Do You Put Yourself in Your Books?

Well, do you?

Subconsciously or consciously, the main characters of a writer’s novel tend to reflect what’s going on inside that writer’s head. It just sort of happens that way. Coming from a multicultural background, I like to throw in various references from my mother’s kitchen/ the Indonesian language because I feel Indonesia isn’t referenced enough in books (#weneeddiversebooks). I like throwing in little phrases from other languages or even throw in a couple of Easter eggs once in a while. (One of my characters share my same exact initials: S.W.)

Creating your own world gives you a ton of leeway as to what you wish to place inside that world. You’re like that little kid with the toy train and the Legos set again, throwing pieces around as you see fit and watching where everything falls with some sort of strange delight. It’s nothing to be ashamed about if you have the occasional Freudian slip and make one of your characters gripe about Mondays like you do or have a coffee addiction. Maybe they like dogs and hate cats in your world or perhaps cats just don’t exist at all or vice-versa.

My point is that it can be hard coming up with new material when you’re writing, but at the same time, in those wondrous periods of “word vomit”, writers just tend to let their thoughts flow. And a writer who finds their voice ought to write their characters into their narrative, as well. It’s just one of the joys/hazards of being a writer and baring your artistic soul and all those other wonderful things. It’s nothing to be ashamed about if you write yourself into one/all of your characters. Now, if somebody sharing your exact same name and features decides to swoop in on a charging stallion and save the day, then maybe you’ve gone too far.

But, at the same time, we’re all writers here. Perhaps you just haven’t gone far enough.