Is fiction a look into the heart and soul of the author?

Despite an author's assurances that certain characters are not a reflection of his own personality, they often are. Or at least partially.

We often write what we cannot or could not say. The words we never spoke when we should have, when the situation called for them, or when the ones we loved were present or alive.

Creating a character is often a self-reflection and a discovery—finding out who we are, for better and sometimes worse. But even then, like therapy, allowing or paving the way for positive change, or simply reflection and acknowledgment of past failures or shortcomings.

Through this character an author can observe his own character and who he is, from a distance, and with a greater degree of objectivity and understanding. The result can be devastating or uplifting. Most often I think somewhere in between.