Craig here today. I’ve said many times that the rules of writing fiction are more guidelines. I was struck recently with how many novels feature a main character who is an author. Therefore:

Today’s topic is, “Write What you Know.”

Okay, I just said they’re more like guidelines, so if you want a main character who’s an author, have at it. You should think of why they are an author, and make it fit the story if you can. Do they need to work from home? Could they be a software engineer instead? Maybe an inventor, a masseuse, a drug dealer?

Sometimes we choose our characters because they need to be a front line type. They’re going to encounter a body somewhere along the line, and if they’re solving the mystery it makes more sense to make them a front line type. Front line type = cop, firefighter, reporter, coroner…