As far as composite characters go, take Don Draper from Mad Men. He’s widely thought to be created as a composite of several advertising execs from the mid-century. His name was likely from Draper Daniels, a Chicago ad executive, as well as Albert Lasker, Emerson Foote, and George Lois.
Of course, there is Ebenezer Scrooge, who was based on politicians and businessmen of Charles Dickens’ time.
Many of us unintentionally create characters in our books that are based on ourselves, family members, co-workers, or friends. After all, who do we know best?
However, when it comes to deliberately writing about those people in our lives, we want to make them into believable characters yet disguise them enough that they are not just “cut and paste” copies of actual people. The point is to capture their essence and incorporate them seamlessly into our book.
You may think that person has a particular personality quirk that makes for an interesting addition to your cast of characters, but if you think they wouldn’t like it, make sure you make them different enough to be unrecognizable, or you may lose a friend or even open yourself up to a lawsuit.
Perhaps you’d like to use a historical figure or a famous celebrity of today. Make sure to do your homework before you write about them. In this day of social media and “fake news,” it can be all too easy to be misled by incorrect information. You don’t want any backlash when you release your work. Being careful will prevent any legal action. Remember that readers are very intelligent and inquisitive people. They WILL know if you got something wrong, and that will ruin the believability of your story.
We fall in love with many fictional. They’re exciting and engaging, beautiful and dangerous, mysterious, and sometimes evil to the core. Don’t rely too much on a real person to capture your readers’ attention. This can be a very dangerous game, indeed.
There is no reason why you shouldn’t use people you know to help you conjure up the characters in your stories. Just remember that doing so successfully takes time and effort to get right!
After all – what better way is there to honor or get revenge on someone in your life than to make them a character in your book?
The Skylar Drake Series
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I thought it would be fun to look back at the popular toys given for the holidays during the 1960s. This research brought back a flood of memories as both receiving them for gifts and buying them for the younger ones in my family. Hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane, also.
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In the 1950s, Spade Cooley was a beloved national treasure and one of the greatest stars of Western swing. But he soon became famous for something very different when he suspected his wife of having an affair and beat her to death.
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As far as composite characters go, take Don Draper from Mad Men. He’s widely thought to be created as a composite of several advertising execs from the mid-century. His name was likely from Draper Daniels, a Chicago ad executive, as well as Albert Lasker, Emerson Foote, and George Lois. Of course, there is Ebenezer Scrooge, […]
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The genre of novels that seems to endure are the spy thrillers and stories of behind-the-scenes government scandals. Here are some very interesting and I’d even say, “watershed” novels about the cold war that have colored our vision of the past and the future. After researching some, I’ve made a list of just a few of the more influential titles and included a short synopsis of each:
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Partners in Crime, Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger write the Skylar Drake Mysteries, hard-boiled detective stories set in the 1950s.
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