Write what you know, but keep it interesting to readers

It seems more than natural for authors to include tidbits from their lives (or the lives of those they know) in their fiction.

And, barring an invasion of someone’s privacy, it’s a perfectly acceptable decision.

It can, however, pose a few dangers to the quality of your writing, whether you’re writing an autobiographical novel or just borrowing an isolated experience from your life.

Susan DeFreitas, who’s a writer herself in addition to an editor and book coach, shares three pitfalls of writing from your own life in a guest post at Jane Friedman’s blog.

Related posts 

• Why you need to leave some things out of your memoir 

• Use your own experiences to make your characters feel real