be the only one.

Treat your characters like old friends. You don't have to be with them all the time, but go back and visit them from time to time and see if they have anything new to tell you.

 

[LeandraNyx]

Treat your characters like old friends. You don't have to be with them all the time, but go back and visit them from time to time and see if they have anything new to tell you.

Awww, that's so romantic! I love this!

 

[ChloeTzang]

Almost all my stories are 1st person and I live my characters when I'm writing them. I'm really attached to all of them and it's so hard to tear myself away to start a new story.

 

[My I]

So you're saying that if you wrote a story 3rd person about a Jamaican man who just wants woman's company for a few hours, that would expand your writing horizons?


I dare you.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I still think about the two main characters from my first story here, sort of "wonder what they're doing now?" thing. But I think the kindest thing I can do for them is leave them alone, since coming back to them would only bring drama into their lives

 

[ElectricBlue]

The real question is - are there any other writers here "attached" to a character they have created and breathed life into. I can't be the only one.

Absolutely. If I don't fall in love with my female lead as I'm writing, what's the point of writing her? I have to get that emotional involvement or the story is just stale and dry. If I get bored with a character it follows that it will show in my writing. If I'm not interested, how can I ever expect readers to be?

I mostly can leave a character at the end of a story - although I have come back on a few occasions because I couldn't let her go. It's always my female leads - my male characters are essentially variations on me (or wannabe me), so he/me is there all the time, so that's never a problem.

When I read the stories over, a year or so later, that can be interesting - they become fond memories like the girls I knew in high school, or university, or that work place... or that woman over there.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I introduced a character in a short story with it really being a one off thing. So, far she is in a novella I'm finishing up and in another I started. I don't know what will happen after that.

 

[StrangeTamer]

Yes, that's one of the things I've been dreading. I've grown very attached to my two main characters. It will be sad day when I get to the last chapter, but fortunately with the way and what they are I can revisit them for a short story and get to know them again whenever I want.

 

[NotWise]

Treat your characters like old friends. You don't have to be with them all the time, but go back and visit them from time to time and see if they have anything new to tell you.

Long before I came to Lit I wrote a long story with an essential secondary character--a wealthy old woman who, under the stress of her husband's death, adopted the identity of a childhood friend who had been raped and murdered by a cousin.

I do a mental check with her now and then and ask her "Are you okay? Is this okay?"

 

[DemiAngora]

In my first novel, I killed my favorite character and then I realized I couldn't part with him. So I unkilled and that was my biggest mistake, because I had to rewrite the whole novel. It took me 6 months to write it and 1.5 year to rewrite. I could have used the time to create a new character for fuck sake. But when you get attached to your character, you can't let him go...

Now I'm in love with my new character, who is a real person this time. Oh boy;-/

 

[holliday1960]

Absolutely. If I don't fall in love with my female lead as I'm writing, what's the point of writing her? I have to get that emotional involvement or the story is just stale and dry. If I get bored with a character it follows that it will show in my writing. If I'm not interested, how can I ever expect readers to be?

I mostly can leave a character at the end of a story - although I have come back on a few occasions because I couldn't let her go. It's always my female leads - my male characters are essentially variations on me (or wannabe me), so he/me is there all the time, so that's never a problem.

When I read the stories over, a year or so later, that can be interesting - they become fond memories like the girls I knew in high school, or university, or that work place... or that woman over there.

Well, there you have it! Typical male...smh. Now quit looking at the 'woman-over-there' and get back to writing! (smack on the nose with a newpaper!)

 

[SamScribble]

Well, there you have it! Typical male...smh. Now quit looking at the 'woman-over-there' and get back to writing! (smack on the nose with a newpaper!)

Ouch, Holliday.

I blame my grandmother. Many, many years ago, she told me: ‘If you can’t say something nice about someone, it’s usually best to say nothing.’

And so I usually try to find something good in my characters. That way, I don’t have to ‘say nothing’.

And this often means that I end up liking them all to a degree. Yes, Character B is a bastard; but with the upbringing he/she had, we’d probably all end up a little rough around the edges. So I’m probably not going to throw him/her into the fiery pit. I’m sure that two or three of my six or seven ‘fans’ have noticed characters from previous stories in walk on parts in later stories.

Now ... who can I recycle next?

 

[hylas_]

It's something I'd expect to happen to me, given how much I always empathise with fictional characters (in movies, books, video games, etc). But so far, no great attachment to my own characters.

 

[Kantarii]

Almost all my stories are 1st person and I live my characters when I'm writing them. I'm really attached to all of them and it's so hard to tear myself away to start a new story.

This is a really great reply. I feel the same way

 

[ElectricBlue]

Well, there you have it! Typical male...smh. Now quit looking at the 'woman-over-there' and get back to writing! (smack on the nose with a newpaper!)

