Why my MC Acts like Me

One of the problems I've had in the two novels I've written is that the MC acts like me. The first time that might have been intentional, but the second time it wasn't. When I created my second MC, Gwen, I didn't want her to be like me or Lizzie, my first MC.

But she started acting like me anyway. And sometimes my different characters will act/react in the same way.

I found this vexing.

Today, I think I figured out why that happened. When I write my MCs, or any character for that matter, I write the emotional reactions that make sense to me. I write my own.

Just because I tend to hide negative emotions like anger, doesn't mean that everyone else does. And it doesn't mean my MC or any of my other characters should. Some may explode in a flurry of irrational, hastily spoken words. Some may become passive aggressive. Some may start blaming others. Some may not react at all. There are a myriad of possible reactions to each emotion.

No two people react the same way to the same emotion. Characters should be no different. There may be similarities, but no two people are exactly alike. Everyone has lived a different life that has shaped their emotions and emotional responses in a way that is unique to them.

So when you're fleshing out your characters, keep this in mind.

And a lovely night/day/mid-morning/whatever to you.