I'm guessing every writer who knows people outside of their imagination has been asked this -
"Which one is me? Who am I in your story? That's me, isn't it?"
"Wow, I must have really pissed you off," a friend said to me the other day.
I'd just told them about a character who has a bit of... unpleasantness ahead.
Nope, not you. Not based on you either.
Sure, the character and my friend share a commonality or two - most human beings do - but beyond that, no.
Sorry, you're not in my story.
Unless you choose to be and decide that a particular character is you, well then, feel free.
Be my guest.
Just know that that that's on you.
Sure, I'm an avid people watcher and sure people do do things that sometimes inspire characters and occasionally can even be the launching point for a story.
Let's face it, people are entertaining.
That doesn't mean a character is an actual person actively converting oxygen into carbon dioxide.
Imagined people can't sue you for slander or libel or get mad and send you rotten fruit for Christmas or go on a tirade parade across the internet because you put them in a book and had them dance the hula on a pool table.
And sure I take stuff out of my life and work it into my stories. A little reality keeps a story real.
That doesn't mean my conversation with you is going to end up being the conversation between a couple of characters or that everything that goes on in my stories is reality based.
"Which one is me? Who am I in your story? That's me, isn't it?"
"Wow, I must have really pissed you off," a friend said to me the other day.
I'd just told them about a character who has a bit of... unpleasantness ahead.
Nope, not you. Not based on you either.
Sure, the character and my friend share a commonality or two - most human beings do - but beyond that, no.
Sorry, you're not in my story.
Unless you choose to be and decide that a particular character is you, well then, feel free.
Be my guest.
Just know that that that's on you.
Sure, I'm an avid people watcher and sure people do do things that sometimes inspire characters and occasionally can even be the launching point for a story.
Let's face it, people are entertaining.
That doesn't mean a character is an actual person actively converting oxygen into carbon dioxide.
Imagined people can't sue you for slander or libel or get mad and send you rotten fruit for Christmas or go on a tirade parade across the internet because you put them in a book and had them dance the hula on a pool table.
And sure I take stuff out of my life and work it into my stories. A little reality keeps a story real.
That doesn't mean my conversation with you is going to end up being the conversation between a couple of characters or that everything that goes on in my stories is reality based.
The bits of reality that do end up in my stories are usually mashed up and mixed in with the stuff I make up. The end result is much like a multi-pack
of Play-Doh after the average four year old has spent half an hour with it.
Realistic places, people, turns of phrase - you need all of that in a good story. Much the way that lump of dough needs that blue streak - it really brightens up that wad of dough.
-L
of Play-Doh after the average four year old has spent half an hour with it.
Realistic places, people, turns of phrase - you need all of that in a good story. Much the way that lump of dough needs that blue streak - it really brightens up that wad of dough.
-L