Writing idealized characters / Writing as wish-fulfillment?

[DaFool]

I'm just wondering if it's just me or do many of the characters in the games we all write are the "ideal" person for us in the real world?

Meaning, they're the perfect girlfriend / boyfriend? Or maybe, they're instead extensions of ourselves... idealized aspects of ourselves made into role models? People who we'd rather be versus people whom we'd rather be with? Either way.

Naturally, I don't like to write characters which I do not like (unless if I made them villains in my story, of course!). Then again, there are also characters whom we love to hate, so we actually "like" them in our subconscious.

So that's topic 1.
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Topic 2 is if we write experiences that we actually wish to experience, or if it is better writing to based on actual experience -- so it shows that the author has knowledge of the subject matter.

But this could cause conflict in the writer as to what subject matter would be most fulfilling.

For example, let's say I've had a very colorful high school life. If I decide to write a story that takes place in an interesting high school, you'd expect the writing to be very good, since it is based on realistic experiences.

But what if what I really wanted to write was about being a prince of some far away land who has twelve wives and four hundred and twenty seven concubines and he enjoys his harem everyday? My writing would suck because I don't have the experience... or maybe because the subject matter is just ridiculous in the first place... but perhaps, there's a small chance that the story might actually be executed well? I don't know.

[monele]

Topic 1 :
One of the new MB2 characters is the genre I usually don't like too much. But the personality seems to fit the idea of the character that popped in my mind, so I'm going with this for now. Haven't written a single scene with the chara yet, so maybe the personality will naturally change towards something I like better? We'll see ^^;...
Otherwise, I agree, I usually make characters that have something that appeals to me... even in villains. They must at least look cool .

Topic 2 :
Uuuuuh, aaah........ *shrug* o_ô;... I certainly have no experience with managing a magical shop (.... ;o;...), nor piloting a huge starship... But I know that's the kind of settings I want my stories to take place into ^^;... It's not very efficient or logical... but it's what works for me.

[Hime]

Hmm... I really don't use idealized characters, in fact. Most of my love goes for the humane characters instead of Mary Sues and so on: A little fault can be a charm when it comes to characters. I know this might be a bit of a hard way to say it, but a human, in a way, needs its stains in order to be a human. Many of my characters have traumas, difficult phases of life, even depression or some other kind of hardships. If they don't, it might mean that they've got something other, for example, a bad personality. A person with a bad personality or a depression certainly isn't my ideal, but still I write about those! Though I can't really like the idea of being perfect either. Actually, I doubt perfection exists, and the thought disgusts me.

When it comes to the character's looks, though, well of course it's kind of idealized, but it belongs to the manga style, I think, because the style is simple. There is kind of a base that everything is based on, so any character can't really come off non-idealized as long as the same base is used. Though, not looking really fascinating or anything can be something that belongs to the character. You don't probably know TeraMura's characters quite well yet, but Inori could be a good example of this - as a humble priestess, she doesn't want to emphasize her womanly charms, and thus her clothing isn't really fancy in any fashion and she let's her hair be as it is. Or Project Nattsu's Anna, who doesn't dress up really feminely either, mostly because her little naivity is a part of her nature.

I do like to add a part of myself to each one of the characters. They've always got some kind of a trait from me, though it might be a really minor thing. At times, it can be a really major issue too. Many characters in Tera to Mura to Wasuremono have experienced some things that I have experienced in real life, just exaggared a lot. For example, Sakura's sickness comes probably from my own physical hardships that aren't nearly as grand. Some of this is just for practicality, I believe, because of course, as you mentioned, it's easier to write about a subject that you've got personal knowledge, memories etc. about. The same way it's a lot easier to really feel the character when you have some kind of a connection point to him or her, I believe. Those so called connection points are most likely the final thing that makes me really love the characters. Yes, I do love them and I mean it, as selfish as it might be. They're an important part of not only my dear stories, but also myself.

Some scenes that appear in my stories resemble my own memories and even some stories might go same way, at least for a part. Most of my "own stories" haven't ended, so the endings are of course, fictional. The settings that I use, though, are totally fictional again. I've never visited Japan, not in the present day and even less in Heian period!

[PrettySammy09]

Meaning, they're the perfect girlfriend / boyfriend? Or maybe, they're instead extensions of ourselves... idealized aspects of ourselves made into role models? People who we'd rather

The characters that I love in VNs and Ren'Ai games are far from perfect, but they aren't exactly realistic either. I like characters who transcend the ordinary and go into the extraordinary without becoming "perfect".

Example: A "perfect" character has great grades, is gorgeous, athletic, and cares for endangered species on the weekends. An interesting character is a bubbly, hyper teenage girl who's trying to get into the top university in the country.

Is that realistic? Perhaps. But it's definitely not the norm. To me, that's way more interesting than a perfect character.

