Fiction, Batman and Serial Killers

I've always dreamed of writing fiction. I've tried, but alas my characters all end up dead, or crazy, and therefore unreliable (or so I've been told in workshops). That's not so bad, though, is it?

Developing a character is an exciting exercise. But how do you really develop a fictional character? Is there such a thing as a completely fictional character or are they really elaborations of people we already know? What about redeveloping a character that already exists? Is that plagiarism?

I decided to review some of my old journals today. Most of it is ranting, but in between the pages of crap are a few poems and a couple snapshots of characters that I was attempting to create for fictitious purposes. Of course I never did anything with any of these characters, they just get squished between the pages and forgotten. The details are beautifully simple - a woman with dark curls who never wears her hair up, but would look gorgeous if she did; a tall middle-aged alcoholic losing his house; a little girl covered in chocolate. And what purpose do they serve? Was the creation of these characters just another form of ranting - a way for me to paint a picture of social frustrations?

And then there's the real catch with fiction - the violence. I learned that fiction revolves around conflict, but when I try to write it, I add plenty of conflict, but no resolutions. I don't want my characters to succeed. I want them to fail miserably, and generally die gruesomely. How morbid.

I can't help that I find inspiration in the darkest corners of creativity. Violence and betrayal are major conflicts in my creative writing. My ideal character would be the violent vigilante, driven by morals and chaos - somewhat of a combination of Batman, Dexter, and Sylar (Heroes). I love the idea of a corrupted, powerful vigilante.