Do You Ever Run Across A Real Person's Photograph And Go OMG That's xxx

[gordo12]

As in the characters in one of your stories?

With me, the first one was Catherine Deneuve. I was writing a western and saw her old pictures from when she starred in several western movies. She was Emily, no doubt about. Exactly how I would have envisaged her.

https://imgc.allpostersimages.com/img/print/u-g-Q1C1EUA0.jpg?w=300&h=450

Since then, there have been two more. Unexpected, but utterly the character I was writing about. I'm talking visual only; I have no idea what their personalities are like. Well, one maybe. She's on Instagram and Twitter, and I've seen videos of her talking. Still, that isn't a complete perspective.

So how about you? Do you find real-life pictures of the characters in your stories that make you go....Her...him?

 

[SimonDoom]

For me it's the reverse, because my female characters often are written with the image of a real person in mind.

The best and most fun example of that was my Hotel Exhibitionist series, which was written specifically with the image of a mature erotic model in mind. Well, it turned she was a Literotica member and she read my story and I let her know that the character was written with her in mind. That was cool.

 

[NotWise]

It hasn't happened to me with a photo, but it happened in person. I was walking out of the grocery store when the main female character of my then-current story walked in past me. Complexion, hair color, glasses, and lipstick all matched. Her dress was exact for the last scene--a cap sleeve A-line sundress with large red polka dots on white.

I didn't notice her shoes. I should have noticed her shoes.

 

[ElectricBlue]

So how about you? Do you find real-life pictures of the characters in your stories that make you go....Her...him?

Frequently. I'll start writing the character, then find an image, and then go find a few more, to reinforce the visual in my mind as I write more (not always the same person, but similar in appearance). I've got an image library for most of my characters, both clothed and nude.

 

[jaF0]

As in the characters in one of your stories?

https://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1545249

 

[ElectricBlue]

It hasn't happened to me with a photo, but it happened in person. I was walking out of the grocery store when the main female character of my then-current story walked in past me. Complexion, hair color, glasses, and lipstick all matched. Her dress was exact--A cap sleeve A-line sundress with large red polka dots on white.

I didn't notice her shoes. I should have noticed her shoes.

That happens a lot with me, too - my characters are often based on someone I've seen or met when I'm out and about.

I've got two separate story cycles based on the same young woman. The first starts off with a recount of a brief encounter that actually happened, which went on to become my Madelyn story. I then wrote another story where the woman I met in the street recognises herself in the first story, contacts the author, and becomes Madeleine, with a completely different character. It goes all self-referential and meta, cycling around on itself. Of course, me being me, both characters then appear in later stories as bit players.

Her shoes featured, because it was their click click on the pavement that caught my ear, and the length of her stride matched mine as we both steered around a pair of slow moving suits in between us.

 

[jaF0]

That happens a lot with me, too - my characters are often based on someone I've seen or met when I'm out and about.

Late 80s I knew somebody who was VERY, VERY similar to a blend of Heather Locklear, Pam Anderson (before), Heather Thomas and a few others like them.

Never put her in a story though.

 

[lovecraft68]

In 2009 when I started scribbling what would eventually be my Siblings With benefits series I created "Megan" a few months later I saw a picture of Amy Lee from Evanescence and was like....damn, that's Meg to a T

 

[gordo12]

https://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1545249

Damn! How did I miss that thread. 5 pages yet. The idea has been on my mind for some weeks now. Oh well, this one will probably peter out pretty fast.

 

[TadOverdon]

Several times. Just as often, an image or a person inspires a new character.

In one case, the physical description of a character was based on a performer and then in a later book I unconsciously used that mental image in creating a different character.

That was weird, because eventually they appeared in a scene together. So I decided that the earlier character had become eccentric for her age and background and gotten heavily into tattoos, piercing and a hairstyle that she thought made her look younger. It seemed plausible for her neurotic little self, it gave me a different set of details to emphasize when reintroducing her for her cameo, and it gave me a sense of time passing for the characters in the stories.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

A lot of my characters are based on real people I have known over the years. I have also had several pictures that inspired a story.

As I usually create cover for each story, to inspire myself, I have search to find people who remind me of the person I'm using as the characters. Now I don't necessarily use that cover if I push them through Smashwords as they might not conform to their rules.

 

[SimonDoom]

I find that if I base a character in a story on a real person and hold the image of that person in my mind as I write that the experience of writing is more erotic and fun. It's also makes it easier for the words to come forth because the encounter I'm writing about seems more real. My Hot Mom series was based on a real person I knew and it was a turn-on thinking about a woman I knew in so many crazy, erotic situations.

