Writing Fiction About Real People: What You Need To Know
In season 5 episode 7 of “Writer’s Digest Presents,” bestselling author John Searles discusses writing about real people in his new novel, Single Girls.
When a real-life person inspires you to write a story, how do you balance truth with fiction? It's a difficult challenge, especially if you have a personal relationship with your subject. But it's not impossible.
New York Times-bestselling author John Searles spent two decades as a top editor for Cosmopolitan magazine, first hired by Helen Gurley Brown—the editor-in-chief credited with revitalizing the dying title. In his time at the magazine, John would joke to Helen that he would one day write a book about her.
Now he has with his new bestselling novel, Single Girls. In this episode, John discusses the challenges of writing about real people, navigating switching genre lanes, honoring real people with fiction they would've loved, and more.
About The Author
John Searles is a New York Times-bestselling and award-winning author of several novels, including Help for the Haunted and Strange but True, adapted into a film by Lionsgate in 2019. John’s books have been voted “Best of the Year” or top picks by Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, Salon, and the American Library Association. He appears regularly on NBC’s "Today" show and for more than two decades was a top editor at Cosmopolitan. He writes essays for the New York Times and Washington Post. His latest novel, Single Girls, about Helen Gurley Brown and the team of women she assembled to transform Cosmo into the bestselling women’s magazines of all time was named one of Oprah’s Best Books of Summer 2026. Follow him at @johnsearles on Instagram.
