Characters too realistic?

I do what Law and Order does. Put in a block of text on the first page about how the characters in this page are fictional and not based on any real events.

Even if it's not true, you can't say anything because I *said* it's fiction!

Become rich and famous first, then worry about it.

Seriously, Anne Lamott, in her excellent "Bird by Bird", has advice for writers in exactly your situation. She recommends that, if you're writing about a male character, you give them a small penis. No man is ever going to say "Hey, that person in your book is me!" if the character in question is described as having a freakishly small penis.

For female characters, I suppose you could give them bad breath or an irritating giggle or something. Or you could keep the mannerisms but change the physical appearance or other details completely.

You could also do what one novelist I know does, which is to mix characters up. Each character in her books is based on several people that she knows. For example, one of her characters is about 1/3 based on my girlfriend and 2/3 based on other people (this keeps me guessing when I read her books, because I recognize some of the details but not others, and find myself wondering whether a particular detail or anecdote is based on my girlfriend or one of the others). The trick here is deciding which of your friends can successfully be 'merged' in this way. You might be able to merge your friend with the frosted pink nail polish obsession with your friend the high school teacher, but you probably won't be able to merge her with your friend the hard-hat construction worker with the ripped abs. Although if you could, it might make for an interesting novel.

As long as you pretend it's for the purposes of satire, you have a defense. :)

Seriously, just run with it. If you get to the point where you have something you want to publish and line up a publisher you want to work with, take it up with their legal department.

I'm going to agree with what everyone else has said. Seriously, just run with it. Besides, your characters will grow and change throughout the writing process as they so often tend to do. And if your characters are anything like mine (however much they may be based off real people), they will constantly rebell and refuse to do anything they're told. Like during last year's Nano, I had two characters completely switch personalities on me... though it wound up being the best thing for them in the end.

By the way, why do I feel like I should know you?

NaNo '07: The Devil's Advocate (fail)
NaNo '08: Dangerous Attraction (WON! 50,017)
NaNo '09: Back Again (sci-fi)

This! If you change enough identifying details, no one should be able to tell for sure that your character is a representation of him/her. Plenty of fictional characters are based more or less closely on real people -- if Curtis Sittenfeld could publish "American Wife," you should be fine.

And to echo other comments, if this does become a problem, you will already be so WILDLY SUCCESSFUL that it will be a minor blip -- and something you can easily fix in editing.

If Jack Kerouac can manage to get "On the Road" published, Tamar, then you should have noooo problem. Do it! The juicier the better, I say...

"Remember, always be yourself. Unless you suck." -- Joss Whedon

thanks, I forgot about that little clause! :-)
I'm sure it will come in handy, eventhough I'm still neutering my people a great deal

thank-you for the input, great advice! I had trouble reading all of these replies initially, and did end up doing exactly what your friend does.. patching together personalities.. I had no idea how fun this would be, I was dreading writing fiction, but I think it's empowering now.

maybe you do? I'm Tamar, what's your name?
Thanks for the input. It's funny how the characters do their own thing, isn't it? I remember Tori Amos saying once that her songs decided if they wanted to be on a particular album or not, and that struck me as interesting, but now I actually believe it.

Thanks, true stuff. I just don't want to reveal somone's privacy/ issues.
I don't know that book, but will look into it.