At the beginning of a writing course I recently attended, everyone was invited to take one item out of their handbag (we were all women) that demonstrated something interesting about their character.

After rummaging for a minute through my messy handbag, crammed with receipts, many pens (most ‘borrowed,’ not working) and random scrapes of paper (scribbled ideas, none particularly legible,) I took out my ipad.

Ha. I thought. My e-library – just the thing to talk about in a writing group.

Bad idea.

Here are some of the titles on there:

Violence by Rory Miller

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

Surviving their depression by Anne Sheffield

Barbra Vine Murder Mysteries

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Junk by Melvin Burgess

A-level Guide to Psychology

The Empty Room -Surviving the loss of a Brother or Sister by Elizabeth De Vita- Raeburn

Yep – I’m in danger of appearing like the characters I am writing.  I feel it very necessary at this point to emphasis I am writing a murder mystery for young adults, in which the protagonist has lost her sister and has a depressive mother.

Thankfully most writers will understand that this is all in the course of research.

But sshhh! We wouldn’t chose the genres we do, if we weren’t just a little bit fascinated by the subject matter, would we?

What does your private e-library say about you?