My recent work on my current novel The View From My Window has tested me. In my last novel One of a Kind I had a lot of emotional intensity which, as a female of the species, I could handle. Sorry to draw on stereotypes!! At present, I am writing from the perspective of a male and a fairly unusual one too, so it's been a challenge, to say the least.
I'm strangely enjoying this creative and re-creative process and rather worryingly I love getting in role with the character, reading sections aloud to myself and generally playing the part of someone different from myself.
When I went on the SCBWI retreat Debi Gliori suggested that each character that a writer creates is part of the writer his/ her self- that a sometimes deep and undiscovered facet of the writer comes through in his/ her characters. I find this interesting and I wondered whether this is always the case or whether we can adopt characters. The reason I ask this is because:
a- I am not male
b- I am not fairly unusual
(I don't think?!)
So... what are your thoughts on this one? What's your experience? Are your characters similar to or part of you?
Whilst I'm here, can I direct you to Candy Gourlay's interesting post on the internet and young adult fiction. She's also started up a blog about her YA novel Volcano Child. It sounds great.
My YA novel One of a Kind is still with the agent, so I wait to hear its reception, but for anyone who likes books by the likes of Beverley Naidoo or Elizabeth Laird or even Andrea Levy, if I dare to compare myself, you may like my issue and to some extent politically based teen novel.
Before, I go... have you entered the lonely moon contest? I'm working on an entry today and will submit once it's done! Very good luck to everyone :-)
