At least I find it harder to write.

Why is that?

I have recently written a short auto-biographical piece, and in the process discovered just how much I prefer to write about imaginary characters. So I started wondering what the difference could be. I don’t think it’s as simple as ‘imaginary characters do what you tell them too.’ A made-up character has to be as developed as a real one. They need to make just as much sense. Both types have their own logic and need to stick to it. I don’t think imaginary characters are as lose and unrestrictive to write as they might sound.

I’ve been pondering this for the past few days. I think what’s holding me back is honesty.

Real characters (in this case me and a few people very close to me) need to be portrayed honestly. When I write about the characters in my head I only need to be honest with myself. Writing about the people in my life means I have a responsibility to them as well. Retelling an event the way I remember it might not automatically mean telling it the way it really was. But I owe it to the people who share this tale with me to try. And that’s hard. And maybe it also means facing up to my priorities and the way I have interacted with the people in my life.

It’s all hard.

Think I’m starting to understand why I spend so much time with the people in my head.

(I’m not as crazy as that sounds! Promise!)