Chbosky incorporated both fictional ideas and personal experiences to the novel, making it semi-autobiographical.[3] After five years with these elements in mind,[3] he had the idea of writing the novel during a difficult period in his life.[4] He was experiencing an unpleasant breakup of his own,[4] which led him to ask "why good people let themselves get treated so badly?"[5] The author tried to answer the question with the maxim ‘We accept the love we think we deserve.’ This quote references the struggle of finding self love, encompassing one's life and hope for the future – not just romantic love.[6]
The story began when Chbosky was in school, evolving from another book on which he was working.[3] In that book he wrote the sentence, "I guess that's just one of the perks of being a wallflower," which led him to realize "that somewhere in that ... was the kid I was really trying to find."[3] Chbosky began writing the novel in the summer of 1996 while he was in college,[7] and within ten weeks he completed the story.[3] He rewrote it into two more drafts, concluding the published version in the summer of 1998.[7]
Charlie was loosely based on Chbosky himself. In the novel, Chbosky included much of his own memories from the time he lived in Pittsburgh.[8] The other characters were manifestations of people Chbosky had known throughout his life;[9] Chbosky focused on people's struggles and what they are passionate about, attempting to pin down the very nature of each of the characters.[10] The characters of Sam and Patrick were an "amalgamate and celebration" of several people Chbosky has met; Sam was based on girls who confided in him, and Patrick was "all the kids I knew who were gay and finding their way to their own identity."[8]
