Using Real People as Your Characters

Early in my career, my husband would suspiciously demand, “Is this character supposed to be me?” I said, “No, of course not.” I’ve never been sure if he was happy with that, or disappointed.

To be honest, there was a bit of one of our friends in there, but only a bit. Using a real person in your made-up story seems like an ethical problem to me. I mean, a person’s individual name and appearance are their most personal possessions. They should be held private, as any other personal information is.

As a fan writer, I witnessed a case where a family was in turmoil and two family members wrote a story that was aimed at another. It got by me, until the victim pointed that out how a character who was just like her died at the end of the story. That was a lesson I’ll never forget.

Writing stories about other people gives us a unique kind of power, especially if those people are injured or humiliated during the story. It can easily cross into grotesque bullying. Let’s say there’s a public figure you don’t like. (We can all fill our own disliked public figures into that blank.) It might be satisfying for you to write a story where a character just like them is shot in the head, but for the person? I would take that as a personal threat.

Everyone craves recognition. Some authors, especially crime novelists, may run contests where people volunteer to appear as a victim. If they sign up for that, then okay. But nobody wants to be mocked in public.

Never do this, friends.

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