Books Quote by Emma Healey
“When I was writing my first novel, 'Elizabeth is Missing,' I was writing the only novel I had ever written and writing about the only protagonist I'd ever written about. Because of this, I didn't think of her as a construct. Maud was real.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Guardian, 2018
The author treats her protagonist as a real person, not a fictional construct, because she is the only character she has ever created.
In simple terms: She sees her character as real.
Key Takeaway
Treat characters with authenticity.
Themes
authorship
character development
reality
Mood
introspective
creative
Type
literary
reflective
When to use this quote
- writing a debut novel
- character immersion
- author‑character relationship
Key Concepts
fiction
identity
empathy
Questions to Reflect On
- How does treating a character as real affect storytelling?
- Can this approach be applied to multiple characters?
A Different Perspective
Only having one character may limit narrative diversity.
