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I think all characters are facets of the writer. In a way, they have to be if you're going to write them convincingly.

To me, my characters are more real than most people I meet.

I don't much believe in the idea of characters. I write with words, that is all. Whether those words are put in the mouth of this or that character does not matter to me.

To connect with the characters, you need to connect with the world. If the world feels vaguely familiar, I believe the characters will feel relatable.

Readers embrace all kinds of characters as long as they are written with emotional truth.

Every reader knows about the feeling that characters in books seem more real than real people.

Well, the thing about great fictional characters from literature, and the reason that they're constantly turned into characters in movies, is that they completely speak to what makes people human.

I don't worry about whether a character is likable, as long as the character is believable.

But at the same time, the commonplace statement about them is true: every character is the hero of his own story. Each has a justification for his actions that is convincing to him. It's fun to give these people voices.