It’s amazing how many times family members and friends have asked me if a character in one of my novels is based on them—if they are “in” it. It’s just as amazing how often they’re quite sure they aren’t in it, when in fact, they are. Kind of.
You may have heard the adage, “Write what you know.” Most authors I know do just that, and so do I. Not surprisingly, we draw on what we have experienced and observed. I can’t help it. My brain processes what I see and hear, and my mind soon spirals into what-ifs. What if a small town is hiding a dark secret from newcomers? What if a woman’s look-alike is found murdered? What if another dead body turns up? What if the killer lives next door? And that set of what-ifs is just about my next thriller.
Wherever I go, my subconscious is always on the lookout for book fodder—which often makes its way into my next novel. However, I change it up to fit the novel I’ve decided to write. I come up with the plot, create the characters, and then I let my imagination take over. And sometimes, I confess, I do draw on who I know, whether I know them well or not. Some of my characters are composites of people I’ve spoken to, read about, or run across—and sometimes they are combinations of people in my life. Though they are fictional, they share qualities ( good and bad), problems and sometimes even phobias with real people, including myself. That’s the secret to making them relatable, sympathetic and engaging. At least, I hope so.
What happens in real life—truth—is often much stranger than fiction. However, fiction has to make sense. Truth doesn’t. Writing fiction that makes sense is what plot and theme accomplish. Both are just as important when writing creative nonfiction because a true story, when well told, reads like fiction–like a novel–and makes sense.
I’ve written four novels, the latest one (untitled as of yet) acquired for publication later this year. I’ve also written a true story, a memoir, also called creative nonfiction. It’s the story of my son’s journey with brain cancer, and (with their permission) several family members and friends are in it. Though it’s nonfiction, I wrote it as a novel using a three-act structure and story arc. I recounted true events, but only those that are part of the story, and left out everything that isn’t. In some ways, it was easier to write than my novels were. In other ways it was much more difficult. Writing fiction can be an easier task because I get to make everything up, but it can also be much harder for the same reason.
But I like a challenge, especially when I have complete control and am happy with the result. To those who think they are characters in my novels, I say, “Believe me, you are not. But be careful, or you could turn up in one of them one day.”
JULIA MCDERMOTT 