Crossover Characters?

PoppysInARow · Nov 1, 2009

So, I have a question. I want to write a book in which characters from other books I've written pop up. It's a completely different world and storyline, with absolutely no connection. So, would it be innappropriate if I have characters from others books I've written pop up?

Of course, I'm not talking about reusing the same MC for different storylines. I'm talking like an MC from another book pops up as a minor character for like, 2-3 chapters of this new book to help out or whatever. Now, of course they would be altered slightly to fit into the new world. My question is, would it piss off readers? It would be like an inside joke, something people who have read your other books would get.

I probably won't do this -- New book, new world, new characters after all. But I'd like to know others' opinions on this idea.

CogitoErgoSum · Nov 1, 2009

I like to think of all writing ever done by a single author as their own personal universe, where stories can overlap however the author pleases. Sometimes this ends horribly, other times it makes for a real good twist. I would suggest attempting to make it sensible with the other books the characters appear in. For instance, don't have a cowboy from one story show up as an astronaut in another, unless you have one hell of a back story for how he ended up there.

thethinker42 · Nov 1, 2009

I've had characters show up in other books. Hell, I've had scarletpeaches' characters show up in my books (and in one book in particular, his cameo appearance worked VERY well for a certain scene...the scene had a better impact with his presence than it would have without. Not because it was him per se, but his personality/interaction with my character.). As long as the person isn't out of place, or their presence isn't otherwise jarring/distracting, I don't have an issue with it.

scarletpeaches · Nov 1, 2009

thethinker42 said:
I've had characters show up in other books. Hell, I've had scarletpeaches' characters show up in my books (and in one book in particular, his cameo appearance worked VERY well for a certain scene...the scene had a better impact with his presence than it would have without. Not because it was him per se, but his personality/interaction with my character.). As long as the person isn't out of place, or their presence isn't otherwise jarring/distracting, I don't have an issue with it.

You've stolen two of my characters, actually!

thethinker42 · Nov 1, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
You've stolen two of my characters, actually!

Oh yeah, forgot about the other one. I'm sure there will be more...

katiemac · Nov 1, 2009

An author has to make sure doing so works in the context of the current story, not because it's "fun" for the author or readers. But if it works, it works, just don't be so attached to a character you want to include him in the story when it would be better off without him.

Lady Ice · Nov 2, 2009

It dissolves the suspension of disbelief (the illusion of the reader participating in the reality of the book- accepting it as real). I would say...avoid unless you are well known or if the theme of the book fits in with characters from your other books turning up (i.e. reality vs. illusion).

Matera the Mad · Nov 2, 2009

Maybe you could recycle the characters' personalities but give them different names, slightly different backgrounds -- in other words, play them as you might the old character, but let them develop independently and branch away. Same character but not the same.

I let an original character from one fanfic sneak into a fic in a different fandom, just because it was only ff and didn't matter. It had far-reaching effects on one of the secondary characters that would have led to weird sequels if I hadn't had better things to do.

Rhys Cordelle · Nov 2, 2009

I would only do this if it was based in the same world and period as the previous novel. I do really like the idea of standalone novels that have some crossover though. That's what I'm intending to do, rather than writing a trilogy

Libbie · Nov 3, 2009

Lady Ice said:
It dissolves the suspension of disbelief (the illusion of the reader participating in the reality of the book- accepting it as real). I would say...avoid unless you are well known or if the theme of the book fits in with characters from your other books turning up (i.e. reality vs. illusion).

I agree. Too much fiddling with the reality of your world (by, for example, bringing in characters from an unrelated world) destroys the world for the reader. And, to be honest, without knowing the context and the reason for doing it, it strikes me as fanfiction. Something un-serious. That's just without understanding WHY you'd be doing it, though.

virtue_summer · Nov 3, 2009

I wouldn't do it with characters from another world, unless you have a strong reason.

Hummingbird · Nov 3, 2009

I think as long as it works without killing the rules for either world that it should be fine.

An example could be CLAMP's "Tsubasa Reservior Chronicles". Everytime the main characters travel to a new world you always catch a glimpse of a certain character from another story. She always pops up somewhere. It's kinda like the "Where's Waldo" for them. "Tsubasa" is a manga/comic if you wanted to look into it.

AllieKat · Nov 3, 2009

I wrote a story and used one of my favorite characters as a side-character once.

My beta reader gave me some advice on it, and she felt that he didn't have enough of an important part in the story, for someone I had clearly devoted so much time and creativity on.

Thus, his part would have been better filled by a lesser character. Alternately, I could've let him play a larger part in the story, not just abandoned him after a couple of chapters when the character had to move on.

