Great characters spawn great stories, the most inspiring based on real people. In his book "On Writing," Stephen King describes how he got the idea for his novel "Carrie" while working as a janitor cleaning a girls' shower at a high school. He couldn't quite connect to an outcast adolescent girl until he remembered, "...two of the most reviled girls in my class...how they acted, how they were treated." This gave King the pity and understanding to create Carrie. And Carrie, like many great characters, is a remarkable social misfit.
Social misfits are in everyone's past. But what if you're a misfit magnet?
Due to forces beyond my control, misfit "characters" mysteriously find me, even ones like Carrie. For better or worse I attract them, probably because to a much lesser degree (I hope), I'm a misfit, too. This unconscious pull has brought me some wonderful, lifelong friendships, where common interests and chemistry have far outweighed mild quirks or weirdness; it has also drawn those folks to avoid, for chaos circles them like electric storm clouds. In Los Angeles I've found a neutral type - unchangeable yet constantly affecting others. Whether friend, foe, or catalyst, these extreme misfits end up in my playwright's notebook to be remade in my plays.
My "Carrie" was a chaos type - an hysterically funny woman named Mary. At first we really seemed to click. Gradually she revealed she was extremely psychic, and demonstrated this extraordinary ability on me. Then she started talking about her personal demons - literally - the ones exorcised from her and the ones she exorcised from others - too much "paranormal activity" for me! She understood this and we mutually went our separate ways. Eventually she left L.A. and I never heard from her again. Into the notebook she went!
Are there misfits where you live?
My L.A. apartment manager - I'll call her Aurora - is a beautiful eccentric. An original hippy, she's warm and caring to the extreme, like a flowing river, so vulnerable, yet slowly shaping the stones. She is brilliant, but with no internal editor, and can cover five topics in two minutes - from feminism to physics - all strangely defending her late rent invoices. The furniture and mementos from her displaced home adorn the building, giving it the haphazard feel of a giant flea market. Antique chairs, tables and nicknacks occupy the halls and garden. A beautiful green velvet throne chair sits outside my door.
This building is home to a variety of misfits, some more remarkable than others. Aurora fills it with artsy creatives, hopelessly lost or looking to be found, like rescued mutts in a Hollywood shelter. She and this quirky community of outcasts have unknowingly sparked my imagination, inspiring an entire play with "Aurora" as the central figure.
If you live in L.A., you probably know a few remarkable misfits, too. Maybe you even attract them. If you're a writer (or actor for that matter), please don't try to fix this. It's a gift! Whether they are friends, foes, or somewhere in between, be careful to fictionalize, (especially if they might have unusual powers)! Change names, genders, or create composites. For more ideas on how to create characters from real people, check out this article on Suite 101.
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