In a post on Writers Write, Alex Coyne offers advice for writing real characters in fiction. “Characters can be inspired by real-life events, or loosely based on real people. Sometimes, a character reference is more blatant: a fictional portrayal of a known person,” Coyne says. A trickier version of this is real-people fiction.
Real-people fiction includes series like the Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery Series by Elliot Roosevelt or Joyce Carol Oates’ examination of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. Rather than writing a fictionalized version of historical events, real-people fiction uses real historical figures as characters in entirely fictionalized settings and scenarios.
If you want to try this approach, Coyne has a few suggestions:
- Use a disclaimer. “A disclaimer is important, and tells the reader what they are about to read is a fictional portrayal,” he says. “For this type of fiction, a disclaimer should mention that events and personalities mentioned are still fictional.”
- Avoid libel and reputational damage. “An unflattering (or damaging) portrayal that cannot fall under parody law is almost automatically libel,” Coyne explains. “Always be careful, whether your character is alive or not. Estates can sue, too.”
- Get permission from the living. “If you want to use a real person as a fictional character, the safe approach is to approach the person (or their representative) with the idea,” Coyne says. “If the person you want to portray is deceased, contact estates, trusts, or living family members to avoid trouble.”
- Don’t write about killing famous people. James Patterson once suggested writing a novel called The Murder Of Stephen King. Naturally, King thought this hit a bit too close to home – possibly literally – and the idea was dropped.
