How to Create an Alter Ego

Co-authored by Ira Israel

Last Updated: December 14, 2024 Fact Checked

Some of history's most important and distinctive figures have created alter egos for a vast array of purposes. A good alter ego can keep your true identity secret or help you mentally compartmentalize particularly difficult opinions or actions. Whether you're an amateur superhero looking to hide your true mild-mannered self or a subversive writer hoping to protect your reputation from the backlash of a society that's not ready to accept your vision, a good alter-ego can be vital to helping you achieve your goals. This guide will help you custom-tailor an alter ego to your unique situation.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Designing Your New Persona

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1
Define a goal for your alter ego. Why are you creating an alter ego? What goal do you seek to accomplish? Are you creating an alter ego for fun or for a serious purpose? The answers to these questions will affect your decision making when you make your alter ego. For instance, if you're trying to make a nom de plume so your name won't appear on a work of art that will be considered controversial, you might need to create nothing more than a fake name. However, if you're a musician and you want to broaden your creative range by adopting a shocking new persona, you might choose to craft a detailed story and personality for your character. Scale your ambitions to your purpose when creating an alter ego.^{[1]
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- Generally, there's no such thing as an alter ego that's too thought-out. As long as you don't start blurring the mental line between your alter ego and your true self, feel free to create as detailed of an alter ego as you see fit.
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Give your alter ego a personality and voice. Your alter ego's most important trait is their personality - how do they speak and act? Will this alter ego be a mere stand-in for yourself - in other words, will it be just like you except for their name? Or will it be a unique character with a personality distinct from yours? Make your choice based on your goal for your alter ego. If you're writing a semi-autobiographical work, your self-insert character should probably speak and act like you. However, if you're creating a superhero alter ego for yourself, you might want your character to be exaggeratedly dashing and showy - more so than any normal person.
- Often, alter egos are endowed with traits that their creators lack. By assuming this alter ego, the creator can attempt to overcome difficulties caused by their personality defects. For instance, if you're normally timid and shy, you might assume a cocky, confident alter ego when you're at a party full of people you don't know.
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Give your alter ego a distinctive appearance. How does your alter ego look? Do they have an unassuming, yet memorable appearance or do they stick out in a crowd? Your character's appearance should match or compliment their personality - if you've designed a character who's a slimy used car salesman, you might choose to have him wear garish suits, keep his hair slicked back, and sport a big, insincere smile, for instance. If your alter ego is a larger-than-life figure like an alien or a superhero, you might even need to design an over-the-top costume to reflect their superhuman status.
- If you're planning to masquerade as your alter ego in real life, keep your own looks in mind when designing your character. Make sure you can realistically imitate your character by changing clothes, using makeup, etc. If you're a 400-lb professional sumo wrestler, your skinny computer hacker alter ego might have to remain in the realm of fiction.
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Craft a fitting backstory for your alter ego. Characters seldom exist in creative vacuums. Giving your alter ego a compelling (yet fitting) personal history can give a sense of realism to their appearance and personality. It can also help you decide these things if you're having trouble thinking of good ideas. Your character's backstory can be vague or detailed. It can be ordinary or remarkable. There are no "correct" choices when designing a backstory - only logical ones that reflect the character's personality and appearance. When writing your alter ego's story, ask yourself questions like:
- Where did my alter ego come from?
- What kind of life did they have?
- What experiences have they been shaped by?
- Who have they known and have had relationships with?
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Brainstorm suitable names. This is the most fun part of the entire process! A good, catchy name can take an alter ego from merely interesting to iconic. Make a list of names, including even ideas that you think are silly or inappropriate - they may lead you towards a truly inspiring name. Think of names that fit your alter ego's purpose. If you're a foreign spy embedded in the American Midwest, for instance, you want a boring, unassuming name like "Chris Stephens." You (obviously) don't want an over-the-top name that will attract attention like "Xavier Rex Riviera de la Cruz" or a tongue-in-cheek one like "Guy McNormalson."^{[2]
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- Often times, an alter ego's name will reflect their role or personality. Rapper Nas sometimes refers to himself as "Nas Escobar" - a reference to drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and a reflection of his sinister personality.
- Another common trick is to pick a name that in some way references your own name. Your alter ego can be an anagram for your own name or some other word or phrase (as in the Harry Potter series of books, where the main villain uses his real name, Tom Marvolo Riddle, to spell the anagram "I am Lord Voldemort.") It can also make implicit reference to your real name (Jennifer Lopez, for instance, goes as J. Lo or Lola.)
Give your character real depth by giving him or her unique, specific traits. Real people have peculiarities and quirks, so your character will seem more real if he or she does too. You may want to choose details that match your character's role or personality - a grizzled mercenary alter ego may walk with a slight limp as the result of an old unexplained injury. Conversely, you may want to pick traits that contrast interestingly with the background you've given your character. For instance, you might give the same mercenary character a childish enthusiasm for playing tiddlywinks. Good alter egos, like real people, are complicated and often contradictory.

