All about me...again!

        
          Way too often, I’m all about me. I don’t want to be—I want to be the Mother Theresa of feminism, the light of reluctant liberalism, the best cook in Grandmothers of America, Best Example of Christianity you know, the…well, never mind, I’m not those things. But I am in there swinging. And, whether I like it or not, I think I write about myself a lot.        
  No matter what my heroines do for a living, they’re feminists and they like to cook, bake, or sew—probably not all three. Their politics don’t enter into it, but they go to church on Sundays, their swearing is on the mild side, and when they say “oh, thank God,” it’s a prayer and not a curse. Not even their best friend—that would be me, I suppose—would describe them as kick-ass. Or particularly sexy. Or so beautiful they even look good in the morning. If they’ve had kids, they have stretch marks and a little poochy belly. If they haven’t, they still carry an extra 10 pounds somewhere that won’t go away.
          Now, about the guys. They’re always good looking and strong. But not hunky. Not muscle-bound. If they get the pickle jar open without grimacing and saying “they put this sucker on with a torque wrench!” it’s their lucky day. They have their own opinions, but they don’t force them on anyone. They never treat a woman like someone with a pretty little head who doesn’t know how to change a tire or open her own damn pickles. They can clean up after a puking kid, cook dinner, or run a feather duster and a vacuum cleaner with the best of them—but they don’t want to. They are, oh, good grief, the guy I married. (I lied about the opinions—if he could find a way to force them on people, he would.)
          I don’t do this on purpose. My heroes and heroines don’t look like Duane and me, they don’t do the jobs we did or even share hobbies with us—except for the sewing part. I try to make them different, but at heart, they are us.
          Does everyone do this? Do they take writing what they know to the point that their protagonists are uncomfortably like them and the people in their lives they most love and admire? Or am I the only one who seems to be too much about me?

Comments

  1. All my heroines are a little bit me, but each one has different bits. LOL

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  2. I'd say yes. Bix's personality is totally me. But I think my characters become better versions of me--braver, for example. And I like to think I become better because of them.

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  3. Only one of my characters have a smidgen of me. She has a tendency to babble. The rest of them are nothing like me. My heroes have a lot of hubby's traits. Alpha male with a little pussycat inside.

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  4. I think all writers put a little bit of themselves and others they know into characters. Gives them a sense of realism.

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  5. I like the 'everyman' characters, personally. I call it Being Beta. Betas - strong, mostly confident people who don't get in your face are some of my favorites to read...

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  6. Sounds as thought I'm not alone! I guess I was a little disappointed in myself--nothing new. Even though I like who I am, I'd love to be a strong enough writer to writer further outside myself. Thanks for coming by, everybody!

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  7. My heroines are a little like me, but then, the secondary characters hold bits of me, too. It all goes back to writing what you know. (Grin)

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  8. My heroines have a lot of what I'd 'like' to be :> not what I am. Good post , Liz.
    Barb Bettis

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  9. Thanks for coming by, Ashantay and Barb! I know my heroines seem able to say the right thing a lot--I've never mastered that!

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  10. Yes, I think writers use bits and pieces of themselves as character outlines -- or maybe bits and pieces of the person they would like to be. I know all my heroes are like my husband -- strong, handsome, smart, generous, kind, and just all around wonderful.

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