Make-believe is fun
One of my favorite things about writing a novel is that I have one-hundred percent creative freedom with what I choose to put into print. The plot lines, the mystery and suspense, the budding romance, scenery, homes and lifestyles, even the clothes people wear and food they eat – all of it is just made up. Sure, imagination is informed by life experiences and real places and things, but by and large I can write whatever I want to write. But of all the components of make-believe, my most favorite part is creating the people. The living, breathing, feeling, emotional, complex characters who are very much like any people we would meet on the street or at work or perhaps members of our families. I’m certain every fiction writer reaches a point in the creation of their their characters that those people become very real to them. I just never knew how much fun it would be.