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Okay, this might not mean anything to you. But holy brown cows!!
See, Jag Barque is the male MC in my novel, Control Issues. I sort of have a love/hate relationship with the guy. I mean, I love him, but he sometimes makes my life difficult. I interviewed him here once. So if you read that, you'll see why we love/hate each other.
Anyway, Jag looks like this, but moodier and with bluer eyes. But dude, David Henrie has the total Jag vibe.
And every Wednesday, I have a certain third grade class. We have a program in our district called Latinos in Action and high school kids come and spend time with the Hispanic kids in our school. They read with them, help them in math, etc. So this third grade class comes on Wednesdays and one of these LIA's is my Jag Barque!
If Jag were Hispanic and had dark eyes instead of blue. But dude, everything else is exactly the same.
I kid you not.
And I find myself wanting to ask him how the Resistance is going and why he always. has. to. be. right. and where he's been hiding these last few months.
Of course I don't. Instead I stare like a freak until the LIA looks my way and then I pretend like I'm trying to figure out what 12 x 7 is. But I totally already know it's 84 because I have a math minor and am a freak about numbers.
So yeah.
Have you ever seen your characters in the flesh? What did you do? My advice? Pretend to do difficult math problems so you won't stare too long.
60 comments:
I LOVE this!! Yeah totally-- my zombie MC from my first manuscript is totally Kellun Lutz from Twilight but with black hair! I haven't found my Callen yet (my newest MC), but it's so cool to think of them in the flesh...
I so understand that... I haven't seen a main character yet, but one of my minor characters walked past me the other day and I was like woah... that's freaky when that happens.
Is it sad that I recognize this guy from Witches of Waverly Place and yet my daughter is too young to watch it -- and my students too old -- meaning I watch it out of my own volition? I'd say a little! if I ever get inspired enough (or talented enough) to write a novel, I'll keep you posted! probably kinda like meeting your doppelganger...
SB
not too serious i hope
I haven't had this happen...but I love the story...and wonder if your student asks himself: Why does the teacher always look at me that way?
Five years from now, at the water cooler, no math talk, okay?
**double checking post to make sure I didn't miss my name** Nope, dang it.
If any winner wishes to relinquish his or her prize, I'm happy to accept on his or her behalf. :)
Ha I love this! Thanks for the early morning laugh Elana! You rock! I totally can't help to imagine my characters in the flesh. So one of my mc I envision is Sean William Scott (applause and oh's and ah's here).
Cool that you've gotten to see Jag, Elana. I've never had the pleasure of meeting/seeing any of my characters in the flesh, except maybe for that one lizard running around on my sister's porch.
Wow. This is kinda creeptastic, but also kinda like the most awesomest thing ever. You have a real opportunity here to get in this MC's head, but also to creep-out a kid...hmmmm...options...
Have not seen my characters in the flesh yet, but when I do, will take your advice. Thanks:)
I was reading through my manuscript a year or so ago and it hit me like a ton of bricks that my MC is a conglomeration of three people I know in real life--like, there is nothing in the character that does not exist in one of these three people. It was such a weird realization when it was completely unintentional.
Okay--that is so totally funny! I do have the mom in one of my novels patterned after another mom who lives in town. I have never been tempted to ask her questions, but I DO watch her like a hawk (I hope she doesn't think I'm stalking her . . . )
sf
Chantal - LOL! There's so many ways this could go...
Jonathan, no math talk? Fine, all right. *pouts*
Kerri, I'm going to have to look up Sean Michael Scott. Don't hate me!
SB - dude, there's nothing wrong with watching Wizards by yourself. It is quality TV programming. One of my faves!! (And not just cuz David is my almost-Jag. It's funny!)
For me it tends to go the other way around, where I base characters on people I only tangentially know, then I worry that if somehow they were to read it they might recognize themselves. This probably would never happen, but if it did I doubt math problems would save me.
I picture my main characters in my head but never tried to figure out what they'd really truly look like!
My kids love David in Wizards of Waverly. My fave David show is How I Met Your Mother (though he is only in it three seconds a show as the narrators future son).
I have never really seen them in real life, but I do have some friends who resemble one of my characters. Sometimes when I am writing, I picture them.
This is great! I've bumped into my characters before...and funny thing is, the very first book I ever wrote (which is now on a shelf labeled 'learning novel') has a character that looks exactly like my best friends daughter! And I wrote it before I met her! Crazy!
Love this post.
I've never seen anyone in person that looks like my characters, but thanks for the math advice. I'm totally going to use that when I do see one of them.
Ha - Great post! I haven't seen my characters yet in person. How awesome is that!
The male MC in my novel was completely based off a boy from my journalism classes in college--including his name. If he ever reads it, he'll totally know. But I recently discovered that his doppelganger works with me. On the same floor. So every time I see the doppelganger at the coffee machine, I get a little nervous. Because he's really freaking cute. And that, of course, is why he's in my book. :)
Yes, that's happened to me and I totally stared at the guy. But at least I didn't call him my character's name. Actually I hightailed it out of there before he thought I was a feak!
I haven't met my characters, although there are a couple Hollywood actors (one dead) who remind me of the leads.
Weird story though. I read The Hunger Games over the weekend and on Monday one of my students walked into class. I looked up and went, (in my head) "Holy Freaking Cow! It's Peeta!" Now I have to be careful not to call him Peeta. It's weird.
That is too funny! I haven't seen any yet, but now I'm going to be looking for them. Good thing I like math! Love this post!
Listen, what's even freakier is when a new patient came in looking VERY similar to a character I've been writing about for the previous several months.
I think it threw off my psychiatrist mojo. LOL! :)
Twice - but both were women :(
Each time I did a double take. They were doppelgangers (sp?) for sure.
