Hi again, Christopher,
Getting inside the thought processes of my characters wasn’t difficult for me. When I create a character, he or she isn’t just a 2-dimensional person. His/her attitudes and feelings are very much a part of the creation. So I could feel Donovan Curtis’ anxiety as he attended the gifted class, tap-dancing as fast as he could, so to speak, just to keep ahead of the game. His problems were mine. It’s not a unique technique, I would suppose. Everyone must have to be able to parachute him/herself into a character to write a believable dilemma, etc. The MASTERMIND characters were more challenging, because there were 5 of them, and they were almost like newborns at first, before bits and pieces of the real world began to filter through, and they managed to reason their way to reality. Making them different from each other while still managing to feel their feelings within myself was a bit of a challenge.
The P.O.V. technique is one that I use often. Different perspectives on the same story make it a much more rounded tale. I can’t recall why I did it the first time, or even when. I think it was in a book called NO MORE DEAD DOGS. I love using it! It’s a little more limiting than 3rd person, but I always find it well worthwhile.
I’ve been writing professionally since I was 12, in 7th grade, and I’ve always written for kids. I tried what I considered an adult novel when I was about 17 or 18, and I liked it, but nobody else did. I must look at it again. I thought it was great, but it might very well have been abysmal. I’ve been so busy — I’ve got 90 titles on my list so far! — that I really haven’t had time to consider adult work since then. It’s the only thing I’ve ever had rejected.
Over the years, I’m sure my writing style has changed from the time I started out at 12! Certainly, I’ve tried 3rd person, 1st person, and the P.O.V.-several narrators techniques. It’s easier now, and less self-conscious. Although I often feel concerned that something I think is up to standard just might be my “Heaven’s Gate.” You never know. And disappointing my readers is something that often keeps me up at night. When you write a real stinker, do they give you another chance?
Hope that helps even more.
Regards,
—-Gordon Korman—-