Notes on Character strength

Hi Folks,
I received an email from a fellow author the other day and he lamented the fact that he could not achieve the strength of my character creation and voice distinction.
I sent him the following advice:
on the matter of character voices, the only advice I can give you is to speak as your characters would, not as you would in the same circumstances. To do this, you have to think as the character; to make yourself the character. That's why I write at night, without disturbance, as the task takes considerable concentration. My greatest challenge, in this respect, was to write in the voice of Marie-Jeanne,("The Journey of Marie-Jeanne"). It was very difficult for me to maintain the voice of an uneducated woman. But a number of women have asked me to give their regards to Marie-Jeanne; proving the fact that I created a believable character.
With respect to this point, there is a brilliant example in "Who Has Seen the Wind?", by Canadian author, Bill Mitchell.
A young boy, Brian, is met by an adult on the street and asked how his younger brother,(who has pneumonia), is doing.
Brian responds: "He's had his Christmus."
Quite clearly, Brian has heard a word he doesn't know and has transposed it for a word he does know. He also, instinctively, connects the two words with a happy state. (The word he has heard is "crisis"; the point at which a fever breaks.)
The adult questioner, a school teacher, nods and continues on his way. Again, in the study of character, the adult's attitude shows the understanding of small children that teachers can have.
Bill Mitchell and I had some great times together. I berated him once for his lack of planning for the town in "Who has Seen the Wind?"; some of the streets do not connect properly. I had taught the novel for years, using a project for my students to map out the town. It was an impossible task and I only learned how impossible when I met and spoke with Bill.
Bill was a great guy and he will be missed by those who appreciate his remarkable talent.
Good luck with your writing,
Roger W. Harrington.