Creating characters

I'm reading Sherlock Holmes: The American Years, and in one of the stories, a young Sherlock Holmes meets Dr. Joseph Bell, who is supposed to have been Arthur Conan Doyle's real-life model for Holmes.

That got me thinking about creating characters. In a blog post I wrote about the book, I said I liked the idea that Holmes sort of sprang Athena-like from Doyle's head, whole and fully-formed. That may be true to some extent, but knowing that a real person was the model for Holmes was a bit of bummer.

Then that got me thinking. Keir and Gabriel and even Angela are probably based on real people, but insofar as I need a face to work with. Keir now resembles Jonathan Rhys Meyers just because of the coldness of his Henry VII. Gabe is Dwayne Johnson-like with a heavy dose of Vin Diesel. Those men are models in more of a physical sense.

But I think the closest thing I've done to using a model is Chase. He's morphed over the years as I have, but he is a real person. I've never met him, don't know anything about him, except that he's a musician -- a good one -- and you can his CD on itunes. He didn't grow up to be the guy I grew him up into. When we were both younger, I wrote him more closer to the kid I watched afternoons on TV. But as I've grown up, he's become whatever I've needed him to be. Or whatever Kyle has needed him to be.

I'm rambling. My point was it's disturbing to think my people aren't really mine. I don't want them to be based on real people. I want them to be wholly unique unto themselves. I want to be the one who gives their voices an outlet. But I'm not sure if that's possible. People themselves aren't originals. I mean, we all are composites of others, right?

Hmm. Not sure how I feel about that. Other than maybe feeling a bit better about my purely physical models. I can use what I know to fill in their shells, but their insides are unique to themselves.

Begin at the beginning

This is the hardest part for me.

I had the perfect opening scene. I can recreate it in my head. It sets up the issues Gabe has his family. (I think one of his two brothers will be named Dominic and/or Nicolas. And we get Dom, Nico and Gabe. I like that. I think Gabe has to be the youngest or the oldest. I like that the older boy goes astray. I think that will increase the conflict with the family. Dad has to wait for the others to follow in his footsteps when everyone thought it would be Gabe. Oddly enough, Gabe has to be his Mom's favorite. She always wanted a better life and Gabe is going to get that, despite his father and her husband. Maybe.)

What I really want to see is the switching and the instant de-evolution Gabe goes through when he goes home. So I'm not sure which is the best way to show that: him at home first or him in his other life first?

He has to retro completely on Keir.

I need to just start the opening. I find myself just writing things to use later. Overheard conversations that I don't want to forget, like the first time Angie sees Keir. I know the gist of how that will go. The funny thing is it's part story and part scene, or play. I still have figured out what I'm doing format-wise.

I have figured out that's not very important. I can go back and forth for months, even years, as it turns out, on which format I should use. And all that time, the best thing for be to do was just begin at the beginning. Sometimes my blooming brilliance is late.