Great feedback from everyone; thanks for weighing in. I had pretty much come to the same conclusion that everyone here seems to have: that drawing on one's own interests and/or experience can lend a depth of believability to a character's, but that the author should be cautious of taking it too far.
maybegenius wrote:I think as long as you don't do something extremely over the top, like make them The Best Sitar Player In The World, it adds to the character because YOUR interest and love of the hobby will shine through, and that's a good thing. I guess the balance comes in not making things over the top.
Hee. Wise words, maybegenius. I guess that's easy to do if one's not careful: emphasize the skill of a character in some area that you wish you were better at. Though, I suppose, there's always the approach that perhaps being really good at something is important to the central conflict - maybe being The Best Sitar Player In The World isn't all it's chalked up to be. I was thinking about that after recently finishing Gayle Forman's
Where She Went, since the narrator is a rock star who's achieved great success... and finds he doesn't want it. The character is awesome at what he does, way better than most of us could ever dream of being, but without him being that way there'd be no conflict.
Quill wrote:On my next book I won't be so lucky! My main character is a rancher's son, and everyone in the book rides. I may have to take up riding just to have a believable take on the subject. Seriously.
Definitely it is easier to put interests (and settings, and professions) into writing with which we ourselves have familiarity. A background in something is worth more than a lot of research, I'd say.
All the characters in my WIP ride, too, and I've drawn a lot on my own lifetime of living with horses (my mom owns some, though I don't) in writing them into the story. I don't think I could write about the ranch environment because it's so completely different from the hobby farm experience I have. The horses on the ranch, though, I could do those.
Good luck with it! At least research can be a lot of fun, especially if it's the hands-on kind.
AnimaDictio wrote:In my WIP, the MC jogs a lot. I do this because it allows him time to think and this is where I share with the reader his plans, opinions, etc. (not that I don't also do this elsewhere.)
It's useful to have something like that that's very in character but still gives you a natural opportunity to share things, rather than just have the thoughts inserted without any sort of locational/situational grounding. My MC goes down to the barn and sits on her horse in its stall, which she finds restful and quiet and a good place to think.
polymath wrote:Discovering the personal meaning of hobbies and interests can then make those activities more rewarding, one, and two, lend the kind of vigor that a fresh approach to them can bring to a narrative. Besides, a languishing hobby or plateaued interest might become fun again, and perhaps become more masterfully practiced if it's explored deeply for personal meaning and for narrative purposes.
This is a great observation, polymath. I definitely found that happened with one of my interests that I drew upon for my WIP, which was an interesting and unexpected side-effect of writing the story.
GKJeyasingham wrote:If I give my character a hobby/interest that's identical to mine, I now try to use it as starting ground. Adding twists to this hobby/interest could make a character much more interesting. And with any character trait, I guess the key is to bring it above a superficial level (e.g. integrate it within the plot well, or if it doesn't fit with the plot much, don't give it undue attention).
Good point, GK. I think there's often the temptation to add an interest for the interest's sake, or dwell on it because we ourselves love the interest so much, but if it's not actually integral to the plot it's just going to slow the story down by focusing on it.
Gypson wrote:It helps to write about a hobby you have at least tried before. I would rather write well about a hobby I know than make an abomination of a hobby I have little knowledge of.
I think that's the thing that makes me shy away from stuff I don't know well. I've heard the advice a few times that you should at least try, once, everything that the characters in your book do (within reason) so that you can know a little what it's like from firsthand experience. So for instance, if your character is a swordsman, take a lesson or two in swordsmanship (you don't need to become proficient, but just so you have an idea what it's like to handle a sword). A marine biologist, see if you can find some willing grad student who'll let you tag along for a day. This is probably easier for some things than others. And cheaper for some things than others.