Writing in another’s voice: Frederick Kohner, Gidget and the father-daughter dynamic

As creative writers we produce dialogue between others, first-person narratives representing and in various ways the voices of characters not ourselves. Problems can arise when feign other-culture, other-gender, other-era or other-aged voices. In this context, case Frederick Kohner his character Gidget, based on daughter Kathy, provides insights. This article suggests that older-generation spin, male slant, European culture perspective which massaged into teenage voice Gidget books (1957–1968) was precisely why they were successful both commercially as literature 1950s 60s. nuanced Kathy’s so it spoke to her peers well a larger world. Occasionally argument I reference my own involvement writing novels from teenager.