37373 ~ Fictionalizing friends

In this process of writing this novel, I've been realizing that some of the people in Sophie's life are modeled after some of the people in mine. Sophie's parents are modeled after mine, as are her grandparents. Her close group of friends are modeled after mine (actually, if they read the book a couple of them might recognize some of our stories in there.) I've taken bits and pieces of the people that I love best, and woven them into these characters, who I'm also growing to love. So thank you family and friends, for lending bits and pieces of yourself to this novel, even though you have no idea yet :)
Here's a bit of what's been happening over in my novel:

I used to think of myself like one of those old wind-ups toys who popped a spring or a teddy bear whose stitching came loose and the nose is rubbed off. I am placed on the shelf in the back of the closet, something no one wants because it isn’t perfect. But once you are loved, you can’t be broken to anyone but yourself. Broken isn’t how you’re made, but a label you put on yourself. Once you are loved the only one who can call you broken is yourself. Other people, when they love you, they don’t see the brokenness that you think you are, or the pain that towers inside you for always. They see the person, the heart. Then, when they see that, the only person who can say you’re broken is yourself.