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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/8009
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Most writers utilize elements of their own experience when they create their fiction. Some of the best fiction depends heavily on the writer's own life. John Irving is an excellent example of a highly successful and respected writer who creates much of his fiction out of modifications of his own life. John Grisham, a lawyer, writes about lawyers. Dashiell Hammett, a detective, wrote about detectives. Robin Cook, a doctor, writes about doctors. Examples abound.

Even when creating stories that seem to have little to do with one's own life, or even one's own world, most writers almost inevitably incorporate something of their own experience. At a minimum, what we have learned as human beings informs our writing even when we're writing about robots battling dinosaurs in another galaxy.

For me, it goes back to the basic dictum: \*Write what you know." Truer words were never spoken. So don't hesitate to use as much of your own life as you want. Just remember to make good choices about which "real" elements advance the story, and be creative about modifying the reality to make the story work.

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