I'm still working on how I'll solve this in revision.

Stijn Hommes · Nov 4, 2009

Only do this if you can stay true to the original characters. If you need too much altering to get them in there in a believable manner, you're doing it for yourself rather than the reader.

bonitakale · Nov 4, 2009

If you're interested in taking it to the extreme, look at Madeleine L'Engle's books. The families in them cross over endlessly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_characters_in_the_works_of_Madeleine_L%27Engle

Wayne R. · Nov 5, 2009

This isn't advice, just an opinion, and sorry if my Brit references make no sense to some, but I would LOVE to see Holby City's characters make a guest appearance in Eastenders (I might actually watch an episode voluntarly for that!), or the Spooks people drop in on Frost.
When the Alien skull made an appearance in Predator 2, I just about pitched a tent.
Unfortunately, I've no idea why this is.
Has to be done well, though. AvP and Freddy vs Jason were abominations.

MGraybosch · Nov 5, 2009

PoppysInARow said:
So, I have a question. I want to write a book in which characters from other books I've written pop up. It's a completely different world and storyline, with absolutely no connection. So, would it be innappropriate if I have characters from others books I've written pop up?

Michael Moorcock does it pretty often in his fantasy fiction. He's had Elric team up with several other incarnations of the Eternal Champion, such as Corum, Dorian Hawkmoon, and a few Von Beks.

Rhys Cordelle · Nov 5, 2009

In tv and movies it's a real thrill. In books it certainly could be too, if people care about those characters

Stijn Hommes · Nov 6, 2009

Wayne R. said:
This isn't advice, just an opinion, and sorry if my Brit references make no sense to some, but I would LOVE to see Holby City's characters make a guest appearance in Eastenders (I might actually watch an episode voluntarly for that!), or the Spooks people drop in on Frost.

While we're on the subject of Brit references. I find it surprising how little crossover is being used in Doctor Who and its spin offs. It's taken 3 series for the Doctor to appear in the Sarah Jane Adventures (though admittedly some villains crossed over from the start) and Torchwood only occasionally mentions its parent story; the best crossover there was the appearance of Martha Jones for a couple of episodes.

Yes, crossovers can work amazingly well, especially when the reader is familiar with both works.

Fenn · Nov 6, 2009

Another Brit reference - Holby City is itself a spin off from Casualty and the characters from each cross over (I don't watch either tho, so can't give examples

). It's done a lot in British tv, is it not so common in other countries?

In books, I guess the most extreme proponent of this method would be Terry Pratchett, whose Discworld characters turn up just about everywhere

Quossum · Nov 6, 2009

katiemac said:
An author has to make sure doing so works in the context of the current story, not because it's "fun" for the author or readers. But if it works, it works, just don't be so attached to a character you want to include him in the story when it would be better off without him.

QFT. I've written scenes with crossover characters, scenes which were just such delicious fun to write--but then when I gave the finished product its first full read-through, found myself thinking, "Okay...that scene was pointless..."

If you have betas who are *not* familiar with the first book saying things like, "What was with that scene with that blonde girl? It went on and on and I felt lost," then the use of the crossover character is probably too indulgent for the story. But it can work out well, too, if the crossover character really does fit into that niche of the new work.

--Q

third person · Nov 6, 2009

it's your world. why not?

eyeblink · Nov 6, 2009

My present WIP uses the two protagonists and some other characters from a novel I first wrote in 1981-2 (and which was agented for ten months after a rewrite, circa 1990) plus another major character from another novel I wrote in 1988-89 (had a near miss, but didn't sell either). It also reuses a minor character from The Plague Year (a schoolteacher).

Let's not worry about the fact that the earlier novels were set in the 1980s and the present one is set in 2008-9 and the major characters are still in their late teens.

I've used the same location (a southern-English commuter town) in several novels and short stories, including the ones I refer to above.

Crossover Characters?

PoppysInARow

CogitoErgoSum

How I get duck?

thethinker42

Abnormal Romance Author

scarletpeaches

thethinker42

Abnormal Romance Author

katiemac

Five by Five

Lady Ice

Makes useful distinctions

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

Rhys Cordelle

Libbie

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

virtue_summer

Always learning

Hummingbird

Pen, Paper, Prepared. ...Write!

AllieKat

just a writer, unbranded

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

bonitakale

Wayne R.

MGraybosch

Lunch Break Novelist

Rhys Cordelle

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

Fenn

Quossum

third person

She blinded me--with magic!

eyeblink

Barbara says hi