| Author |
Message |
    
Gloria Marlow
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
735
Registered: 04-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 06:31 pm: |   |
I have been meaning to post this, but just remembered it. In writing, I find it particularly annoying for a character who is a child to be acting markably below or above his age, for no reason. This will throw me as quick as anything and I'm lost.
Make sure the children in your books are acting appropriately for their age. Once a child is six or seven years old, he is not likely to sit quietly on his mother's lap and play with her pearls while she sits at the table and talks to the neighbor. Likewise, a six or seven year old is not going to be wearing makeup and going on a date. Four year olds are past crawling and "toddling" and are more likely running or, at least, walking steadily wherever they're going, nor are they just learning to say "mama" and "dada". Two year olds aren't just learning to pull up on the side of the bed or the coffee table, they are more likely climbing out of the bed and jumping off the coffee table. Of course, to every rule there are exceptions and if you intend your child character to be an exception, for whatever reason, say so in the book.
That said, if you aren't sure how a child should act at a particular age, ask someone who has children that age, or someone who works with children. Working with children for years, definitely showed me that childhood is undergoing constant revision. Children now and children 20 years ago are different in some ways, the same in some ways. Find out how children were/are for the time period you're writing in and make the little monsters behave appropriately.
I never realized until lately how particular I am when I read. No wonder when I find an author I like, I read all their books. I think there are about four writers whose books I have read in entirety and a few I am working on.
Enough from me. |
Todd Hunter
Unity Member
Post Number:
1295
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 07:29 pm: | |
I have a 17 or 18 yr. old who acts upon his belief that he's an angel of death sent by God...would that be appropriate for his age?
:-) |
Gloria Marlow
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
736
Registered: 04-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 08:12 pm: | |
I think that would be considered the exception to the rule....at least, I hope so. Besides which, I consider 17 or 18 year olds to be mostly grown (don't tell my kids that)
 |
Dragon Protector
Awareness Member
Post Number:
27
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 08:29 pm: | |
Maybe phyically grown, BUT mentally they still want to be around their folks. Okay Todd, most those ages want to be around their folks.
Just remember they do choose the home you will live in.
LOL
Sincerly the nearly grayin hair mother of a 17 year old and 18 year old. |
Gloria Marlow
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
739
Registered: 04-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 08:41 pm: | |
Okasy, not mentally grown...but the lines begin to blur somewhere around the older teens/early adulthood so that behavior isn't that different, only the legality of the behavior. |
Todd Hunter
Unity Member
Post Number:
1299
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 05:20 am: | |
Considering they want to be around their folks, that blends quite well into the storyline...
bwaaaaaahahahaaaaa :-P
Yes, one should keep ages and behaviors appropriate, regardless of whether they're children, or adults...granted, exceptions will and do occur...but unless you have a reason (as I seem to), the reader will most likely be going "huh?" |
Kevin Yarbrough
Awareness Member
Post Number:
12
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 07:47 am: | |
Todd, I thought most teenagers considered themselves God? They know everything, or so they think.
I have yet to put a young child into my stories, well, not as a main character. I put teenagers in some, but I do have them act more grown up than what they should be. Why you might say? The kids go through a life that forces them to grow up faster than they should, which does happen in life.
But yeah, people should act their age unless there is a need not too.
I have some samples of my work posted at my site if anyone is interested in horror stories.
www.kevin-yarbrough.com
Kevin |
Olen Armstrong
Wandering Member
Post Number:
161
Registered: 06-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 10:15 am: | |
Todd I always remember the line fom Mark Twain:
When I was 14, my old man was such a dolt that I was embarassed to have him around. By the time I was 21, I was amazed at how much smarter he'd gotten in those 7 short years.
All of my teens were gods unto themselves. They were princes and princesses of the universe, and the keepers of all its wisedom. Confirmation of this was shown by their reactions whenever they were instructed to clean up dog turds from our back yard.
You are a braver man than I. I would NEVER try to write one into a story.
The memories are too fresh and painful.
Later,
Olen A
|
Gloria Marlow
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
741
Registered: 04-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 10:42 am: | |
When my oldest turned twelve, my dad told me, "Be prepared, you are about to become the dumbest person that ever lived."
|
Olen Armstrong
Wandering Member
Post Number:
164
Registered: 06-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 10:57 am: | |
Gloria,
Your dad was a wise man.
Or maybe YOU should take credit. After all, were you not the source of his wisedom when YOU became a teen and the dark cloud appeared over YOUR head.
I got a constant reminder of: "You're RUINING my life." When in fact, my daughter did that well enough on her own by ignoring my oh-so-wise teachings.
If I'd known what raising kids would be like...we'd have raised dogs instead.
Only someone who's raised a kid can truly understand the link between pain and joy. And happiness has nothing to do with either one. (I have a whole essay on the differences.)
I hope you survived, or will survive, depending on her age.
Later,
Olen A. |
mark dirschel
Hunger Member
Post Number:
80
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 07:29 pm: | |
one author who has always been and remains to be guilty as sin regarding age-inappropriate writing is dean koontz. when he writes about pre-pubescent children who figure out intricate plotlines, leaving the adults far bahind and in the dark, it makes me want to pull out the few remaining hair follicles i have.
- mark
- www.geocities.com/edible_eye |
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
741
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 07:53 pm: | |
I have one teenager in one of my books. He's a high school senior, outstanding athlete, and honor role student.
Actually, I made him that way for two reasons. The first is to reflect on the kind of household and parenting he grew up with and the second reason is that the emotional effect of the last scene in the book depends heavily on the father bragging about his son. |
Perry Comer
Unity Member
Post Number:
1239
Registered: 04-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 08:03 pm: | |
Since I have written several young adult novels I'll add this -- Be the child.
As with any other character in a book, the writer has to be that character. Be it an old woman or a mindless idiot twenty-something, you have to put yourself in that person and by so doing act and talk as they would act and talk. If you can't do that, publishers won't be sending you the million buck advance.
http://www.pacwriter.netfirms.com/ |
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