: Re: Do authors often base their characters off of themselves? (I previously asked a related question about projecting myself onto my characters.) I've read just few books where authors use their own

@Hamaas631

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Yes, but there are different levels of it.

Lifetime experience. This is more or less Autobiographical
novel genre, and some of the greatest authors left a memorable
mark in this field. But there are only so many books one can write
about himself or herself;
Writing yourself into a fictionalized setting. This does not need to
follow author's life events, but the character is still quite
recognizable for anyone who personally knows the author. It also
does not have to be a main character, some writers like to make a
small "cameo" in their works;
Basing major character on author's persona. This probably happens very often. The character does not need to match author's gender, race or age, but it thinks and feels pretty much like the author would in the same situation. We can, unfortunately, also see how different characters sometimes are becoming "carbon copies", despite being very different in appearance and purported background;
Basing character on aspect of author's persona. This is a high level of detachment. Author still uses his or her own personality to develop the characters, but only parts of it. This is how an author can develop a complex character without having a real life model for it.

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