It Ain't Easy Being Friends...

Have you ever had a non-writer friend come up and ask if you use real people (like them) in your books? Ever had a friend say they knew you'd used them for one of your characters?

I suspect all writers have had this experience. It creates a sort of double paranoia: Is that me? What are you going to say about me? Please use me. vs I want to keep you as a friend. Do you recognize that little hair-biting thing? I need my character (who incidentally looks like you) to act like this.

I've explained over and over that I may use bits and pieces of a collection of people to create one character. That most writers take their experiences and rebraid them to make a story. But I've never duplicated a living person on the page. (Although there is one person on a reality show that needs a story. He NEEDS it, I'm telling you!)

Still I hear: 'You better not use me in your books,' to 'Me! Use me!' It can require such a sharp balance that I'm sometimes hesitant to admit I'm a writer. But ultimately it doesn't keep me from borrowing those quirks that are endearing, or annoying, or just plain fascinating to make my characters more real.

So Kelly, if you see a biker-chick with big blue eyes in one of my books, well . . .