Do you get attatched to your characters?

I was wondering if any of you get attatched to your characters as well? I definitely do, and in my story, it has come to the point of where my favorite is killed off (and it is imperative to the story, otherwise, I wouldn't do it) but each time I try to write the scene, I pull up the word document and distract myself with other things, because I want to avoid writing that scene. I've already written it once, but I'm writing the second draft, and I don't want to write it again. I guess I'm rambling, but I just wanted to know if anyone else runs into the same problem.

Slainte.

-Niamh

Very much so. It's the same way when I write these brutal scenes. It's like, "NOOOOO!" And then you want to kill the bad guys, but I can't because it would be corny and then you have to watch the characters slowly suffer...

And I HATE writing suicide scenes, for this very reason. It sucks.

It's good to know I'm not being wierd then. It always makes me feel morbid to write the brutal scenes, even though in my historical fiction, they are necessary.

Well...I love my characters a lot, but I really have no problem killing them. I suppose that makes me pretty cold-hearted, but there it is.

I get attached to my characters as well, it helps me understand them. But I still try to keep myself at a safe distance. Otherwise, I'd likely run into the situations you two have. So far, I have three characters going through some serious stuff eventually, either physically or mentaly. That's when I have to detach myself and let the (hopefully) gripping story unfold. Just make sure you're in a subjective mindset when you write those tough scenes. It isn't easy, but writing never is.

And think about it. If you're going through those feelings, then there's a good chance your reader will be too. And that's writing gold right there. Once you're through the death scene, release your anguish through another character, just try to keep them in character. You could come up with some even more powerful stuff right there. For just brutal scenes, well, I guess you'll just have to handle the mental beating it creates and move on. It'll surely be worth it in the end.

I know exaclty how it feels. In fact, I've avoided killing most of my characters because I'm so attached to them, even the evil ones. Pretty pathetic, but I suppose it's a good thing being attached to the characters because it makes it easier to understand them.

I get really attached to my characters. To the point where I don't want to write them getting injured or jilted or whatever because I think of them as real people who I care about. Which is probably why I'm procrastinating writing the scene where Shan gets the snot beaten out of him...

Roaming Shadow wrote:I get attached to my characters as well, it helps me understand them. But I still try to keep myself at a safe distance. Otherwise, I'd likely run into the situations you two have. So far, I have three characters going through some serious stuff eventually, either physically or mentaly. That's when I have to detach myself and let the (hopefully) gripping story unfold. Just make sure you're in a subjective mindset when you write those tough scenes. It isn't easy, but writing never is.

Yep. That's me all over. My characters have some issues and some suffering to go through. But I guess that, because I kind of had an idea of what would happen to them before they were fully fleshed out, hurting my characters doesn't bother me so much.

Cassandra wrote:Well...I love my characters a lot, but I really have no problem killing them. I suppose that makes me pretty cold-hearted, but there it is.

Well... there ARE things worse than death. Death scenes are also rather quick, but scenes of suffering are the worse.

Yep love 'em to bits: always makes me sad to knock 'em off, especially some of the main ones. Though torturing them a bit, well: it only builds character, that's what I say!

Once you're through the death scene, release your anguish through another character, just try to keep them in character.

That's great advice. I finally brought myself to write the scene last night. It was very hard, but it's worth it to the story.

I get very attached to my characters. Heck, I practically fell in love with the guy mmy protagonist fell in love with once.

backgroundbob wrote:Yep love 'em to bits: always makes me sad to knock 'em off, especially some of the main ones. Though torturing them a bit, well: it only builds character, that's what I say!

Er, rather what bob says. Difficult to put an end, altogether - but the trials, or getting the 'snot beaten out of them'...

As long as they're alive. ^_~

Yes, seriously - how can one write about a character without being attached? A lot of dull books have been written that way; shows through in the dullness.

Rei wrote:I get very attached to my characters. Heck, I practically fell in love with the guy mmy protagonist fell in love with once.

*raises hand* I'm definitely guilty of that one. But I have no idea how you could make a character be absolutely head-over-heels in love with another character without being a bit in love with them yourself. Unless it was one of those sadistic, 'I love her even though she absolutely despises the sight of me' things, and those are mostly amusing. Or depressing. Depends, I guess.

But in answer to the original question, yes, I get extremely attached to my characters. But I think you have to have some pretty strong feelings to write about fictitious people for tens of thousands of words. I mean, if I don't either fall in love with, emphasize with, loathe and despise, find utterly fascinating, or laugh every time I write a line of dialogue for them, they'll probably not survive the first draft. They have to interest me in some way, or I'll absolutely dread writing their scenes. Of course, I do get attached to my bad guys sometimes, which I think makes it harder for me to make them evil and sinister and deranged and other such things that make for spiffy fiction.

One of my other problems with getting attached to characters is that I don't want to give them really bad characteristics. Or if I do, I make them seem easily correctable or fairly mild. Anyone else do that?

I'm am sooooo with you guys on that. Even though I haven't done much character development, I am really attached to my main character, Fineena, especially. Like there's a lot of characteristics of her that are in me. Or should I say me in her? lol I don't want anything bad to happen to her or her family (well, anyone) but this book has a lot of tragedies in it. Recently, I finally understand how people can fall in love with their characters (*cough* Snoink *cough* ) because it's finally happened to me! I think it's the mark of a true writer.
And yes, Ari, I've kinda fallen in love with Peter in a way. He's such a strong, quiet, awesome guy and you can't help falling in love with him. It kind of happened to me too in Pride and Prejudice. I kinda fell in love with Mr. Darcy . You know what i mean lol. Has that every happened to anyone else though?