As for the characters I go for in Ren'Ai games, I really doubt that I would want to date them in real life. In real life, I look for a guy who can make me laugh and is smart and cute. In Ren'Ai games, I go for the brooding angsty characters. What does this say about me? I'm not sure.

Topic 2 is if we write experiences that we actually wish to experience, or if it is better writing to based on actual experience -- so it shows that the author has knowledge of the subject matter.

If I limited myself to writing just what I knew, you'd get a bunch of High School stories written from the perspective of a teenage girl. I think that being creative with your setting and characters is vital to good writing and good VN making. You can't limit yourself to just your own experiences. Take a risk!

[Counter Arts]

I pretty much stick to flawed characters.

I guess some of the characters I write are probably based off of different versions of myself. Just the sheer amount of ways I can act is a lot. I really developed my cold-logic abilities when I am naturally an emotional person. So that definately expands the number of characters I can write. That combined with the different settings and how the different characters have different relationships makes for a lot of interesting setups.

About experiences...

Sometimes it's experiences in different settings that I do. Like once I get an average on several experiences on similar things, I make a theory. Based on that theory I can make a rule in the world I create.

So I apply experiences in that form.

[Deji]

well, I'm not a writer in the first place, I'm just an illustrator, but whenever I make a character, i tend to add bits of myself in them, specially the leading ones. The rest are usually based on things I'd like or things I like from other people.
Some time ago, a riend and I started discussing a story for a bunch of characters I drew, and I found that most characters I liked and the story I wanted were based on my own experiences, he things I went through and the people I like or I used to like.
i think it's inevitable to do that at some point, especially if you're no writter, like me, but I guess even if you are one, you still put a it of "your essence" inside of whatever you make.

[Fawkes - Feathered Melody]

I don't really write the characters to be extensions of myself, but they are certainly influenced by personal experiences and beliefs. It's difficult to write something when you don't have a basis for it in real life.

[eezergoode]

I'm just wondering if it's just me or do many of the characters in the games we all write are the "ideal" person for us in the real world?

I certainly don't feel that way. Obviously, there is SOMETHING there that appeals to us in some way, or we wouldn't create the character. But I wouldn't call it a characterization of our ideals. I usually try to make characters with a combination of traits, some I like in a person, some I don't.... It creates a more realistic, well rounded character.

if we write experiences that we actually wish to experience, or if it is better writing to based on actual experience -- so it shows that the author has knowledge of the subject matter

I refuse to limit myself to those two options.... I write about anything I am interested in, whether I have done it, want to do it, or wouldn't do it in a million years, but am still interested in it. The key is KNOWING about what you are writing. If you have never experienced something, find someone who has. Get some info from them. Try to imagine what YOU would do in that same situation. Then come up with something that is a good blend of all of that info plus your own thoughts. Even if i am writing about something i have done or experienced myself, I try to get thoughts of other people who have experienced the same, or similar, things just to have more material to choose from and work with.

Now, of course, you can't always do that.. some things are just fancy, made up. In that case, you try to find things that can relate to the real world. For example, I imagine running a magic shop (like harry potter magic, not david copperfield magic) has many things in common with running a regular shop, so i start there. You would have regular customers, new customers, happy customers, grumpy customers, etc. Then you need to think about things you would carry... Magical herbs, potion vials, wands, etc. Just run with it. The more you have in common with the real world, the more that the differences will stand out and be noticed.

[storm-and-fire]

I'm just wondering if it's just me or do many of the characters in the games we all write are the "ideal" person for us in the real world?

Meaning, they're the perfect girlfriend / boyfriend? Or maybe, they're instead extensions of ourselves... idealized aspects of ourselves made into role models? People who we'd rather be versus people whom we'd rather be with? Either way.

Naturally, I don't like to write characters which I do not like (unless if I made them villains in my story, of course!). Then again, there are also characters whom we love to hate, so we actually "like" them in our subconscious.

So that's topic 1.
--------------------

Topic 2 is if we write experiences that we actually wish to experience, or if it is better writing to based on actual experience -- so it shows that the author has knowledge of the subject matter.

But this could cause conflict in the writer as to what subject matter would be most fulfilling.

For example, let's say I've had a very colorful high school life. If I decide to write a story that takes place in an interesting high school, you'd expect the writing to be very good, since it is based on realistic experiences.

But what if what I really wanted to write was about being a prince of some far away land who has twelve wives and four hundred and twenty seven concubines and he enjoys his harem everyday? My writing would suck because I don't have the experience... or maybe because the subject matter is just ridiculous in the first place... but perhaps, there's a small chance that the story might actually be executed well? I don't know.

Hehe... Who could tell that my first post here was gonna be on writing? XD

Anyway, whenever I get a story in my mind, the characters are always based on people that I know. The leads of course are based on myself, so I don't have to struggle to create flawed leads, as I happen to be unsocial and a bit selfish.
As for the story... you can say that the stories I have in mind are my own experiences. ^^; In my dreams of course...

