No, I will not write a book about you . . .
I love being a writer. I get the chance to do two very important types of writing, fiction and journalistic. As a journalist, I'm glad to tell your story. You fought city hall and won, I want to know all about it. You created some new gadget that can turn waste water into clean drinking water, let's talk. But. . .don't ask me to write a book about you. There's a reason I write fiction. I like to create the world and the characters. If I want John Smith to be a snarky bastard, he will be a snarky bastard and there's nothing he can do about it. If I want Andrea to be a virgin tease, then that's who she is. Writing about a real person leaves you open to that person trying to take over your story, edits about their life and, god-forbid, a lawsuit. You may see yourself as a heroic person, but as you tell me your story, I may see you as an asshole. If that's what I see, that's what I'm going to write and you're not going to like it. And then there...