"Careful, Or I'll Put You In My Novel"

Edit: [yes I know my Christmas template didn't last long. we couldn't seem to get along. :( And also, check out the bottom of my page...]

If you've ever read a copyright page (and I am not saying most normal people do) you will have come across the line "any resemblance to persons living or dead unintentional." I used to think, how stupid is that? I mean, who is going to pick up a book and imagine that the author has stolen "them", as a person, for one of their characters?


Ridiculous? Maybe not. As I progress in the novel I'm writing, I've begun to realize my characters don't always behave. What I mean to say is, they don't seem to stick to who I originally imaged them. Some of the more placid ones stick to the path I've already paved for them, but many more seem to run off and take on characteristics that I certainly never planned. The more I write, the more I begin to realize, maybe my characters aren't quite as "fictional" as I thought. In fact, some particular ones seem to bear uncanny resemblances to some key people in my life. Including - uh-oh - me!


I wonder if anyone who's ever written runs into this problem? Or if it's only me. Is it better to control characters? Or to allow them to evolve a little? Maybe someday I'll have it all figured out. But for now I guess I'll just let my characters run things and see where they take me...


Ahem. Thank you for bearing with me and my seemingly-random ramblings. Sometimes I'm not really sure where they come from. All I know is I have to get it out somewhere before I go crazy.


And yes. If you are reading this, you are most likely someone, somewhere in my novel. ;)