Jeff Kinney, creator of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” talks about opportunities for new authors

A great dream for which he worked for years to make it come true. The American writer Jeff Kinney (Maryland, USA; 1971) is known for creating the beloved teenage character Greg from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” His works have becomebest-seller‘ and has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Since he was little, he had the intention of becoming a cartoonist for newspapers, but that did not work out. Thus, from the privacy of his home, he began to create this story. But it took about 8 years for me to show it to the world. On this occasion, his drawings -in the style of a comic strip- become animated figures in 3D for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick’s Rules”, the new film by Disney+ that arrives on the streaming platform this Friday, December 2.

A few days after the premiere, Jeff Kinney spoke with Trade about this new project that has him extremely excited. For him, the most fun thing about bringing this iconic character to the screen is that Greg seems to have come to life. “When you see Greg’s two-dimensional drawings, you can imagine that he will become a three-dimensional character, so I feel like the universe is very complete. The public really wants it.”he told this newspaper.

He also revealed that, when he began writing “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” he did not seek to create a highly emotional story or one that would impact readers. Jeff was just trying to “write a bunch of jokes and string them together.”

Therefore, seeing everything he has achieved with this character, he could not help but re-read those first manuscripts. “Now, by converting and adapting them for the screen, I can go back to the source material and try to tell a better story, and it’s really cool to be able to do that. It’s a real privilege to be able to look back at material I wrote when I was 28 and try to do a much better job at the age of 51. So I think this story is better and it’s definitely more emotionally impactful.”he assured between laughs.

In this sense, he explained that in the film “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick’s Rules” he tried to provide more details, because, after all, this story is “very elastic.” “This (tape) has been counted as a live action movie, an animated movie. Music is also included, and I think we can really continue to expand on the story itself, as long as the characters stay the same.”he added.

A detail that did not go unnoticed is the revelation that the author made: Greg’s brother, Rodrick, is indeed inspired by a real person. And he’s Jeff Kinney’s own brother, Scott. Thus, some family anecdotes are included in this tape. Scott playing the drums in the basement and the constant fights between the brothers are reflected in some scenes from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick’s Rules”.

“Growing up, we used to fight. Now we are good. That is what this story is really trying to show. You play with your brothers when you’re growing up and battle with them too, but then hopefully you have a good foundation for a good relationship when you’re older.”the creator pointed out.

Jeff Kinney also assured that he does not know exactly how his brother Scott feels about this character inspired by him, which is coming soon to the streaming platform as a 3D figure. Although, he points out that it must be a crossroads.

“I think probably his feelings were a little complicated in a way because these characters are inspired by my family members; but they are not exactly true. I’m not sure how it feels because I’m in control of the narrative, right? And he didn’t, so I’m sure it’s a bit tricky.”he added.

What happens in the literary industry?

Despite being a best-seller since its first publication nearly 15 years ago, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has also found its own competition. Youth literature has had a ‘boom’ in the last couple of years, which has been reflected in the increase in sales of books related to this genre.

The COVID-19 pandemic, added to the phenomenon of the free reading platform Wattpad, has also influenced this dynamic. Librería Crisol stated that sales of youth literature increased by 86% between the first quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2022. Meanwhile, at the Penguin Random House publishing house, this literary genre currently represents 35% of sales.

Faced with this situation, Jeff Kinney believes that children’s literature still holds its audience captive and, furthermore, he enjoys seeing new voices within literature; and he applauds them for the work they have done to publish their manuscripts.

“We’re listening to a lot of different people, and we’re reading books about people who didn’t grow up like us (with privileges). In this way, we develop empathy and make a better world. I love that the umbrella of the people who are posting is expanding. I have a bookstore here (in the United States). It’s my favorite thing in the world; That way I make sure that people are in the showcase. I’m really proud of it and I’m hopeful for the future.”ended.