Do you base your stories around aspects of your life and if a character was based on yourself would you like the staring role?

There has been a part of me in all the characters I have so far written about. Even when they are totally opposite to me, in different worlds, they are the me I could have been had life treated me in the same way. I have felt the pain, experienced the joy, cried the tears and laughed with the characters I create.
Would I like to play one of them? Oh no!!! Someone far more glamorous please - but I wouldn't mind directing!
Good question Scott.

I base my characters on all those around me past and present, from the old man on the bus to my northern working class rellies. Sometimes I make a composite, sometimes though, and this is when it gets really exciting, the characters just come alive and create themselves. Have you ever had that when the characters start talking to you, taking on a life of their own? It's wonderful!
My stories also come from out there, it's a fantastic source, but I agree with Shadowgirl, personal events and traits always manage to seep through, that's what makes it real. Would I like to play them, some yes, others absolutely not! What about you?

Beverley

My characters are often charades of people I know, it can help sometimes when they are presented with a situation and you can think how the person they are based on might react. I never make a character a carbon copy of someone or of myself, just elements of them but often as you say the character due to the storyline comes into his or her own after a while and it would be very uncreative just to write about someone you know. I often base ideas around experiences in my life, I take an event and blow it out of proportion and eventually it is totally different from the original event, however this does rely on the story, my novel is total fantasy and apart from the first chapter it is completely made up and of no reflection on any past times I have experienced. In my latest script Barstools and Locals all the dealings that take place are loosely based on real things that had happened to me and other people I knew whilst I was running the family business a while back. However if you ever read it you will see where an idea may have stemmed from but also realise it could never have happened like that in real life.
I have friends who are actors who I would like to play parts of my characters but myself act...erm I don't really know, probably not but I'd like to drift in the background somewhere just sipping a pint in a scene so I can point myself out to people, I know I can handle the drinking acting part okay.

I find that a lot of characters are reflections of myself in some form, but then, a lot of what I write, especially the short stories, are based on personal experiences. A good example is one of the ones I currently have uploaded, "Snap", which is loosely based on my first "proper" relationship, and how it ended.

Of course, the real story ended a little differently...

Beverley - when they start talking to me? OH YES!!! Not only do I know the part of their lives I am writing about, I know the rest of their life too. They talk to me all the time - and I talk back. They seem to develop lives of their own, totally independent of me - they are in charge of their own destinys, I only supply the fingers on the keyboard. Of course I could be a complete nutter, but still.......

My characters have elements of myself and people that I've come across. I also like observing acute mannerisms, and have to confess sometimes make notes. But notes on mannerisms aren't detailed ones associated with actual people's name. So don't worry, I wouldn't write something like "Simon constantly scratches behind his ears with a recently used toothpick" for example. But, I might make notes on the toothpick scratching mannerism along with some of Simon's characteristics. This isn't with the view of definately using this it's just you never know when it might come in handy.

As for would I like to take the leading role? If you mean in a film made of the book containing a character based on myself ...well, if I get to snog Robert Carlisle, Ewan McGregor, Jude Law, Robson Green, Hugo Spears, etc, etc, my arm may be twisted. But, otherwise, hmmm perhaps not.