Are My Fictional Characters Real?

Are my “fictional” characters based upon real people?

Yes, some more so than others. Many are a blend of more than one individual.

Some are totally fictional products of my imagination. In that case, I feel I have the most freedom, a license to kill, so to speak. After all, I own the character.

My novel’s characters are often at least loosely based upon my memories of a particular person in my life. A few are very closely modeled on a particular individual that I know or knew. In that case, as I insert them in situations that occur in the stories, I do try and place myself in their mindset and see exactly how they might react to situations that occur in the stories. It’s easier, of course, if I knew the person intimately or at least well.

In any case, I try to be kind, in case they recognize themselves.