Some fictional characters may be inspired by real people, but in my experience it has been almost the opposite situation. I had only recently created the character of Duncan Scott when I recognized him in David James Elliott when I saw JAG for the first time. Sometimes I am well into a scene with a character when they begin to take on mannerisms, voice or appearance of someone I know or know of, but the real person never replaces the fictional, it’s more of a melding. When I was describing Brenda Ann Bonneau I somehow felt her smile was familiar, and it nagged at me until I remember Nichelle Nichols in the television special I had seen not long before. And Mark Seaton was really only supposed to play a small role, antagonize my main characters and set off a series of events that was the book. I like to listen to familiar movies while I am working, for some reason it helps my creativity more than music or silence. When I was working on the pivotal scene, Thor and the Avengers were my movies of choice…and well, Tom Hiddleston’s voice worked its way into Mark’s and even though it complicated many things, the character evolved significantly. It is wonderful when fictional characters start to live and breathe.
If you have read Brendan’s Cross and are interested in seeing the complete 80 character list, click on the link below to see a pdf.
Cynthia Rinear 