Been quietly rehearsing what I would say if I ever came face to face with any of these 'fictional' characters.
Options include:
1. "Sorry man. I feel real bad. Nothing personal. It was insensitive. I should have anticipated that your boss/wife/mum might have put 2 + 2 = 7"
2. "How
dare you feel offended! It's fiction you mong. I control total intellectual property rights. Deal with it".
3. "Hey, you think I was mean to
you!? I came out of it
far worse and so did those 6 other 'fictional' guys".
4. "Being nice about people is boring. That's why people read Popbitch/Twitter/Tabloids/16 page forum threads".
5. "Was I really that harsh? really?
really? Feel honoured. I spent months trying to get that passage right"
6. [already used] "My girlfriend actually wrote/edited that bit".
7. "It was only a silly book. Lighten the f**k up".