In a post on Writers in the Storm, Jenny Hansen tackles an age-old writerly question: What will my loved ones (or employers) think if they read my work?
The good news: if you’ve based a character on someone you love (or hate), there’s a slim chance you’ll get caught. Unless you very specifically describe details or anecdotes, your friends are not likely to recognize themselves in a character. Hansen explains that people see themselves differently from the way you see them, almost as if they are a completely separate character.
The question is more difficult if you’re writing a memoir or if you – as above – you share a personally identifiable characteristic or story about someone. Tread carefully if you might be invading someone’s privacy.
But if you’re worried whether your family or co-workers will think less of you after they read your graphic sex scenes with all the swear words or the story about the serial killer or high school kid plagued by dark thoughts?
Don’t.
