Blog Chain: Characters vs. You

I've been invited to join a blog chain of published and aspiring authors. Thanks to the other members for inviting me and to fellow Crow Shaun for throwing my name in the hat!

This round's question comes from Sandra, who asked:

Have you ever created a character different from yourself in some significant way, such as (but not limited to) different gender, race, ethnic group, religion, or sexual orientation? If so, what, if any, research did you do to portray these differences? Was this character a main character, secondary character, or walk-on? Did these differences have an impact on the story?


As soon as I read this question, I grinned. Short answer: yes. Not-as-short answer...

I have a work in progress whose main character is a boy. He's eleven. He was born in a California migrant labor camp to a Mexican mother. He's also covered with thick, black hair. When his mother dies, his grandmother sells him to a traveling carnival, where he's billed as the Dog-Boy.

Now, I'm a tomboy whose friends are nearly all men, but I'm not male.

I was eleven for a little while, but that was 29 years ago.

I live in San Antonio, but I can barely order a taco plate in Spanish. Most of my family roots are in North-Central Europe, then later in Appalachia.

And, unless you guys aren't telling me something, I'd make a boring sideshow act.

So what makes me think I can write this kid?  That's the question I imagine being asked most about Hector.

The truth about Hector is that he -- and all his carnival cohorts -- showed up one day, fully formed. At first, he was a minor character in a shorter story, and I imagined him as about seven years old; I aged him up for the current work in progress. He's Hispanic because I'd read about a family group in Mexico, many of whose members have the same condition as Hector (hypertrichosis) and make their livings as performers.

Beyond his gender, age, ethnicity, and physical traits, though, Hector's story is common to the childhood experience: he loses his mother's protection, is thrust into a new world, makes friends, causes conflict, cares for and loses an animal friend, struggles to keep his promises, and falls in love.

All of which I can imagine based on my own experiences of starting school, meeting peers, having pets, and... falling in love. Add some historical research and language forays, and Hector came to life. Or so readers can decide.

The upshot: I think we can -- and should -- write whatever characters come to mind, especially if they're already so vivid when they arrive in our fingertips. Informed with personal experience, research, and imagination, any character can be made authentic for readers.

If you haven't yet, follow the blog chain back, starting with Rebecca, then visit Kate tomorrow for her response.