Using Real Characters In Fiction
Today, I read about an interesting court case in the USA. Katherine Stockett, author of debut novel, The Help, is being sued by the maid she based her fictional character on. It seems Ms. Stockett used a fictional name closely resembling the real maid’s one. Also, the details in the novel mirror what the author experienced in real life with the real maid in question. For more, see Jane Friedman’s excellent blog, http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules
We’ve all heard, write what you know. The art is how to let your imagination fly, protect the ones you write about from public scrutiny, and yet tell the truth. That’s great fiction. For more on how the law interprets these writerly questions, Mark Fowler, an attorney working for media companies, has a great blog on the subject. http://www.rightsofwriters.com
