In my novel writing class tonight, we’ll be discussing Character and Point of View. Character studies are always fun, as you the writer get to create all these fun facts about someone who doesn’t really exist. Or do they? Many students come to class and say they are writing an autobiographical novel. If that’s you, then consider how reality and fiction will blend. Too many times, that blend is a goulash that tastes worse than Mom’s mystery meat loaf. “Because that’s the way it really happened” is not a good reason for writing it. By creating fiction that isn’t thinly disguised autobiography, you aren’t chained to writing characters and events that only mean something to you.
Writing Tip for Today: Almost all novelists admit to a certain part of their own lives getting embedded in their fictional characters. Yet if you write only things that really happened, you run the risk of putting the character into dull situations the character cannot solve alone. Let your fictional characters express your deepest thoughts, beliefs or problems if you wish, but remember: by making a character exactly like you, you risk not incorporating enough story into your novel.