How can we judge films based on our favourite fiction; is it ever possible to view the film as a stand-alone project?
Like many other people I often wonder why the physical features of characters in novels are ignored when the actors are chosen for the film of the book. I wrote about The Enchanted April on Monday; fair ladies from this story turned into dark haired beauties as they hit the screen. Did I mind? No, because I saw the film first and read the book afterwards and I was captivated by both of them. It is when they release a film based on a book I know and love that I struggle to accept changes in build or a different hair colour for the main characters. If you have a mental picture of a fair, slender young woman do you want to watch a curvaceous brunette say her words? I am still working towards the publication of my first novel but I have already chosen the actress I would like to play the main character Ellie, not because I dream of fame and film rights but because it has helped me to write about her.
lynnerevettebutler 
Perhaps imagining a specific person makes it easier to conceptualise a character. I have no skill in that direction so don’t even try.
Pauleen @ http://troppont.wordpress.com
A to Z 2013
Hi again Pauleen,
I have only recently moved on to writing fiction and my first novel will not be ready for publication for several months so I am still waiting to find out if I have created a believable lead character. Fingers crossed!
When I was in high school my school did the play Grease and the teacher opted to cast Sandy as a blonde who could barely sing over a brunette who could. It made me question the wisdom of sticking to the character traits. It didn’t matter what hair color Sandy had. But I admit a brunette Sandy would have been weird.
Hi Cindy, thanks for stopping by my blog. The casting choices for school plays are an emotive issue all round but your interesting comments have have now left me with a weird vision. How can I remove the blonde John Travolta now he has popped into my head?
Nice blog – and I’ve nominated you for one of eleven Liebster Awards, please see my blog http://elegsabiff.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/a-z-challenge-liebster-award/
Though I pretty much knew what my male lead character looked like from the day I started writing him, my female lead had remained elusive until only a few days ago, so I think it’s funny that you should bring this up! Having a clear picture of her in my mind has been incredible and makes me even more excited to keep at my revisions. 🙂
Have fun with the A-Z challenge!