When I asked my audiobook director, who is also one of my closest friends, who her favorite character was in my new romcom novel, SAVE THE DATE, she laughed and said it wouldn’t be fair to answer since so many of the characters are based on real people she knows.
As someone currently editing my first romcom novel with a glorious muddled mix of fact and fiction with elements of my life intertwined this is exactly what I needed to read thanks!
Thanks for this reminder about the craft of blurring the lines between us and them (our creations). Useful info! Also, Fight On! (My daughter went to USC and lives in LA.)
Thank you so much for posting this. I've been a writer since I was 13, and my first work was a 100 page Twilight fanfiction starring me and my friends (different names, of course!) But as I grew older and made writer friends, many of them write in a fantasy and sci-fi genre, and it's been making me feel as though my writing isn't as creative because of how much I pull from my real-life experiences versus how much world-building they do. I just appreciate this friendly reminder that pulling from your day to day life is still a creative venture, and a completely valid method as a creator.
(Just received my pre-order of your book! Can't wait to read it! You've been such an incredible inspiration to me for the past 14 years. Thank you for everything you share. It always resonates so much. 🩶)
I totally understand the impulse to try to rank creativity but if you are writing at all you are flexing those muscles! thank you so much for the support!! I hope you enjoy the read!!
i love this: "Apparently, I have gotten so good at mixing the real with the imaginary that my own father couldn’t remember which parts of SAVE THE DATE were based on true events. (To be fair, this might be more due to his poor memory than my expectational writing prowess. I guess we will never know for sure, which works for me.)"
and this nugget from your teacher is great also: “Main characters are often the most boring because we base them on ourselves, and we are too afraid to give them flaws.”
I'm in the middle of listening to this book and I am absolutely trying to decipher what is real and what is made up lol! (Glad to hear Jocelyn is not exactly like Jackie because, damn...) It's a great read, Allison! (And you really aced all of the character voices!)
As someone currently editing my first romcom novel with a glorious muddled mix of fact and fiction with elements of my life intertwined this is exactly what I needed to read thanks!
I'm so glad it was helpful!!
Thanks for this reminder about the craft of blurring the lines between us and them (our creations). Useful info! Also, Fight On! (My daughter went to USC and lives in LA.)
The fun is in the blurring!!
Thank you so much for posting this. I've been a writer since I was 13, and my first work was a 100 page Twilight fanfiction starring me and my friends (different names, of course!) But as I grew older and made writer friends, many of them write in a fantasy and sci-fi genre, and it's been making me feel as though my writing isn't as creative because of how much I pull from my real-life experiences versus how much world-building they do. I just appreciate this friendly reminder that pulling from your day to day life is still a creative venture, and a completely valid method as a creator.
(Just received my pre-order of your book! Can't wait to read it! You've been such an incredible inspiration to me for the past 14 years. Thank you for everything you share. It always resonates so much. 🩶)
I totally understand the impulse to try to rank creativity but if you are writing at all you are flexing those muscles! thank you so much for the support!! I hope you enjoy the read!!
Read the book over the weekend! It’s SO good & such a fun premise 👏
Oh thank you so much!!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!
dear allison,
great piece!
i love this: "Apparently, I have gotten so good at mixing the real with the imaginary that my own father couldn’t remember which parts of SAVE THE DATE were based on true events. (To be fair, this might be more due to his poor memory than my expectational writing prowess. I guess we will never know for sure, which works for me.)"
and this nugget from your teacher is great also: “Main characters are often the most boring because we base them on ourselves, and we are too afraid to give them flaws.”
thanks for sharing as always!
love
myq
Thank you Myq!!
"Write what you know" is a popular school of thought in writing.
I loved the book! Only took me a day to listen. 🫶🏻🤩
Oh yay!!
I'm in the middle of listening to this book and I am absolutely trying to decipher what is real and what is made up lol! (Glad to hear Jocelyn is not exactly like Jackie because, damn...) It's a great read, Allison! (And you really aced all of the character voices!)
Oh thank you so much!!! That means a lot!