Everyone's A Character; Life's The Scene

“I don't enjoy doing a lot of research, preferring as a rule, to ‘make up my facts.’ That's why I write fiction. I firmly believe that if you want facts, you read non-fiction; you read fiction to discover the truth.”– Joy Fielding
Born in Canada on this date in 1945, Fielding makes her home in Toronto.  She said she always knew she wanted to be a writer, and even when drawn in different directions – particularly acting – she always felt the writing pull.  Today, as author of 26 books, many of them best sellers  -  including the extraordinarily successful See Jane Run, and her 2016 blockbuster She’s Not There  -  she said she’s glad she settled into the writer’s life.
“I love writing because it's the only time in my life when I feel I have complete control,” Fielding said.   “Nobody does or says anything I don't tell them to – although even this amount of control is illusory because there comes a point where the characters take over and tell you what they think they should say and do.”     For her, everyone and everything is a potential character or scene.  Daily life and the day's headlines provide most of her inspiration. 

“I use whatever I can and nothing is sacred. Of course, nothing is exactly the way it is in real life. A writer borrows a bit from here, there and everywhere, and adapts it to her own purpose.  (But) I find that the more of me I include, the more successful the book; the more readers can identify with.”



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