Warning: a little spoilery
When I started writing Between the Lines, I wrote the entire thing from Emma's POV only. This caused two things to occur that I didn't like but wasn't sure how to fix: One, Reid's motivations were unclear throughout the book. I knew what they were, but I couldn't convey this -- through Emma's eyes -- to the reader, because she just didn't see it. Two, the reality of him, then, was a huge shock and seemed forced or tacked on, because he was very good at hiding his true self.
At some point, I knew that what Emma was thinking about Reid needed to be balanced with actual Reid. I had to let the reader into his head. Once I let him loose to think out loud, boy did he.
Life imitates art: When I saw actor Alex Pettyfer in commercials for I Am Number Four and Beastly a couple of months ago, I was shocked at how much he looked like the Reid I'd pictured in my mind's eye while writing him. I saw Alex on Ellen and thought Aw, he seems kind of sweet. And then I read an interview with him that included a conversation about some of his tattoos -- one of which is located just above his crotch and says, "Thank you." When asked why he chose that particular phrase, he allegedly gave a smirk and said: "Well, I forget to say it sometimes." Oh, dude. Really?
I had to laugh, because I didn't expect him to actually be Reid. Of course, I like to think Reid would be smart enough not to give that explanation to a reporter. At the same time, I felt vindicated. Are young, hot Hollywood stars actually as arrogant and sexually corrupt as I showed Reid to be? Um, yeah, some of them are. Unapologetically so.
The second part of the why-Reid's-POV question: Why didn't I write Graham's POV instead?
I'm assuming you've read the book if you have this question. Ask yourself this: What did you believe about Graham as you read? What did you think he might be feeling? What did you worry he was doing or hiding? Or doing and hiding??
If I'd let the reader see into Graham's head, all of the behind-the-scenes goings-on with him would have been revealed early on. Yes, he's almost as secretive as Reid. But I wanted to keep his secrets, and let the reader learn them along with Emma. So no, I never once seriously considered writing Graham's POV.
Next: Why all the cursing and drinking and sexual escapades?
I sat near a group of boys in the university food court one day a couple of years ago, and I thought my hair would catch on fire from some of the things they said and talked about. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice their voices occasionally carried. The talk about drinking and partying was typical, and the language was atrocious (nothing I've written came near it), but these things were nothing compared to their spoken thoughts on the opposite gender. I would have loved to have filmed that conversation so I could show it to every girl who ever attends Freshman Orientation.
