Character Development - Writing What You Know - video

Author Sarah Howery Hart details how to create fiction characters based on two different approaches to writing fiction. Those two theories are "write what you know" and "write something you don't know about so you can learn something." Hart utilized both schools of thought for writing her novel. She took her background in psychology and crafted a fiction character based on herself. The result is a protagonist that has similar characteristics to the author, but she also advises pushing fiction characters beyond that reflection. She also advises that authors aim to educate their audience through their fiction writing. Hart believes an author needs to use both approaches to crafting fiction to create compelling characters and character development.