Visual vs. Mental

I love to work with pictures of my heroes and heroines. I've posted pics here before of WIPs'  h/Hs. I know some writers are more mental and like to create the image of their characters in their heads. That works for them. Me, I've always plugged in a familiar face or even not so familiar. When I'm writing. When I'm reading. Even when I'm daydreaming up new plots. I like to cast my stories, no matter the situation.

Something interesting I realized the other day was that I'd written to an author and told her I liked a specific character in her story. She was surprised because she said most favored a different character (there were two main male characters) the best. It may be because of the images I form in my head of characters as I'm reading. If I've an attractive, favorable face for one man, and not so much on the other, no matter how well-loved the other character is, I'm going to end up liking the one I put the best face to. Does that make sense?

I once had a reader write me a great letter telling me how she loved a story I had written, and imagined a (Big Movie Star) as the hero. I had to laugh (to myself) because that Star was someone I'd never imagine as the hero, and I couldn't conceive how this reader could enjoy the story with that image to mind. But it just goes to show we all have different tastes. So while I like to cast my characters, I never really want to know how the readers are casting the same story, because it might alter my perception of it.

Anyway, this is a good excuse to post some pics from the current WIP. I open the picture files on my desktop so they're staring at me as I write. I like to have a certain facial expression or eye color or just a tilt of head to remind me of my character.

 So here goes:
The heroine of THE BONE CONJURER, to me, looks like Ms. Jolie (or is she Mrs. Pitt now?) I like the intense gaze and the rough edges she seems to display in most movies.

Here's one of the villains. Although he's too clean in this pic. The actual 'bone conjurer is less cheery and very serious. Seeking. But I like the shape of this guy's head and he does look good in a suit, which the conjurer always wears.

And yet another villain.
This guy is my fav French actor (okay, tied with Vincent Cassel) Jean-Hugues Anglade. He's a very sensitive type of actor, yet he can play manic with ease. He's a chameleon. I like this pic because he's stubbly, perhaps there's more going on behind that gaze than you can ever imagine. And the longer hair works for his character. He's a top CEO and philanthropist with a very dark side. (Still haven't completely figured out that dark side.)

Now this guy...Is sort of the heroine's nemesis. She likes him. She hates him. She never trusts him. He wants to kill her, sometimes, and other times, he seems to want to help her. But he's only out for whatever serves his best interest. The pic is not really for the face, for me, because this character is not a pretty man. But the hair and beard are right and the dirtiness of him. Also, I've a flashback to his visit to a Moorish palace in the fifteenth century, and while this costume is a couple hundred years too early for that, it does set a vibe for me.

And lastly...the star of the show.  This is the reason everyone is either trying to kill one another, or well yeah, they're basically all trying to kill one another. The Skull of Sidon. A newborn's skull with magical powers. That's all I'm telling on this one.  :-)

Myself, the idea of getting a cheat sheet of character pictures at the front of every book sounds so cool. You can see exactly who the author had in mind when writing the story. (Because we all know the covers usually don't accurately depict the characters inside.) But then again, I like being allowed the opportunity to plug in my own images as I'm reading a story. What about you?

M