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Joe90
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21 Oct 2020, 1:29 pm

OK, I've decided to write a story about me and my family, in a diary-type format, set some time in the 1990s when I was growing up. I decided to do this because it's easier to be original when writing a story based on your own experiences rather than getting an idea from an already existing story.

The only thing is I've been using everybody's real names, including mine. So you think it's best to change everybody's names, for the sake of their privacy and to make it feel more fictional (if it does get published one day, that is)?

I've put nothing offensive about anyone, as it's a mostly positive story, but some people might think "hey, I didn't do that", even though it isn't bad whatever they did that I put in the story.
But I do understand that most writers do get their ideas based on their own experiences, so this is what I'm doing.


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malavois
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22 Oct 2020, 3:40 am

I think the safest thing is to ask everyone you’ve written about whether they would like a pseudonym in your book. Even if you don’t write anything inflammatory, some people may simply not want their real name in any published work. If you’re writing about anyone who is deceased, I think you could ask the family.



Kraichgauer
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29 Oct 2020, 11:57 pm

Charles Bukowski, and even to an extent William Burroughs, put a lot of autobiographical information into their fiction.


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tomfor
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11 Dec 2020, 2:25 am

I don't see anything wrong with that. Everyone is looking for examples in their life. I wish you luck with your essay. You'll do fine.


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artful_aspie
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19 Dec 2020, 5:04 am

Writing about the Autism Spectrum Disorder experience is a worthwhile thing to do. My clinical psychologist says I should do a book as a person surviving in the regions of country Queensland. I have a degree in English awarded Honours (I'm an obsessive Aspie) which helps structuring the story into chapters. However, I thought to illustrate it too. I have been working off & on it during this awful year, after surviving bush fires & a flood event that destroyed my town. Having a problem keeping on it as many of my life experiences have been awful. The psychologist helps there, but . . . :(