I think one of the things you have to learn if you're going to create believable characters is never to make generalizations about groups of people.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Very few of my characters are based on people I've known. It is too constricting.
We, people, are so very, very complicated that no matter how well drawn a fictional character is, they can't get anywhere near as complex as a real person.
To me, my characters are more real than most people I meet.
All characters come from people I know, but after the initial inspiration, I tend to modify the characters so they fit with the story.
Real people are never central characters in my works.
I try to talk about things I know about. But my characters are more of a combination of people or how I imagine people would feel.
I always talk about my characters like they're real people.
I don't much believe in the idea of characters. I write with words, that is all. Whether those words are put in the mouth of this or that character does not matter to me.
Creating characters is like throwing together ingredients for a recipe. I take characteristics I like and dislike in real people I know, or know of, and use them to embellish and define characters.
I love to start characters in a place where you think you know them. We can make all kinds of assumptions about them and think they have no redeeming qualities, but like everyone, they're complex.