*There’s nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons.* [*Stephen Chbosky*](http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12898.Stephen_Chbosky?utm_medium=email&utm_source=quote_of_the_day) Happy birthday, Stephen Chbosky! The American author spent five years thinking about the main plot ideas that would lead him to write The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The main character, Charlie, is loosely based on himself, and "countless details" in the novel are taken from his own adolescence.