First Edition 1908 
Diana and Anne First Edition 1908
The Power of (Imaginary) Friends
When I was young, I had an imaginary friend. Only, she didn’t spring from my imagination; she came from the mind of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne Shirley, who first appeared in Anne of Green Gables, embodied everything I was not: bold, expressive, confident. And she had a bosom friend named Diana. Well I had a best friend named Diane, so therefore Anne and I were simpatico.
But as I grew up, I shunted Anne aside. I stripped away her magic. She was a fictional character, after all. Not real.
Yet neuroscience shows us that how we react to fictional characters is the same as if they were real.
Which means when I’m struggling to write my own stories (and yes, I always struggle!), I try to think of my characters as if they’re real people. Call me crazy, but I “chat” with them about their lives, and their experiences and I “listen” to them as they tell me their story. It’s not a magic bullet to writing a good story—I also need to focus on technique and craft—but it does help me keep in mind my end goal: to share my characters’ journeys with the world.
And really, what better job is there than hanging out with your friends all day? 🙂