Tell all...

One of the frequent questions fired at writers is, "Do you use real people in your books?" And the answer is? No. Not because I have any moral objections, but because life overall is pretty drab. I know very few people whose lives would be interesting reading.

Our lives are interesting because we're in the midst of them, living the experiences, but writing about them would be like that old punch line, "You had to be there." In other words, it would be as interesting as watching paint dry.

Many of our most exciting experiences are times of disaster, chaos, and grief. Highs in life are short and intangible. Explaining our happiness when our child smiles at us is close to impossible and certainly it isn't a book's worth of telling.

Nor do we want to spend pages detailing the dark days of our lives. Who wants to read that? Not me. Nor do I want to write about them either.

I think that's exactly why I like to write quirky stories about oddball characters who have strange lives. Just as some readers use books for an escape, some writers use the writing process for an escape, too. And if they find readers who enjoy their work, then that's good.

anny