The characters who go to make up my stories and novels are…
““The characters who go to make up my stories and novels are not portraits. Characters I invent along with the story that carries them. Attached to them are what I've borrowed, perhaps unconsciously, bit by bit, of persons I have seen or noticed or remembered in the flesh - a cast of countenance here, a manner of walking there, that jumps to the visualizing mind when a story is under way. I don't write by invasion into the life of a real person: my own sense of privacy is too strong for that; and I also know instinctively that living people to whom you are close - those known to you in ways too deep, too overflowing, ever to be plumbed outside love - do not yield to, could never fit into, the demands of a story. Characters take on life sometimes by luck, but I suspect it is when you can write most entirely out of yourself, that a character becomes in its own right another human being on the page.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Characters arise from imagination, borrowing traits unconsciously, yet remain distinct from real people to preserve privacy and narrative integrity.
In simple terms: Writers blend observed traits into fictional characters while keeping them separate from real lives.
Key Takeaway
Use observation subtly, but let characters stand alone.
Themes
creativity
privacy
character development
Mood
introspective
educational
Type
guidance
philosophical
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- screenwriting
- character workshops
- literary analysis
- authorial voice
Key Concepts
fiction writing
psychology of imagination
Questions to Reflect On
- What balance ensures authenticity without exploitation?
- How do you keep characters fresh yet relatable?
A Different Perspective
Over-reliance on real people can breach ethics or limit originality.