I've discussed many times with other authors about the creation of characters in a work, and how the existence comes to be. There are several processes that writers can use, but for myself, I find the composite method works best.

My current series, The Jacob Brantson Files: Book One, there were several starring characters that I had to dream up, along with their attributes. Much like Dr. Frankenstein, I mashed together and created composites, made up of qualities and habits from several people I've known throughout my life.

To my enjoyment, when my first book went live, there were several people that I served with in the US Navy that purchased it. After reading, I had a few of them message me, asking why one or two particular characters seemed so familiar. When I explained that they were composites of people we once knew, they loved the idea.

If you're an author, do you use composites, or are your characters completely created from scratch?