Part 2

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Assuming Your New Identity

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1
Put your alter ego into practice. Now that you've designed a distinctive alter ego, it's time to walk a mile in their shoes! Practice speaking, acting, and/or writing like your character. Scrutinize your actions and your "voice" - for instance, think about whether your character would walk or talk in a certain way based on their backstory and personality. Gather materials or clothing and make a costume for your alter ego (thrift stores can be a good choice for their low prices and out-of-style clothing). Only you can decide how far to take your alter ego - with luck, your character may even become more well-known than you!^{[3]
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- Consider showing your character off at the next costume party or fan convention you attend!
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Stay in character. Your alter ego will seem more "real" and authentic if you commit to your performance. If you flip-flop between your new identity and your old one, people will see you as a person in a costume, not as an entirely new person. Resist any urges to act like you normally do. This is easier to do if you get in character hours (or even days) before you need to - simply hang around the house or running errands in-character as your alter ego. You'll ease into your new character as you complete simple tasks. More difficult performances will, in turn, feel more natural.^{[4]
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- Try modifying your daily habits and routines to match your alter ego's. If your character grooms him or herself differently than you do, for instance, make these changes in your own life. Respected method actors like Daniel Day Lewis are famous for adopting the habits of their character. To prepare for his role in The Age of Innocence, Lewis bathed himself in cologne and donned 1870s clothing as he ran his daily errands!
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Seek inspiration from famous alter egos. Hundreds of figures throughout history have adopted alter egos. If you're lacking for inspiration, look to history books for plenty of examples of how to immerse yourself in your new identity. Many alter egos, like musician David Bowie's famous "Ziggy Stardust" character, have become cultural touchstones for music, fashion, and other forms of art. Others, like actor Sacha Baron Cohen's characters (Borat, Bruno, etc.) have eclipsed their creator in terms of fame and recognition. Understand your historical context - your alter ego is, knowingly or unknowingly, probably influenced by past alter egos.
- Feel free to pay loving homage to past alter egos through small references, details, etc., but, as with any work of art, don't plagiarize wholesale from other peoples' creations.
- It's also useful to look for examples of alter egos that didn't work out. For instance, 90s country star Garth Brooks was widely ridiculed for his darker "Chris Gaines" persona. His alter ego's serious, angsty alt-rock image appeared ridiculous and forced in comparison to his relatively earnest country work up to that point. Try to compile lists of what, historically, has and hasn't worked in terms of alter egos in your field - writing, music, etc.

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How do I stay as my alter ego?

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Practice being your alter ego for as long as you need to get fully used to your character. Then, it will be easier to stay as your alter ego.

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Is it possible for an alter ego to turn on me?

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It is possible, but you are in charge of the alter ego.

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Can my alter ego be a real person, like a celebrity?

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It's not really an alter ego if you are just pretending to be a real-life celebrity. Instead, create your alter ego by using the celebrity's traits as an inspiration.

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Tips

Make sure your alter ego has flaws.

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Have fun!

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If there are flaws in your attitude you would like to overcome, let your alter ego strive to do so as well.

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For inspiration, watch videos of famous people who have alter egos, like Nicki Minaj, Eminem, and Ziggy Stardust.
Listen to music to help you create a mood for your alter ego’s backstory.

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Warnings

If your character is too perfect, it could lower your self esteem.

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Don't get to wrapped up in the life of the alter ego, remember that you, your life and your friends are what matter most, not your alter ego's.

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