Diving Into Characters

[RapeU]

Creating and writing characters can be exciting and fun. Jumping into another character's brain, asking "what would this rapist do in the situation" or "what would this victim do, how would she feel." Sometimes it's easy and fun to let characters loose in a world of your creation.

Other times, jumping into a character to become that character is hard. I just finished a chapter in my long female rapist story where my character got incredibly angry after getting cat called by a drunk guy. The drunk guy's friends - who were also drunk laughed at him and told him it was some fat chick. The anger combined with her depression was such an intense feeling that I couldn't jump out of her head right away. It even made me get a tension headache on my forehead (which I put into the story because hey it works for that moment.)

This is a thread dedicated for those easy, and sometimes not so easy times, where we as authors either experience the thrilling excitement of becoming a character, or feel intense negative feelings over what we have created and have a hard time pulling ourselves out and back to the real world. Even if you're a reader and not an author, you've probably experienced the effect of reading a story so intense that you have a hard time jumping out of that world and back to the real world. Share your experiences!

[Vela Nanashi]

I have said many times in many of my stories how writing them affected me, with how intense it was to be there in the characters. Like my Star and Divae stories, as just one example, and I have written other intense ones too that I may bring here, oh and crying also happens often, I like to create intensity in stories and also sometimes push my own limits to figure out why I feel like I do about certain things, and that is expectedly intense

[Shocker]

I feel rather similar, it’s the characters and their motivations that make me write stories. It’s why newer of my stories, often just mention the mechanical aspects of rape. At the same time if I can’t get into their mind properly, a story will end up on the unfinished pile. I used to publish stories that were in progress, getting a boost from positive feedback, but I ended far too many of those unfinished, for now. So today I only post stories, that exist fully written on my computer.

[Blue]

It's strange. In some stories, I can empathize very well with one or even several characters in the story, understand their feelings, their power or powerlessness, their pain or elation. I can enjoy or suffer with them.

And then again, I write stories that simply flow onto my laptop keyboard, without me making any particular effort to empathize with the characters.

The interesting thing about it: When I'm writing, it hardly matters to me whether I empathize with one or more characters in the story or not. Only later, when the story is practically finished and I proofread it several times before posting, might I identify more intensely with someone in the story.

[LtBroccoli]

It depends on the character. Some are easy to get into, others take a lot of effort. My first story fucked me up for what I put the characters through. After a while, I learned to deal with it, but sometimes it still sucks, especially if I've grown to like a character.

It's part of why I like writing screenplays so much. I'm watching the story unfold, so I can put that layer between me and their thoughts. I know it sounds weird, but it's also why I prefer to limit omniscience on my narratives as well. I'll do it when I feel it's best for the story, but it's not what I prefer to do. It's almost like writing their thoughts means I endorse them when that's not the case.

Then again, what's a story without a villain? I like to remember that old saying that every villain is a hero in their own story. They are justified to do what they're doing. Doesn't mean I have to agree with it.

[chloevee]

My brain is weird--it doesn't feel like I'm creating characters, but rather that they already exist, and I'm trying to figure them out. (I often look back and think--wow Chloe, that was dark. How did that come from your head?)

It's not foreign or unpleasant perspectives that require extra effort for me. If I'm having trouble, it's because I don't have a clear enough understanding of the character. Then I'm trying to write the behavior of someone who isn't real enough to me.

This most often comes up when I'm only writing from the perspective of one character, and they either don't know much about the other person/people, or don't particularly care. This is especially challenging when I'm writing from the perspective of the attacker, since the role of the victim is primarily reactive.

But even if the the narrator don't understand the other character(s)--as the author, I still have to. When I don't invest at least a little time figuring out who those people are, they seem generic or one-dimensional, and the story doesn't feel as tangible as I would like.

This also happens from time to time when my understanding of a character changes over time. For example, in a story I've been working on, I was frustrated that the attacker's behavior felt unnatural and inconsistent. It was because I only had a vague idea of his history when I started the story. He was focused on tormenting his victim during the attack, but once I filled it his backstory, his motivation was defined as more obsessive than sadistic. I didn't realize this at first, so his behavior felt off.

