2.2 Gordon Brown

In the following video Gordon Brown talks about his technique for engaging readers.

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GORDON BROWN

One of the main techniques I use to transport the reader into the world is I write in present tense first person. And the reason I do that is it gives a real immediacy to what’s going on around you and an insight because you’re actually inside the character’s head all of the time. It does have its limitations, though. And therefore, I have to find ways around it.

So, for instance, the reader can’t-- or sorry, the character can’t be in places they’re not in. So I have to rely on other characters to tell them what happened, or I have to come out of first person point of view. Or in other cases, I’ve also got to be careful because I have to take my foot off the gas now and again.

First person can be quite relentless if you’re reading it. So I have to find ways out of that. And one of the ways I like to get out of that, and I use it a lot is I’ll put material into my book like a clipping from a newspaper, or an email, or something written. And I’ll give you a good example. At the moment in my new book, 31 Bones, all the way through the book, I’ve actually used transcripts from Spanish police interviews to introduce the characters.

By doing that, you can give a real level of insight to people that just comes from a slightly different angle. A couple of other things I like to do. The show don’t tell adage is still worth its weight in gold. Just avoid the telling bit and do the showing bit.

And the other thing to do or the other thing I like to do is to shorthand my way into how someone is thinking, or what somebody is seeing, or what somebody is feeling is to use analogies. But just twist them slightly. Just change the ones that are there, just to give them a little bit of surprise when people are reading it.

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Gordon talks about the specific point of view he uses when writing, which in his case tends to be first-person present tense narration. As he points out, this is a very involving technique as it allows the reader to fully inhabit the mind of the character, and it also allows the writer to develop an authentic and strong voice. There are disadvantages, as Gordon points out, in that this stylistic choice means the author needs to work to alleviate the relentless nature of the first-person present tense, while still allowing other angles on characters. One way around this is to intersperse with other material which allows the reader to pause and change the pace, and also allows insight into other points of view.

Having considered transportation into narratives you will next move on to explore how transportation, as well as being an enjoyable experience for readers, can lead to change in affective responses, by learning a little about empathy.