You are what you write
Are you comfortable in your own skin? Are you, generally, a self-aware person? Do you know just who you are and have come to accept that?
Does your writing reflect you? Is it you? The real you? 
If not, why not?
Our writing is–or should be–our passion. It should reflect who we are and what we love (or hate). It can reflect our hopes, dreams and desires.
Does that mean that people who write mysteries actually wants to kill someone? Obviously not. It could mean that they enjoy a good puzzle.
What about my good friend Debra Dunbar, who writes some of the best demon books? Is she a demon? No, but I definitely think she’s a bit of a rebel. She enjoys pushing limits just to see how far she can go while remaining safe and staying within the law. But she’s also a mom, and so there is that element of adhering to responsibility within her books too. How do you toe that line? That’s what makes her books really fun, I can tell you!
I write historical novels; does that mean I live in the past?
Well, in a sense, I wish I did. I do yearn for simpler times when we didn’t have to worry about how we present ourselves online. I enjoy behaving “properly” and appreciate it when others do too. So, yes, in a sense, I am an old fashioned sort person.
But my books aren’t just histories, they’re romances and they have deeper themes as well: fitting in and family in my Merry Men Quartet and Children of Avalon trilogy respectively. And, yes, I have “mother issues” as one reader asked me after reading Magic in the Storm (where the villain is the hero’s mother).
The point is, my books reflect who I am. All of those stories, all of those characters I create, they aren’t based on people I know so much as they are based on me. They are a part of me. Obviously, my brain came up with them.
Does that mean if you read my books, you will be reading me and getting to know me? No. The books are fiction. The characters are as well. They’re not all me, there’s still a lot of creativity that goes into creating these characters. But they do all come from the same source–my brain.
But what does this mean for you and your writing.
Yup, you got it: all of your characters are a reflection of you. All of your stories are things you need, or want, to explore. Your books are you. You are what you write.
Think about this as you’re plotting your next story. What is it that is important to you? What is it that you’d like to explore? What would you love to try, but may never get the chance? You can do any and all of these things in your books.
And if your books aren’t a reflection of you? Well, then, perhaps you’re not actually writing your story. Perhaps you’re not writing what you are passionate about. And so, perhaps you should reevaluate what you are writing and bring it closer to home. You’ll end up with a better story.
How do your stories reflect you?
