All characters come from people I know, but after the initial inspiration, I tend to modify the characters so they fit with the story.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I always get inspiration from whatever characters say about my character.
All of my characters are a little bit based on people I know in real life. You know when you do that you have to change the character a little bit in case your friend or your relative reads the book, because you don't want them to know you wrote about them... They might get mad.
I think every character I've ever come up with has been based on someone or something I've known.
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.
Very few of my characters are based on people I've known. It is too constricting.
It's really a misconception to identify the writer with the main character, given that the author creates all the characters in the book. In certain ways, I'm every character.
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 think, above all, the characters in my novels feel universal to the readers.
My characters are all made up of pieces of people I have known, their backstories pieces of mine.
I always start from scratch with a character - they're never based on anyone else. You get ideas of what people look like, and I'm a great people watcher. You can draw inspiration from people.