I INVENT all my characters and MOST of my situations.
I can only say what I once said earlier...
"You don't always PUT yourself in your stories, but if you LOOK, you can find yourself there..."
And it's a truism...
You CAN'T (if you're any kind of a REAL writer...) take yourself OUT of the character (s) or story... (I was talking about this recently to a friend here where we talked about how the fuck CRIME FICTION WRITERS write...)
As EROTIC writers, we can't, indeed shouldn't, divorce the emotion from the act... I CERTAINLY recognize elements of myself in some of my most QUESTIONABLE writings... (To be clear, there are SOME things I've written I DO NOT LIKE!!!) But others DO like those pieces...
Actually, I'll be honest in the context of the post...
Both, "MEETING MICHAEL'S WIFE' and "LICKING PATTIE'S PANTIES" are SO FAR BEYOND anything that I would really do that I wonder at how I wrote them... (But I wrote them...) "FULL ON FOURSOME" features the protagonist getting fucked in the ass!!!???!!! (Never had that!)
I don't really worry about it too much...
Let your imagination run riot.
xx SF
(Might mention that I LOVE when we discuss HOW we write as WRITERS here...)
Firstly, you don't need to tell us you're a succubus - we already know that, dear. No one here will deny your sheer sexual energy.
Otherwise, I'd say we're all going to Hell, if that's the case. Ms. Morrison might claim to write people of her own inventions, but it's quite a bold thing to say. Is anything we create truly our own idea? There's a branch of thought that says that every person, every face, you see in your dreams is someone you have seen before. It's believed that there are no uniquely imagined faces, simply drawn from the depths of your creative genius mind - they're all the forgotten, buried faces you've walked past for decades and never recognised. Can we refute this? Not really. I'll be honest and say that last night in a pub I saw a girl I went to college with not five years ago. Did I remember her? No. My friend remembered her - I did not. So can we ever say that the faces we see in our dreams are our own creation? No. We can't prove that.
Likewise, I'd say those we see in our writing come from a similar place. I understand Ms Morrison's idea - creating your own characters is by far more enriching and more captivating than simply writing a new perspective on a face or a person you've already seen. There's a personal touch to it - the freedom to go anywhere you please, to truly live through the imagined life of a stranger for one fun, shining moment. When we write, we create people. We don't just write about a name and their actions - we should be aiming to create real people. Our characters should come to live - own their own personalities, humours, characters, traits, quirks and idiosyncrasies. I am sometimes told that a reader HATES the character in my story. I love that. To me, that someone can truly despise my character makes them real - it gives them a personal, human touch that I aim for. I don't want characters people feel apathetic about. I want real people that readers can live through, relate to, despise and fall in love with. People make stories.
It seems strange, but there's often more life in showing a unique character than there is in copying someone we know. We can never hope to match the true character of someone else, no matter how well we know them. It will always be a shadow of their real self. We don't allow them to be who they are - unlike those we truly create. There is a strange action of almost holding ourselves back when we write about those we know. Rather than allowing that energy of the person to flow, we try to restrict ourselves to match their personalities. Sometimes it works, but we should allow ourselves that wonder of artistic licence.
I admit to writing stories based around people I know, though. Yes, in this regard I too shall be joining you in Hell. I think I'll bring whisky instead, though, if you don't mind. There will be others along with the wine shortly. Sometimes the people around us can snatch at a part of our writer's soul - whether it's someone we pass by, a person on the train (I've been there, written that...), a friend who says something that speaks to us, or anyone we encounter in life. Inspiration comes from the strangest of places. As writers, I think it's our duty to embrace that inspiration, no matter where it comes from, or when. Truly creating our own fictional characters is one thing, but there's a beauty in capturing a moment, a thought, a mood, an ideal, a wish or a dream that fleetingly passes throughout our day. This is the true human side of us all - and it is so easily captured and recorded if we just allow ourselves to paint the image we see at that time. We don't need to be great inventors. Sometimes the greatest stories of all are those we just remember well. Life is the greatest story of all.
To return to my point, is there really such a thing as a purely unique and original character? I don't think it's possible. We live in a world where we're constantly told stories, introduced to characters, shown plot-lines and given cliffhangers and twists. Our minds are programmed for these things, recording and replaying all of the stories we hear - comedies and tragedies. We see hundreds of people every day, each with their own stories, each caught in their own tiny fragment of time. These people influence us. We remember these people, whether we want to or not. Everything we do in life shapes the way we think, feel, believe and - most importantly - imagine. Can the man who lives his entire life alone in the wilderness imagine anything but the wilderness? The stories and people we find every day shape our thoughts, whether we want them to or not. Every character we create is a patchwork creation from dozens and hundreds of others. They're like no one we recognise - they're like hundreds and thousands we know.
So am I going to Hell? Damn right, I am - with pride. I think we all are. We're all guilty of stealing from others. Are we really stealing, though? Is the camera guilty of offending those it records, or are we just the medium - the monitor - through which we see our own humanity, in all its forms?
A poetry selection!
I was going to bring the Devil's Food Cake to go with the wine and whiskey.. until I was just informed that there is no food in Hell. That would truly be Hell for a big girl.
From my very first story here I have used my personal experiences, my imagination and people I know. I have actually thrilled a person or two when they recognized themselves in the story I wrote. Ultimately my writing is all about me and exploring parts of myself. I just bring some of my friends and fans along for the ride.
So I will bring some wine coolers since the cake is out and meet you all in Hell in a little bit. I have to insulate with cake before I head down.
Not the first time I have been voted off and probably will not be the last. I will just take my wine, cake and go play by myself or with myself.. if that is allowed in hell.
Any of my stories that contain the name "billy" in them are based on my life's experiences. One story was my way of consummating a relationship with the gal who gleefully broke my heart during my University years. Another is based on a trip to Amsterdam I took while stationed in Germany. One is my fantasy of losing my virginity to a black girl I had a huge crush on in high school. Yet another is based on a love affair I had with a beautiful blond waitress when I tended bar. On my bucket list are stories of a one night stand with a stacked bartender in Phoenix with an incredible sexual appetite and a Mormon gal I worked with in Southern California who had a NSW way of making the workdays more interesting. As for stealing from others....I am sure subconsciously I do, but I like to think I have found my own "voice", or that I am getting there.
So, yeah, punch my ticket and hand me the sunscreen. I'm going to hell but I sure as fuck won't fit in that tiny hand basket.
“It's nice sometimes to open up the heart a little and let some hurt come in. It proves you're still alive.”
I'll see you in hell, is naked Twister played there? I mean I like to drink too, but I'd like to play that with you.
I don't recall any character or parts of a setting that I didn't glean from something or someone real. There are just too many opportunities to do so: the sexy hunk that's in line staring at me while his girlfriend or wife pays for their merchandise, the seemingly shy librarian that has an undercurrent of sexual heat just barely contained under the surface, and the powerful businessman texting in the elevator--too many things that my mind takes a note or an image of; how are we to pass those things up?
Let's face it, and I'm not saying about the numerous talented authors here, but often we need that little bit of reality to set the right tone in a story. It's foolish to think that artistry isn't shared.
Bullshit. When writing you include inspirations from any and all source. As with any medium, writing is tranformative, you take what was built before you and add to it. Steal from others, steal from movies, your friends whatever. It's not writing, but Tarantino steals shots from films he likes. Putting your own spin on something that exists is part of the reason Shakespeare endures, as does Homer. Take what others did and make it your own, that's writing, that's life really.
And I've only begun fucking with you people.
At the end of the day, it's all math.