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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