[Claire]

Other times, jumping into a character to become that character is hard. I just finished a chapter in my long female rapist story where my character got incredibly angry after getting cat called by a drunk guy. The drunk guy's friends - who were also drunk laughed at him and told him it was some fat chick. The anger combined with her depression was such an intense feeling that I couldn't jump out of her head right away.

I can relate to that. Not to that specific moment, but how occupying a fictional character's mind while writing them can be quite intense. I had the strongest reaction when I finished Record Chaser chapter 5 which delves deep into the psychology of the rapist. I felt disgusted by what I had written. Getting so deep into his thought process and feelings, truly understanding him, was harrowing. You put it accurately, when you said that it is sometimes hard to pull yourself out again. In this case it took me over a month until I felt ready to continue that story.

In another story, I went deep into the trauma a victim felt after her rape. I can't reread that chapter without tearing up to this day. Sometimes I feel bad for what I'm doing to these characters. Of course I know that's silly. But I also think that it's a sign of a good story if it gets a strong emotional response out of you.

Was the example you gave the strongest you ever felt about a story, @RapeU?

It's not foreign or unpleasant perspectives that require extra effort for me. If I'm having trouble, it's because I don't have a clear enough understanding of the character. Then I'm trying to write the behavior of someone who isn't real enough to me

I think I know exactly what you mean. If I don't have a clear picture of who the characters are in my head, I find it hard to even begin writing!

[Lucius]

Creating characters is an interesting task for me. Mine tend to inhabit somewhat remote historical periods, and it's often said that 'the past is a foreign country'. I have a good look at the memoirs and novels (and newspapers, where available) from the times and lands I'm interested in, at history books when I create them. Historical domain characters have to be figured out as far as possible and stay reasonably true to what is known about them -- my gals tend to have been quite, erm, free-spirited in real life.

My main fictional characters get a rather detailed bio in my head to match the real persons, and looking back I think I always tend to use some traits of my acquiaintances when fleshing them out. Looking at how people can be so contradictory in their words and deeds is what I enjoy most.

What I struggle with is the whole business of character change and growth -- when I look at real people I tend to see negative arcs! It's not really a problem when the action of a short story is limited to a couple of days, or a night in bed, but tackling the aftermath of traumatic events is difficult. Putting a few of my characters through the Thirties isn't going to be a walk in the park too... unless that park is the Bois de Boulogne!

[Claire]

What I struggle with is the whole business of character change and growth -- when I look at real people I tend to see negative arcs! It's not really a problem when the action of a short story is limited to a couple of days, or a night in bed, but tackling the aftermath of traumatic events is difficult. Putting a few of my characters through the Thirties isn't going to be a walk in the park too... unless that park is the Bois de Boulogne!

Why not just write a negative arc if that comes more natural to you? Especially in the case of a rapist I could see quite a compelling story come out of this. Imagine you write a story about a convicted rapist who gets out of prison and really wants to better but ultimately ends up slipping back into old habits. If you could make us root for his attempts to get better first, then I could see that as very interesting story.

[RapeU]

What I struggle with is the whole business of character change and growth -- when I look at real people I tend to see negative arcs! It's not really a problem when the action of a short story is limited to a couple of days, or a night in bed, but tackling the aftermath of traumatic events is difficult. Putting a few of my characters through the Thirties isn't going to be a walk in the park too... unless that park is the Bois de Boulogne!

Why not just write a negative arc if that comes more natural to you? Especially in the case of a rapist I could see quite a compelling story come out of this. Imagine you write a story about a convicted rapist who gets out of prison and really wants to better but ultimately ends up slipping back into old habits. If you could make us root for his attempts to get better first, then I could see that as very interesting story.

Ooo, great chance for me to advertise The CUNT Rapist. Once the female rapist is caught she'll be sent to a psychiatric facility, get better, go to a different college, and fall into temptation when a drunk guy stumbles on her path.

We're still a good while before she's caught though, and I've considered ending the story at that point where she's tempted to go after the guy but seeing this makes me consider keeping the story going once I finally get there.