Use your own experiences to make your characters feel real

“Write what you know,” in regards to characterization, does not mean you’re stuck creating endless versions of yourself in your fiction.

Instead, says writer and educator Morgan St. James, it encourages you to explore your own experiences, emotions, and observations as sources for making your characters feel real.

St. James suggests keeping a notebook about vivid images or reactions you have while not attempting to tie any of them to a particular scene or novel you’re writing.

Read more about what she suggests “banking” for your writing in her guest post at Live Write Thrive. 

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