tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post3141561190242321882..comments2023-10-26T11:34:38.322-04:00Comments on Ask Allison: The Truth in FictionAllison Winn Scotchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820208316115681320noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-90665548042945396892009-02-25T16:38:00.000-05:002009-02-25T16:38:00.000-05:00Ooh, great question. My protagonist/narrator is a ...Ooh, great question. My protagonist/narrator is a socially awkward young woman with Asperger's syndrome and an overbearing sister who has just lost her parents in an accident. I'm a gregarious thirtyish woman with no sisters and two living parents, plus a husband and a wide circle of friends. She's deeply isolated from the world; I'm deeply engaged with the world. But I work my way into her character through a combination of research and imagination. And we have this in common: we love to cook. So the painstaking description of how to supreme an orange comes from me, but the sad, panicked retreat during which she *imagines* supreming an orange to calm herself down, that's made up.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06965380978953755823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-9634963955141463392009-02-25T15:21:00.000-05:002009-02-25T15:21:00.000-05:00Some of my characters are drawn from life but some...Some of my characters are drawn from life but some just show up and demand to be written about or included and I don't know where the hell they came from.<BR/><BR/>I think it's always a good idea to go with a big idea even if it's outside the realm of what you literally know.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-57395960328251181162009-02-25T11:49:00.000-05:002009-02-25T11:49:00.000-05:00I always hear that the first novel is usually auto...I always hear that the first novel is usually autobiographical, which is why so many novelists face sophomore slump. But then you have people like Arthur Golden, who wrote Memoirs of a Geisha... so I guess it depends on the writer.<BR/>I have a lot in common with my main characters, but like you, Allison, I research and talk to folks in occupations I find interesting so I can weave that into the lives of my protagonists. My typical day -- changing diapers, driving the older kids to school -- isn't quite bestseller material.<BR/>I think the most consistent aspect of books tends to be the "voice" of the writer, which has been described as the writer's personality shining through on the page. I'm sure some writers are more adept than others at changing their voices depending on what they are trying to achieve in their books. But for me, my writing voice is pretty similar to my spoken one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-7604843185303840202009-02-25T10:47:00.000-05:002009-02-25T10:47:00.000-05:00Thanks so much for giving my question such a good ...Thanks so much for giving my question such a good answer! That emotional connection is so important... and I, too, think that's exactly what I needed to hear. <BR/><BR/>MayaMaya / מיהhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09871125878143128412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-41933668089783626192009-02-25T08:45:00.000-05:002009-02-25T08:45:00.000-05:00I think that this post is exactly what I needed. M...I think that this post is exactly what I needed. Mostly I think it shows how advanced you are as a writer when you are able to reach outside your scope of knowledge, something that I still have not attempted. <BR/>I tend to write what I know, but thank you for the motivation to at least try!<BR/><BR/>I have only read one of your books, and now I am hooked.<BR/>-ChelseaCChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09996994698417288803noreply@blogger.com