But Miss, she's really gorgeous, long red hair, the palest white skin. Just perfect for my next story; please can I sit and finish my coffee while she drinks hers?

 

[ChloeTzang]

This is a really great reply. I feel the same way

I use visuals a lot to help me as I write, so I also keep Pinterest folders for my stories that help me picture the people and the events. Sadly, Pinterest deleted my last account so I lost all my pins, and I don;t quite have the same motivation to do the whole thing all over again so I'm being a lot more selective this time round.

So this is always how I see my character "Strawberry" from my Strawberry series. It helps me get into that character mindset so much when I'm writing to picture them...
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/88/d3/20/88d320a71e95f914a4d3d0fbb0682f59.jpg

Love to know if anybody else does the same thing?

 

[lovecraft68]

I wrote Siblings with Benefits just about six years ago. 900k over eighteen months. During that time this twisted twosome were like family. They spoke, lived, laughed, loved and suffered in my head all that time.

It was with a sense of satisfaction I typed 'The end' on their saga, but I did miss them for a few weeks afterward. But as time went on they remained, but more in the sense of a fond memory.

I still visit Mark and Megan from time to time. I'll reread a chapter or two and smile the way I do when I think of real life events with old friends.

Your characters will always live forever, both in written form and within you.

In a one off story I don't think I've ever gotten attached, but in my opinion if you write a long series and feel nothing for the characters then I don't know how you can expect the reader to. Having said that I have read some purely robotic stuff where you can tell there is not an ounce of emotion in the writer meaning there's no for me and ....meh.

 

[BrandDickens]

I often feel the same way after I finish a book, as if I'm saying good-bye to someone. However, unless you killed them off, there is always tomorrow.

 

[lovecraft68]

I often feel the same way after I finish a book, as if I'm saying good-bye to someone. However, unless you killed them off, there is always tomorrow.

I've seen many instances of characters being killed off and coming back for more

 

[chocolategirl74]

It happens with a few writers, but not all of them. I find myself in this boat now that my main storyline is drawing to a close. Don't get me wrong, a couple more chapters and it's time to turn the page and start all over again, creating new and exciting characters in a whole new world setting.

But, what about the ones that I've grown to love, that have taken on a life of their own? Do I just file them away to a "happily ever after" and let them go? Should I recycle them into a new story? Or, later on down the road write new misadventures for them?

The real question is - are there any other writers here "attached" to a character they have created and breathed life into. I can't be the only one.

OMG! I was just about to post something like this. I finally made myself submit my latest story because I fell in love with my characters and I just kept writing. I kept thinking of things for them to do and try and my story kept getting longer and longer. I had to make myself stop.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who feels this way.

Someone mentioned visual aids when they write a story. I do this as well. I keep pictures of the city where my stories are based in my browser window. If they are wearing certain clothes or going to a certain event, I pull those up in my browser as well.

The main thing that helps me write is music. I have a playlist of songs that make me horny, and that's what I listen to when I write. It really helps.

cg74

 

[jehoram]

I use visuals a lot to help me as I write, so I also keep Pinterest folders for my stories that help me picture the people and the events.

Love to know if anybody else does the same thing?

I've done that. A lot of my stories and characters first surfaced in a picture that somehow struck me with erotic force. It got me to wondering "Who are these people? How did they get where they are, doing what they're doing?"

As for the original question, I don't have an urge to revisit my characters and write sequels. That's something that my commenters don't like. They want more of the same, but I'm done.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Someone mentioned visual aids when they write a story. I do this as well. I keep pictures of the city where my stories are based in my browser window. If they are wearing certain clothes or going to a certain event, I pull those up in my browser as well.

The main thing that helps me write is music. I have a playlist of songs that make me horny, and that's what I listen to when I write. It really helps.

cg74

OMG. I do both of those as well. Location pictures, clothes pictures, cars, motorcycles, houses and apartments, even secondary characters.

And music. I have playlists just for writing specific stories. A song for each story or chapter than really capture the mood of the story for me.

 

[Elloelle]

What about characters that are attached to their authors and stuff. We got feelings too, ya know.

Debbie

 

[LeandraNyx]

In a one-off story I don't think I've ever gotten attached, but in my opinion if you write a long series and feel nothing for the characters then I don't know how you can expect the reader to.

I feel the same way. If I've spent less than 25k words on a character, it's pretty easy to let go, but I tend to get pretty attached to the characters in a multi-part series. It's tempting to plan a sequel, but my story idea file is already close to 20 pages long, lol, and I'm not gonna live forever.

Love to know if anybody else does the same thing?

I have some (minimal) artistic talent, so I'll occasionally sketch characters. Who knows, maybe one day I'll post them. But most of my inspiration comes from music. I also have playlists for different stories, and I'll jog to specific songs while plotting out scenes in my head.