She's Not Me
Recently, I was talking to someone who had read Touch Of Fire, and she gave me this saucy grin and shook her finger at me."Wow!" she said. "I had no idea you were like that."
I shook my head and reminded yet another reader: I am NOT my characters. This isn't the first time I've had this conversation.
To be fair, I've done my own share of raising eyebrows when I read work from people I know. A few whom I know VERY well have on occasion decorated their MCs with a little too much personal information.
It's kind of icky.
Not that you shouldn't write what you know, but if friends already know your darker idiosyncrasies and it shows up as your characters' quirks, it makes for uncomfortable dinner table conversation when the subject is your novel.
And I know it's silly of me to say this, but this is the main reason I've never been fond of first person point of view in adult books. I just don't like reading: I did this, I slew that. I made love to a giant centaur who was putting it to my sister too. :shudders:
In the example with the woman reading Touch Of Fire, the reader doesn't even know me, other than in passing. She assumes that since I wrote this novel, I must be this really wild chick.
She obviously has never seen me in my 20 year old pajamas, or the intravenous bags of Coke Zero that are pumped into my veins while I'm writing these scenes.
Yeah, buddy. Greg just gets all excited when he sees me like that. LOL!
So what do you think? Should I be offended that she thinks I'm writing 'me'? Or is it a compliment to my skills as a sexologist?
(Oh, Lord. I wonder how many Google hits I'll get for using the word, sexologist.)
Writers: Do readers sometimes mistake you for your characters?
Readers: Do you ever wonder if the author is writing from intimate experience?
Comments
Well, let's see... I have to be comfy (and caffeinated) when I write sex scenes. Whereas sex kitten status demands thigh high boots and black leather.
I think I prefer my pajamas.
I would never think of the main character in a book male or female as being based on the author unless stated otherwise. Reading is not about making a connection between what is real and what is not for me, it is all about escaping into a story for a few hours or days and enjoying the thing!!!
jackie b central texas
Ref: ...it is all about escaping into a story...
I know, right! It is very weird when people confuse me with the main character. I'm more the sword-wielding crone type. LOL.
I need to get up early more often, otherwise miss all the fun!!!
jackie b central texas
Good thing most of them keep mum about it, though I've seen a few fess up on their blogs.
My policy is don't ask, don't tell. LOL.
You bring up an excellent observation. I used to crit an (unpubbed) writer who did just that. Every one of her manuscripts was like watching her therapy in action.
I mostly like first person in YA and thrillers. Not so much in erotic romance. Though I have read a few authors who handle it well.
Maybe it's all the "I's" that stick out like trees bobbing in an ocean.
Oh, Wendy! That is hilarious!!
I don't feel so bad now.
Thanks for stopping in. You made my day.
I suppose it is a little rude, though this person is so 'out there' I didn't take it personally. That's just her personality talking.
And that's way I wish all readers reacted. :)
Thanks, Dru.
Ref: I had somebody once ask me if my characters turned me on, and that creeped me out big time.
ewww! Very creepy. Ya gotta wonder about some people.
I think you hit the nail on the head. This person admitted to me she didn't read a lot of fiction--but she was so excited at meeting a real author, she had to buy the book.
Case solved. Thanks!