Ha! A little freaky indeed. I don’t know what I would do, but I’ll remember the math, or rather forget how to do it.
Totally. It was a waiter at the restaurant we were eating at. Thank goodness he wasn't our waiter so I could stare all I wanted.
OH MY GOSH! :D Craziness!
I haven't had this happen yet, but if I ever see Torin out and about I'd have to stare. And drool ;).
I'll remember your math trick.
Friends just got an exchange student from Austria, and when I met him, well, he's YA hero material.
I told my fifteen year old daughter and her response was, "Why can't we get a really cute exchange student?"
Wow! I've never actually met a character in real life, but I've come across pictures of them. It's the most awesome feeling. :)
I saw one in a shoe store. Yeah, I stared. I also wished I had a camera phone. I ran into another one at the dollar store. Same deal. I really must get a phone if just to take surreptitious pictures of my characters when I see them on the streets!
I never saw one of my characters in a real person. But there was this song that was SOOO like one of my heros, I still think of him every time I hear it!
I once met someone at a Wal Mart that I thought looked like my MC. And I really wanted her picture. So I approached her and told her I was writing a book and she looked like my MC. She was totally cool with it, because she was an artist and her boyfriend was a writer.
Great post.
LOL! I've done this before! And I just know the poor kid is thinking, "What's that weird old lady with the all kids looking at me for? She thinks I want a piece of *her* action?! Eww!"
And then I get really embarrassed. But yet I keep staring... slyly.
Nope, I've never seen my characters in the flesh. I see my wip's mc love interest every time I watch Entourage, though. Oh Rowan... I mean, Adrian Grenier *ahem* The eyes are almost perfect.
Girl, you are way too funny! LOL! I loooove this! :-)
maybe that explains the constant stares my way :) haha
I haven't ran into anyone that I made up, but I met a girl at my church who is the inspiration for a character in my WIP. She had a unique look and style about her that just screamed at me to write about. Therefore, she inspired me to create a character similar to her, with a few subtle changes. So, when I see her at church I can't help but think about the character in my book and everything that's going on.
Yes! I actually have a post like this planned for my blog in a few weeks, all about seeing our characters in real life.
I saw one of my characters in Disney World on my honeymoon (awkward, since he's male, and I was staring at him... on my honeymoon. Good thing hubby didn't think anything was up.)
Another time, my husband saw one of my characters drive by on the highway. Of course I said something along the lines of, "Well, did you follow him?!"
Nice post. I know exactly how you feel.
Lol, that's too funny, Elana!
Well, I haven't met any of my characters in person, but if they ever make any of my books into movies (dreams on) I know exactly which actors I want! ;)
Hahaha!! I haven't seen mine yet, but that would be freaky, especially if he was a student of mine!!
And dude!!!
I want the query critique! Who are you that doesn't know who you are!! ;)
Not yet! But that sure would be freaky!
And I'll take that agent critique is no one else will. :)
I saw my male protag at the grocery store once. I think he was doing something bad because he kept looking over his shoulder and acting all nervous. Classic behavior for my male protag. He was HOT too! Definitely my male protag. I've been watching for him ever since, but he's never appeared again.
omg I LOVE finding actors/images of my characters! Yours looks Cool with a capital C :-)
Too funny! And yeah. I have photographs of all three of my protags. I thought everybody did.
Yes, at the park! She was auburn-haired with green eyes and acted JUST like my MC. I wanted to take a picture from my phone but didn't want to freak the Mom out. lol
Laura has a whole gallery of pictures of our characters. It's kind of psycho, but we keep hoping someone will ask for it when they're getting ready to cast the movie that hasn't been optioned yet. Yeah, we're optimists.
Yum-o-rama. That boy is delish.
And I totally agree with LiLa. I've cast my movie and I haven't even written my book yet. LOL. I'm overly optimistic. LOL. : )
That would be so AWESOME! I'd have that problem except that my MC is a japanese actor and we probably won't bump into each other around here. ;)
Mine always seem to come to my mind looking like some famous person, so yeah, I'd love to see one of them in real life!
Dude! I keep checking but my name is NOT on the winners' list!:-)
My male MC is based on someone I knew in my youth (gah! I'm really not that old though). And the girl looks a little like my photographer's daughter, except 10 years in the future.
I've never seen any of my characters in real life. I don't base them on people I've seen or create casting lists for the movie. Now I think maybe I should :)
That's nuts and would totally weird me out. The MC in my first novel looks like (or IS, whatever...) Diego Luna, but I don't have concrete impressions of my other MCs. I feel like I'm inside them, so I don't see them from the outside, if that makes sense.
Just read the blog, not any comments yet, but YES! I did have that happen. It totally freaked me out. I have a 'bad' guy in my book. His name is Jim and he's a CIA interrogator in my book. I have a vision of what he looks like, late 40s, with a light brown/grayish hair, cut military short. Dresses in a suit/tie. So, I'm at work, and I walk past a conference room and see 'Jim' sitting in there at a meeting! I stopped in my tracks, and stared for a few seconds. I wondered how he sounded, but never got a chance to hear him speak.
Aw, that's your Jag? He's adorable. Not who I expected, thought. The wonders of writing/reading, right?
I see a form of mine every day.
Oh, man, I saw my MC in a restaurant once. He was the head waiter. I think he thought I was flirting with him, in spite of clearly being there with my husband and his extended family, because I stared at this guy all night long. He made sure to say a very pleasant goodbye before I left.
He does have the Jag vibe, doesn't he?
My MC has a shaved head, and so does a co-worker. I have been sorely tempted to ask him if I could feel his head for research purposes. Honestly, I'm curious. :-)
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