“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
Fielding, who turns 76 today, is
a native Canadian who makes her home in Toronto. She said she knew early on in life that
she wanted to be a writer, and even when she was drawn in different directions
– particularly acting – she always felt the pull back to that first love. Today, as the author of 29 books, many of
them best-sellers including the extraordinarily successful See Jane Run, she said she’s glad she finally settled into the life
of a writer.
“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.”
Joy Fielding
Fielding said she looks upon
everything as a potential scene for a book, and everyone as a potential
character. While she occasionally get
snippets of ideas from magazines and newspaper articles, especially from the
headlines, more often her ideas come from something that happens to herself or
someone she knows.
“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.”
No comments:
Post a Comment