In your opinion: Are self insert characters poor writing?

[cherrystark]

In a similar vein, how about writing character's inspired by real people or people you know? Is that fan fiction, or is everything we write inherently inspired at least in part by real things and people so it can't be helped?

So the "definition" of fan fiction is writing a fic based on pre-existing characters/people, so this is like Y/N fan fiction or movies like Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies, After, and 50 Shades of Gray. You're not really "responsible" for writing an original story, you're just adding a new spin on the tale. On the other hand, getting inspiration from people around you is just apart of writing.

[Leyelle]

right, but putting existing people in the story was what I was talking about

[allisoncandraw]

I think it can be a little cringey but it depends on the context. There's no harm in it either way. Most of my characters have some characteristics that I share, but I don't have any self inserts.

[Leyelle]

same, i think it's hard to write someone you share zero traits with, but none of my ocs are 100% me either

[cherrystark]

right, but putting existing people in the story was what I was talking about

I know. It's the same thing. If you wrote a fiction using the names of real (modern) people and places, it's basically fan fiction. But if you based a character loosely on a real person and develop them as a unique character, it's writing.

[Animal508]

I did a little when I was younger, namely into my own stories for 'crossover/meta episodes', if you will.

I feel like something like that wouldn't mesh well with my current stories, however.

In any case, these instances were not canon to the worlds of the characters, but rather fun one offs to see what would happen if I interacted with my own characters.

[TheBlacKat333]

From my view, all characters are self inserts. A person can only really write about things they have knowledge of, so even if you do the most strict research into how to write a character, your personality, opinions, and experience will influence. Making a decent character that you like, often involves taking bits of yourself, and putting them onto paper.

[Leyelle]

you could also write a good character you don't like though. And that often means drawing on ideas you disagree with

[lignorice]

My answer in short: Why would you think that?

In my opinion, every story would have some self insert --your own values, your values taught by others, what you think good, bad, etc.

Then, we narrow the topic to people that we know. Even if unintentional, we'd take examples from people we know, either our own experience, or someone else's that we known and analyzed.

I do not do self insert, if the scope is 'character x is inspired from Y that I know in my life' though. But my characters do have self insert about what I think is right, wrong, even any lessons that I learnt.

[TheBlacKat333]

Exactly, someone else gets it =D

[Leyelle]

I don't actually think that, everyone I write is a combination of people and things from reality. I just was wondering what other's think.

[Leyelle]

Strangely enough, as my story "Rain Dance" is largely inspired by my real-life living experiences in the mountains of the Caribbean (and something I've not seen a lot of talk about anywhere else) self-insert was kind of the best way to make sure the emotions were real.

The character isn't fully me, but a lot of the experiences are based on my own feelings. With really touchy subjects or ones that are really painful in the core of those who experience them, I feel like the most clear way to deal with it is to draw from my own experiences. It's definitely a tricky line to try to express what other people have felt or are feeling, and while it's not wrong, inherently, it can be very hard to do properly.