IWSG: Writing yourself into your characters

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to the IWSG page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! If it links to Google+, be sure your blog is listed there. Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back. 

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

July 3 question: What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?

The awesome co-hosts for the July 3 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!

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Before I get into the fun of answering the question--which is a great one--just a quick note on my writing status. Moving has taken a lot more time and a lot more out of me than anticipated, so I'm still hovering just on the brink of working on the edits for Death By Library. But I *am* getting back to work on being a writer. I succeeded in writing a story for the WEP, and (insert triumphal trumpet blast) I managed to read all the stories! Incidentally, it's a great bunch of tales, as always, so take a look.

What's more, I've begun working on my entry for the IWSG anthology contest, and have some hope it will be a decent entry (though I'll admit it's a little early to tell).

Since our house is starting to look a little more like a home and less like a storage unit, or the aftermath of a disaster, I have hopes that my creative energy will be returning and I'll soon be up and running!

Now, for the question...

What personal traits have I written into my character(s)? Certainly people who know me and read my books see me in both my female main characters (Big Al of the Ninja Libarian series, and JJ McGregor of the Pismawallops PTA Mysteries). I have given both characters a certain sense of independence and self-reliance that I aspire to, and maybe I share the bristly personality that shows up in each of them, too! 

While Al shares my tomboy tendencies--carried farther than I have ever done--JJ reflects more of my "community rabble-rouser" self. And that aspect of her is also much more pronounced than in me (she may have more in common with my aunt than with me; I wasn't much at that kind of involvement until dragged kicking and screaming into it). That she shares my love of coffee and chocolate is more a stereotype than a reflection of me in her!

While a superficial look might make one think I've just written them like myself, my characters are wholly alive and independent in my mind. Neither Al nor JJ is me. On the other hand, every character carries some aspect of the author,* and even Halitor, the hapless hero of my eponymous tale, shares some of my traits and feelings. 

*While I might want to deny that this is true of my villains, I have to figure that some parts of their personalities come from me. If I think about it, I can probably figure out which parts.

So how about you? Do your characters resemble you in obvious ways, or in more subtle ones? Do you agree that all the characters we create carry some germ of ourselves?