 

[gordo12]

I find that if I base a character in a story on a real person and hold the image of that person in my mind as I write that the experience of writing is more erotic and fun. It's also makes it easier for the words to come forth because the encounter I'm writing about seems more real. My Hot Mom series was based on a real person I knew and it was a turn-on thinking about a woman I knew in so many crazy, erotic situations.

Oh yes, this! I envision the girl (really don't care about the male) doing the things I'd love to do with her.

HOT!

 

[gordo12]

In 2009 when I started scribbling what would eventually be my Siblings With benefits series I created "Megan" a few months later I saw a picture of Amy Lee from Evanescence and was like....damn, that's Meg to a T

Those eyes...

 

[HeyAll]

Artsy erotica pictures often inspire me if there's something interesting going on (ie in the office, a maid, a party, etc...)

A face portrait doesn't inspire me though.

 

[KeithD]

I too usually go the other way (when I bother to connect a character with someone real). When I want to write a character to an image of an actual person, I'll go to the photo collections you can get on the Internet for this or that look and write character description to someone I find there.

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

.
So how about you? Do you find real-life pictures of the characters in your stories that make you go....Her...him?

A couple of years ago I was convinced to watch "The Great British Baking Show" on Netflix (better known as "The Great British Bake Off" in it's home country). Loved it. I binged the whole series. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew Paul Hollywood, the judge, from somewhere. It finally hit me.

The year before I had collaborated with electricblue66 on a joint story featuring his recurring character Adam Cain, a silver fox with icy blue eyes and a posh British accent. It struck me all at once that the vision of Adam that I had in my head was Paul Hollywood right down to the open collared shirts and silver chest hair.

EB said I wasn't very far off.

 

[gunhilltrain]

It varies a lot, at least for the female characters. Sometimes I find the photo first, or I find a photo later that seems to fit.

Once I did use a celebrity, and another time it was a bit player in a music video. I have used real people at times, including my ex-wife twice (for different characters).

And then there are others for which I rely entirely on my own imagination.

 

[Haulover]

Those eyes...

...have been photo-shopped

 

[MillieDynamite]

I always have a picture mind, either from a photograph or from someone I have seen, for every main character in my stories. Often, even throw away characters, are someone I've seen or seen a picture of.

 

[TadOverdon]

Oh yes, this! I envision the girl (really don't care about the male)

I couldn't tell you the hair color of most of the males in my stories. There are exceptions.

 

[PennameWombat]

<snip>
So how about you? Do you find real-life pictures of the characters in your stories that make you go....Her...him?

Almost always it's totally after-the-fact. A tiny number of my characters, male and female, are modeled physically a bit after real-world acquaintances, but not meant to be those folks. Other than those, I can't think of any of my stories where I intentionally based them off of a photo or movie or other real person with one exception. Some of my characters use 'real-world' inspiration (Dr. Who, Sarah Jane Smith, LoTR, others) for their Halloween costumes.

But yes, every so often I've run across a photo somewhere that fits my perception of one of my characters. With the exceptions mentioned above, these are almost never celebrities.

I couldn't tell you the hair color of most of the males in my stories. There are exceptions.

I always have in mind the physical characteristics of my male characters, although those details don't always make the page. But given how much appearance, etc., affects perceptions, I need to feel they'd actually induce such reactions.

 

[NotWise]

I couldn't tell you the hair color of most of the males in my stories. There are exceptions.

Manny in "A Valentine's Day Mess" had black, wavy hair. I don't mention the guy's hair color in most stories, but it's usually sandy, and often curly.

I also don't mention the length, but it's always long enough for the woman to get a grip on. Why? Because I've always liked it when a woman gets a grip.

None of my male characters have ever had a mustache, so they're clearly not based on me. I've had a mustache for fifty years.

 

[BrokenSpokes]

100%

I was maybe 1/3 of the way through Hard Landing when I saw this picture of Ruby Rose. Make her blonde and this is 100% Jo Collins.

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/bwn101f_0095ra.jpg?resize=681,383

 

[gordo12]

...have been photo-shopped

What pics of celebrities, models and other famous people haven't been photoshopped or airbrushed. I still love those eyes though. They would inspire me while writing.

I couldn't tell you the hair color of most of the males in my stories. There are exceptions.

That made me realize that I build a female image throughout the story by dropping little clues. I no longer do the direct description that haunts so many stories. But I put little effort into the guys. I'm going to have to work to fix that.