Oh gosh, yes! Always…and sometimes I hijack people’s personalities and twist them into characters. Nothing I’ve written has ever not been touched by some personal aspect in my life; it’s part of the writing life, I think, to feel deeply and to be able to express those feelings and reactions in words. Sometimes the things that happen to me flavor my story a little, or sometimes they flavor it a lot—depends on the weight of the events in my life.
The biggest indicator of success is whether or not you’re able to pull your reader into the world within your book. Then, can you evoke an emotional response from your reader—anger, sadness, desire, relief. If you can do those two things, you’re a literary success because we all read, but not all of us deeply connect with what we’re reading. Sales are very nice, don’t get me wrong, but a connection between your readers and the words on the page is something that no marketing machine can ever duplicate.
The most important elements are genuine characters within a compelling story. Readers like to see vulnerability in their characters, and an opportunity to have their emotions highjacked for a bit. Reading is essentially about escape into another person’s dimension. Since I am an English teacher, don’t forget conventions!
