Marilyn Brant recently blogged about a party she’d attended celebrating Jane Austen 234th birthday. She said:
One of the big highlights of the event was getting to hear “The Bingley Sisters” (aka, Molly Philosophos and Liz Philosophos Cooper …) advise their brother Charles (that would be the famed, Mr. Bingley of Pride & Prejudice) on Regency Life.
I enjoyed that, but I also thought how funny it was that out of all of Austen’s wonderful characters the two women chose the superficial, noses-in-the-air Bingley Sisters. That started me wondering which fictional characters I would like to pretend to be. From there my mind drifted (as it often does) to my books. All my characters are interesting, but that doesn’t mean it’s comfortable living in their heads. I give them a lot of baggage and a rough time.
Two of my heroines stood out. Liz, Michelle and Karin are probably guessing my first heroine. Belle! A cat who becomes a woman. The book is titled CATTITUDE, and even as a woman my heroine keeps her cat attitude. It was a fun book to write.
My second choice is half-demon, half-human. At 40,000 words, I put the story aside and went on to something else. But I still love the characters and plan to go back to it some day. The heroine doesn’t have the cat’s attitude, but what she has is a super strength and super energy — and a super metabolism. She can eat huge amounts of food without gaining weight. As the writer, I ate vicariously through her. She was a great character to write. Even when she wasn’t eating.
What about you? Of all the characters you’ve written or read, which would you like to be?
Interesting question, Edie. Off-hand I’d say Riona from my book “Darkness Before the Dawn”, if only because she’d lived in my head for about ten years before I finally put her to paper. She’s very familiar to me. Plus she’s lived a long time, seen more than a person should have to, and has magical powers. What’s not to like?
Right now, I’m glomming onto Sam … the character I’m still developing with my new UF. She’s a multi-faceted character who’s tough and a survivor.
Great and fun post, Edie.
If you’ve ever read the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, then you know Grandma Mazur. I want to be her. She’s spunky, brave and hilarious. Love her.
Out of my books, I’d love to be either of my heroines. Sam, because she gave up everything that made her secure and in control and bravely moved to a new place, surrounded by new people to take a shot at a life-long dream. Meera, because she’s kick ass. She knew all along that she wasn’t quite “normal” and is thrilled that she finally understands why, understands what she is. She embraces it rather than running from it.
Liz, Riona is a great character. She’s my favorite of yours so far. Now I’m eager to see what Sam is like.
Elle, spunky, brave and hilarious are the best kind of characters. I want to be like that, too.
Just from your short descriptions, Sam and Meera stand out. They both sound awesome.
Edie, your Cattitude heroine sounds like a blast, definitely an intriguing personality to embody!
I know exactly what you mean about not necessarily wanting to be one of your protagonists. Wouldn’t be able to pick and choose the lovely stuff from the horrible stuff, and as a writer I always push the horrible, so I don’t think I want repercussions for my own evil plotting. Off the top of my head, I think I’d have to go with my foul-mouthed troubadour, who has enough charisma to kill someone with enthusiasm alone, and also happens to be male. He’s incredibly natural to write and has no hesitations. A real carpe diem kind of guy.
Hayley, I love a foul-mouthed troubadour with charisma. Completely different from most of the characters I read. I can picture him in my mind already.
I really wish your Cattitude was published. I always loved the concept of that one.
And I’m stumped. I can’t think of any characters that I’ve either written or read that I’d actually want to be. But, I can think of characters that I’d want to hang out with. One in particular comes from a book by Susan Howatch called The Heartbreaker (www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/susan-howatch/heartbreaker). It’s a tale of redemption, and the redeeming factor is a male prostitute named Gavin Blake. Very cool guy.
Kath, I wish it was published, too! I haven’t given up on it.
So funny that you chose a male prostitute as the person you’d want to hang with. I’ll have to read that book.
Hey Edie, characters are my favorite topic!
Hmmm, there’s a story of my heart that I fully intend to rewrite one day. In that story lives a gal named Shelby, who never fails to make me smile when I think of her. She’s strong and despite past disappointments and horror, she never loses herself. I adore her!
she never loses herself
LaD, that’s great! I never thought of that before, but my characters are looking for themselves. Yours found herself already.
Once again, Edie, you choose a provoking topic. One I’m not sure I can answer. I love all my characters in different ways, and hate intensely those I should hate. That makes we write them better.
But I can’t think of any of them I would want to be though I can think of a few of their characteristics I wish I had in more abundance.
Mary Jo, most of mine are thinner and taller than I am. Younger, too. Wouldn’t mind some of that.
Sigh, any one of my heroines, they always end up with such hunky great guys!
Edie, I can totally see Cattitude as a movie!
Karin, you already got a hunky great guy.
And I’d love to see Cattitude as a movie. When I’m done with my WIP, I plan to read over it again.
“Cattitude” is such a great title!! Very cool, Edie.
Your question has really made me think… As others have also said, I’m not sure I’d necessarily like to *be* any of the characters I’ve created, maybe because I know their flaws too well, but I love Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice (of course!), Kit from The Witch of Blackbird Pond and Isabel–the heroine in the Susan E. Phillips book Breathing Room. Of course, that last choice had to do with the great trip she got to take to Italy–LOL!
Marilyn, I’d love to be Elizabeth Bennet or Jo March. If I’d been Jo, though, I would’ve married Laurie. And any of SEP’s heroines would be great, because they ended up with such hunky guys.
Hmm, not sure. A paranormal character would be exhausting, they’re always fighting for their lives. lol.
At least they all have that happily ever after in the end, so I suppose any would do.
I’m torn. Between my YA heroine who is “a walking poltergeist” with her psychokinesis and the invisible woman from my adult UF, it’s a tough choice.
I love these characters because of the situations that I’ve put them in and their reactions to them. For instance, my teen heroine is running the household because Mom is psychotic and stays locked in the attic. What teen wouldn’t love to do that to their parents? 
Then, there’s the invisible single mom who will do anything to keep her daughter safe, only to discover that she’s the biggest threat to her little one. What’s a mother to do?
A paranormal character would be exhausting, they’re always fighting for their lives.
Lori, I know! That’s why I don’t want to be my current heroine. The hero is cool, but I don’t want to be a man.
Marcia, I think it would kill me to discover I was the biggest threat to my daughter. But that’s a great logline!
Great post, Edie! And I totally see you as Belle
. I think my favorite character is Astrid from my YA fantasy. I love the way she starts out thinking very little of herself, and ends up being extraordinarily powerful.
Michelle, I don’t know about the first part, but the second is right. You ARE extraordinarily powerful!
I think I’d want to be this character too:
she has is a super strength and super energy — and a super metabolism. She can eat huge amounts of food without gaining weight. As the writer, I ate vicariously through her.
hahahahhahaha– that would be perfect IMO!
Theresa, especially this time of year! My husband and I are making cookies tomorrow. Yum.