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Mark Newman.
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August 21, 2008 at 1:25 am #75000
AlexGKeymasterThis installment of Inside the Writer's Studio will concern itself about a subject that use to come up far more often in years past, but seems to have disappeared in more recent times – the use of personal cameos.
This was once espeically true with the GTS, SW and She-Hulk story writers and I think this had to do with the fact that many of them were into role playing in IRC or ICQ chat, and it became a natural extension of having a Hitchcock moment.
(Keep in mind that this doesn't neccessary mean by your real name or even as you are – it could just as easily be an idealized version of yourself.)
So, comes the question of personal cameos in stories – would you include one?
Or if not, why not?“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)August 21, 2008 at 4:15 am #75001Robert McNay
ParticipantHeck yeah, if I was doing a lighter sort of story. I always got a kick out of Hitchcock making a cameo in his American movies.
Also, Clive Cussler in his own Dirk Pitt books. He adds to the humor of it by giving Pitt a "don't I know you" moment when it happens.
Personally, I haven't done it yet. My stories happen in different times, but if the right moment presented itself, I would.
August 21, 2008 at 4:30 am #75002stmercy2020
ParticipantIt would depend on the story, I think. I'm going to slightly expand the topic and mention that I am currently writing a Sylph story in which Teh Reffy has a fairly prominent role… While I have yet to write a story that included me directly, making use of other real-world peeps inclines me to believe that writing a story in which I made a brief appearance is far from beyond the realms of possibility.
August 21, 2008 at 6:28 am #75003JimmyDimples
ParticipantCameos for others, I think I've done one or two times, and have one or two in the works now. Myself?
Well, two things in the way of that: (1) I tend to have a bit of myself at least partially vested in the hero or main characters, so inserting myself for a cameo feels somewhat redundant. And (2) this is supposed to be an entertaining story, not an ego trip. I don't want to risk Gary-Stu-ing this, or otherwise gumming up the plot, so I tend to pull myself away. I believe that if I am the supah-kewel, lovable, everybody-likes-me person I know myself to be :P, other writers will put me in their stories.
Of course, I'm still open to a minor-helper/give-directions/innocent-bystander-diving-for-cover/pull-a-small-child-out-of-harm's-way sorta dealie. 😉 I just haven't found the right spot yet.
August 21, 2008 at 11:40 am #75004Fonk
ParticipantTo be honest, I don't think I would. Not for any major personal reason or anything – just that it's not something that interests me.
August 21, 2008 at 3:31 pm #75005AlexGKeymasterAlso, Clive Cussler in his own Dirk Pitt books. He adds to the humor of it by giving Pitt a "don't I know you" moment when it happens.
Yes, I recall Cussler doing that – also Steven King has had them in just about every movie made from his novels.
And of course, Stan Lee in the Marvel films, too.
“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)August 21, 2008 at 8:42 pm #75006ratlaf
ParticipantAgain I'm with Jimmy on this, at least partly. My male main characters usually embody some part of my life and or personality in one form or another. It seems that if I can't imagine myself in their shoes is some way, I'm not able to write…
That's probably one of the reasons I don't much worry (care) if anyone else likes the story, or comments on it for that matter, because I've written it for myself, and if others enjoy it, awesome!
I can only think of one or two stories that I've written where I am the main character, the rest are just interpretations of me. As for a cameo of myself, not yet, but I'll keep it in mind!
August 22, 2008 at 3:57 pm #75007Prophet Tenebrae
ParticipantI think there's a considerable difference between having a walk-on in a film and self-insertion into a story…
All I'll say is, there's a certain someone who populates their stories with thinly veiled knock-off anime character and has himself in the story… that alone is reason enough to never indulge.
For me, there's a very clear differentiation between a character who might represent some traits of the author and just sticking yourself right in there.
August 30, 2008 at 8:47 am #75008robclassact
ParticipantFor any Douglas Coupland fans, he did one in his latest book "jPod." It was okay, but it wasn't very smooth.
I had never actually considered the possibility. I think I'm just used to splitting aspects of myself between many characters (male and female).
To answer the question: no, probably not. I don't really like myself very much as a character. 😛
September 14, 2008 at 12:11 am #75009Mark Newman
ParticipantI do from time to time. All characters named Mark in my stories are cameos. The most consistent one is in my Brandi stories, and that's the closest I come to being a main character, but I find it enjoyable as a bit of comedy.
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