Sometimes when I can't come up with a great idea, is it okay to base them on a real life bad person I know? Of course not a carbon copy but have some sort of resemblance done in my own creative ways?
It's fine. Normal, even. Writers use elements of their own life experiences, history, and other works of fiction to fuel their creativity all the time.
It doesn't matter so long as that person isn't personally identifiable in your story. You can get ideas from anywhere.
So it's not going to be an issue if a few of the villains in my story look kind of like real bad people who I actually know? But of course I would make their stories different than they are in real life so I can be creative about it.
Okay cool. When you say personally identifiable what exactly does that mean? Sorry. It doesn't mean that I can't make that bad character look like that bad person in real life does it?
Meaning no one can look at that character and know who you're talking about. Don't use their name, don't use any personally identifiable characteristics, etc. Hide where you got the idea.
Good so long as the name is different, talks differently, has a completely different lifestyle, job, etc, but has the same similar features like facial appearance? Maybe even different hairstyle even. Could I show some examples?
Ultimately, as long as whoever you're talking about can't take you to court over it and win, go for it.
What is the best way to avoid doing that? Like if I create that real person into a completely fantasy made up baddie that's nothing like them in real life but just resembles them by coincidence? Thanks! Glad you agree. And I thought I was just crazy. Because a few writers on a forum were telling me that it's completely wrong to do, shows no creativity and is also insulting those bad people in real life which is wrong to do.
I don't know if I buy that. The perfect character is one that fits their role in the plot perfectly. Fitting someone else into your story might mean altering the story to suit a random person selected for a part. That sort of thing is great for a collaborative effort like a film - the actor brings something that makes altering the script worthwhile. But writing is a 100% solo enterprise, so I want complete control.
+ The book Green Beret and the movie starring John Wayne is based of Lauri Törni aka Larry Thorne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauri_Törni Good stories use to rise from excellent characters and they interaction. Their conflicts become a plot. Plot heavy stories with characters made to fit the story... Well... Sometimes - but very rarely - interesting books to read once but never twice.
Billy Pilgrim from Slaughterhouse Five was based on Edward R. Crone, a fellow soldier of Vonnegut; Le Chiffe from Casino Royale was originally based on Alistair Crowly; and Napoleon, the pig from Animal Farm, was based on Joseph Stalin. So all the popular kids are doing it.
Well, this just supposes that no one can create a great character on their own, or write a well without some sort of source material. I disagree that every character in great literature is nothing more than borrowed directly from life.
Even without basing a character off of one specific real life individual, the characters we create are all based in some way off of some traits we've seen in people we've interacted with in our lives. So can we truly say we created these characters all on our own, or did we just assembled them from existing parts?
That's all I could take away from your post saying that characters designed for a story must be poor and the story plot heavy. Everything isn't a trade off - a good writer can create every part of a story without having shallow characters to make an interesting plot work. Good writing can have great fictional characters, great plot, sparkling dialogue, wit, theme and vision without having to borrow any of it.
I'm starting to feel like I'd do better actually using some of my fictional character ideas based off of some real people and their personalities I know in real life. I agree. That's how I feel. It even seems like it's easier for me to create those characters and helps me flesh them out even further. glad I'm not the only one that thinks like this.
I was just reading through this and I find it very interesting to say the least. I think I should. Not sure why these people I asked took such offense at me for wanting to base one of my villains on a real life bad person who was abusive? One was a female writer that told me "you might be making that person look even worse than in real life" and "maybe he had issues going on in life that made him do that and maybe he changed" she seemed pretty offended by it and doesn't even know who I'm basing it off of but it is just fiction. I'd wonder her reaction if she saw these writers and directors characters that they based off in real life.
Nothing wrong with that. Some people get worked up about anything. Unless you are using their real name or describing them to a T, they are just inspiration. You aren't writing a biography.
Good! Yeah I'm not sure why they took it as if I'm going to destroy this person's career and image as if writing a real history of everything accurate of what they've done, especially when it's a real life pedophile abuser and I'm just using little inspiration based on them not actually about them lol.
I think it needs to be said that modeling a character off a real person is modeling their character, not stealing their resume. Character isn't a person's job, school, physical description or hobbies. Character is the way they think, how they relate to people, what makes them smile, get angry, how they eat, etc. Not "Yale educated newspaper columnist and billiards aficionado."
