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I have realised just how important it is to readers to feel that fictional stories are based on reality.

When you have satire, it has to be real. No matter how outrageous the comedy becomes, you have to believe in the characters.

Everything in a story should be credible.

A compelling story, even if factually inaccurate, can be more emotionally compelling than a dry recitation of the truth.

There are some people who believe that these are not real stories with real people, but they actually are.

Comedy is exaggerated realism. It can be stretched to the almost ludicrous, but it must always be believable.

Truth is so hard to tell, it sometimes needs fiction to make it plausible.

Some writers confuse authenticity, which they ought always to aim at, with originality, which they should never bother about.

All I can guess is that when I write, I forget that it's not real. I'm living the story, and I think people can read that sincerity about the characters. They are real to me while I'm writing them, and I think that makes them real to the readers as well.

It is really no surprise that, in a media world that has been so compromised by an invasion of political partisans and inarticulate airheads with communications degrees, a fake journalist can seem more trustworthy than the real thing.