Do your characters talk to you?

Nope.

I have a terrible habit of actually believing in the existence of fictional characters. I mean, deep down inside, I know they're imaginary, but I think about books and characters I've created as though they actually exist. It's a burden because it's difficult for me to kill off a character sometimes, even when it's essential to the plot line! I recommend not becoming as emotionally involved in your characters' lives as I am.

In most of my stories, I "am" one of the characters, and I interact with the others in made-up situations pretty much all day long. It gets so annoying when I'm trying to sleep and nobody wants to shut up!

I feel so normal reading all these posts

My characters don't actually talk to me they stay in their own little world with no knowledge they're all made up. They're living their lives not knowing it's all in my head. The only time one has ever come close was when I had this awesome dream about one of my novels where I came to talk to some of my characters (not all) and I actually was talking to one of my main but side characters in his apartment. It was such an awesome dream and you better believe I wrote it down

A couple months later I had another dream about the same novel but this time I was somewhere else talking to someone different actually walking in a world I created. It was really cool and I think it helped me imagine what I was writing when I actually woke up. A month after that I had a dream about a different novel but this time I was only watching from afar not actually IN it. Either way that was also pretty cool

So yeah, unless you count my dreams which I didn't think about when I voted I've never had a character "talk" to me.

They do. And they take particular pleasure in calling me mean names while they're at it.

if the characters are talking to you, you may need some medical attention. ;D

Mine start wanting to talk and take action when I am trying to go to sleep. It's like they hate me or something, always kicking me in the head when I try to slip into subconsciousness.
~peanut~

No, and I feel like the odd duck out when I say that.

It's more like I'm an eavesdropper/voyeur on their lives and dark secrets. They don't really do specific things, like have conversations or whatever, while they are in my head. Their story just sort of whirs around and I try to figure out what they would do next.

It's when I get them down on paper that they tend to surprise me. Like, I'll be writing a scene and suddenly it makes so much more sense for one character to say something (or, alternatively, it makes *no* sense for a character to say something) and then suddenly an entire scenario and backstory comes out of that line.

Yeah they do, and you better believe I talk back. School, friends, family...few realize it, but there are waaay more people in the room than they thought. It confuses people. I'll give an example.

Me: Did you like the Harry Potter movie?

Character: No way. I've met Harry Potter, and that is not what happened. I don't like unrealistic movies.

Friend: Well, I guess-

Me: Newsflash: Your'e unrealistic.

Friend: Wha-?

Character: Your face is unrealistic.

Me: Ohhh, burn. I'm soooo hurt. Not.

Friend: I have to go anyway...

It's all good fun.

This question made me question whether I was schizophrenic or not lol. But I definitely think if you have good characters that you can find their personalities in the people around you, sort of making it seem as if they've really come to life. I mean, look at some of the iconic books of the series that have put out movies. Harry Potter and Edward Cullen. Rarely do I hear people say 'oh my gosh, Daniel Radcliffe was amazing!' its always. 'Harry Potter is such a heart throb' and always, Always, there are people talking about Edward Cullen, never realy acknowledging that our dearest R-Pat also starred in the Harry Potter series with a brief role =]

So yes, characters speak, and come to life, depending on how in depth you look into them =]

I don't know which one to click, because they don't talk, but they definitely have their own personalities, and I learn more about them as I write.

Snoink wrote:They don't really talk to me directly, but they do talk and it's strange. Mostly, I just eavesdrop in. The only reason why they really talk to me is if I write this situation, and they don't fit well in it, and they're like, "NO. This is what happened instead! See how much more horrible it is?" And it's pretty dramatic.

This! (Also much of what Gryph said above.) I'm just the historian for them. A historian who makes a lot of mistakes and, thus, gets reprimanded by them a lot. So yeah!

I get relationship advice from my characters.

No, but then they never really seem like real people in my mind. I'm not listening in on them whenever I write, I'm the one deciding what happens, without argument.

Nope, all my charchters are stubborn little things but I do tend to do a lot of pretending. I make up a story right then and there and talk to myself. And yes, I pretend to be both of the people so I have a little conversation with myself.

Some people are strange huh?