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It is a bad idea in general for a writer to ever use a living person as a reference point. For one, people aren't famous forever, secondly, you risk people not knowing who you are talking about (so...
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#4: Attribution notice removed
by
System
·
2019-12-19T22:13:31Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38247 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T09:35:47Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38247 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
It is a bad idea in general for a writer to ever use a living person as a reference point. For one, people aren't famous forever, secondly, you risk people not knowing who you are talking about (some readers don't _watch_ TV or movies, they prefer their entertainment in the form of novels), third, you risk people not liking that person, both now **and in the future,** if your living person ends up implicated in a crime, convicted of a crime, or in a scandal, or if they just start using their money to fund their political pet causes that half or more of your own audience dislikes. Just describe your character as you would describe Benedict Cumberbatch! Surely you would not describe Benedict Cumberbatch as "looking like Benedict Cumberbatch", it tells us nothing. Take three things you like about Cumberbatch and put them in a description: An angular thin face, something of an inverted triangle, light blue eyes, brown hair tending toward a relaxed curl.
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2018-08-10T13:42:22Z (over 6 years ago)
Original score: 2