~ Storm/Maria ~

[Vatina]

I wouldn't say I write idealized characters. All of them have some sort of flaw - one of my main characters has just spread chaos across the world and ruined people's lives, and the other who looks perfect, is really just a big liar sometimes <_<
In a way I just write them the way it feels most natural to me. I guess most of my characters have a part of myself in them, but maybe in an extra blown up version, so they don't really behave like me either.
It helps making them interesting, as others say. "Perfect" characters aren't fun

Writing stories as wish-fulfillment isn't really my thing, and I don't like reading stories that seem that way either. I remember getting that vibe from reading the first volume of Kare first Love, and I just got pissed off instead from reading it <_<

In general I can't really say though, since I don't consider these things when writing. I just write ^^;

(it took me forever to reply to this post.... and what I wrote still sounds like nonsense xD)

[Guest]

I rather not login... since I have to protect my reputation as *Cough*... "The Guardian of Morality"

Hmm...somewhat related but I write my characters based on "what" I desire the most and/or as an outlet for my innermost evil desires...

Some of the characters I'm writting are a bit twisted and lack socially acceptable skills or probably have too much of it to the point that it is unrealistically annoying...

They also serve as an outlet (and indirectly, a stress reliever)... in my story, there is this certain um... "long haired ultra perverted guy" who goes around carrying a portable camcorder (and several gigs worth of Memory Sticks) aiming at young schoolgirls skirts (well whats underneath anyway) whose skirts (unexplainably) flies upward whenever I'm around and/or "unintentionally" and most of the time "accidentally" fondles their um... (insert dirty thoughts here) and will probably be involved in one or two gangrape (which involves underaged minors most of the time) and always gets away with it with only a few minor scratches. If it was real life, he'll definitelly be behind bars by now.

[Guest]

...almost forgot this one.

"POOF" (Dissapears)

[DaFool]

Anyway, whenever I get a story in my mind, the characters are always based on people that I know. The leads of course are based on myself, so I don't have to struggle to create flawed leads, as I happen to be unsocial and a bit selfish.
As for the story... you can say that the stories I have in mind are my own experiences. ^^; In my dreams of course...

That's somewhat true in my case, but "myself" may either reside in the lead, or in one of the supporting characters, who doesn't need to be of the same gender even. The rest are based on people I know but "tweaked and improved" to be better people than I remember them to be.

LOL

That was what I originally planned for the yaruge project, but I'm starting to think this is an extreme form of "artistic expression". I mean people are free to make their own pornography, but should they really share all of it? That's the general feel towards most items on DLsite.

There's nothing preventing anyone from making, for example, a guro hentai, but then how will the works be no different from amateur fanfiction? The technical barrier of entry for creating visual novels should at least encourage people to put more heart and sensibility in what they're doing. There's no avoiding the "90% is crap" rule with regards to any media, but sometimes I feel that some places are more like "99% crap".

Thankfully, it seems we are both concerned about the accessibility of our projects, so while it may fulfill the concepts we wish to express, we are keeping it balanced so that we are just pushing the boundaries, not falling off a cliff instead.

[usul]

do many of the characters in the games we all write are the "ideal" person for us in the real world?

is it better writing to based on actual experience -- so it shows that the author has knowledge of the subject matter.

1) Depends on what you mean by "ideal". I think the consensus is that no one writes a character as a "perfect" human being. That would be as dull as it gets. But I do believe that we do present characters in their idealized form, in that we enhance their traits, whether they be qualities or faults. I think that despite the fact that we try and create a reality that feels true to the reader, we still strive to enhance key parts of it, in order to convey certain feelings.

2) I think this notion of writing from experience is valid, yet should not be taken litteraly. While you cannot write what you cannot conceive, which usually means what you haven't experienced first hand or in a mediated fashion, there is power in expanding people's imagination through your story. While you might not go out for a ride in a space cruiser on the weekends or be part of a strange alien species with powers that boggle the mind, you can project your own experiences onto fiction in creative ways. For example, you might go sailing with friends and have a relatively uneventful experience. You can however give your fictitious story credibility by projecting some of the details that one might not imagine simply because they are mundane, but if included, make the reader's experience a much more involved one. Projecting the different things that go on when the boat leaves the shore, the talk that goes on with the passengers, the different ways of operating machinery, etc. Same goes for characters.You might not have met a leader of an alien race yet, but you know a group of weird people in your area and can convey some of that weirdness on the aliens by picking and choosing some things you have experienced. I think it's easy to think of extraordinary things that might happen in a story. What's harder is those mundane everyday things that give us that feeling of being there, that make us believe the incredible things that happen in between those ordinary events. And I think those are harder to imagine without going into stereotypes and clichés.