Writers often write teenagers as being developed adults, but in reality, teenagers are still maturing. Writing about teenagers can be tricky since they aren't full-grown adults and they are not clueless children. Teenagers still have a lot to learn about the world. Teenagers are fun and intelligent, which can provide writers with many plot opportunities. If you are writing a story regarding teenagers or with teen characters, it is essential that you create characters adolescents will love. Follow along for the 5 best tips for writing characters aged thirteen to eighteen.
Embrace Inner Conflict
Everyone experiences inner conflict, but inner conflict and insecurity are especially prevalent in teenagers. The hormonal changes that occur during puberty lead most teens to feel high levels of loneliness and insecurity. Internal conflict is important because it can help develop your characters. If you are writing about teenage characters, make sure you include their inner conflict. Embracing the teen's inner conflict will make your characters realistic and relatable for readers. Teens want to feel accurately represented in the books they read and showcasing inner conflict, is a great way to add realism. Plus, inner conflict can provide a bundle of interesting plot points. There is no one insecurity that every teen faces, but here are common things that teens feel insecure about: friendships, romantic relationships, physical appearance, schoolwork, and social media. As you write about teen characters make sure you include internal conflict.
Include Milestones
As a teenager time often feels very slow, which is why many teens look forward to particular milestones. If you are writing from the perspective of a teen character, make sure they think about and ponder certain milestones. There are a lot of milestones celebrated as a teen, some being: birthdays, first jobs, graduations, and driving tests. For your fictional teen characters to feel authentic ensure that they have a similar mentality, meaning they are often anticipating the future. Your teen character should have some milestone or goal that they are looking forward to. This goal could be as simple as obtaining an object, but it could be more complex. Some examples of milestones/goals are a graduation, a new responsibility, advanced learning, and moving to a new location. For your teen character to appear realistic, you should consider including milestones in your novel.
Let Them Make Mistakes
While writing your novel, ensure that your characters make mistakes. Teenagers aren't perfect, and your teen characters shouldn't be either. A teenager's brain isn't completely developed, so most teens are adventurous and take more risks than adults. These risks often lead to accidents and mistakes. Teens still have a lot to learn in life, and many teens won’t consider all the outcomes of an idea. For example, skipping school, drinking, or sneaking out. As you write your teenage character, don't be afraid to let them fail or make mistakes. It can be difficult to let your character experience something negative, but mistakes are a part of life. Including scenes where your teen has made a mistake, not only humanizes them but will further the plot.
Don't Make Them "Stupid"
Relating to the previous point, your teen characters shouldn't be brainless. Just because your character makes mistakes doesn't mean that they aren't smart! Teens are much more intelligent than they are given credit for. As you outline your teenage characters, consider giving them hobbies and skills that they are intelligent in. Giving your teen character a passionate hobby that they are visibly good at will add layers to your story and make them three-dimensional. Even if your characters make a few mistakes, showing their other strengths will highlight their abilities and show their intelligence.
Ensure They Grow
Part of being a teen is maturing and growing up. As a teen, you are in a state of transition from being a child to being an adult, and this results in a lot of growth. Of course, there is physical growth at this time, but there is also a lot of emotional growth. Like humans, your teen characters should evolve and grow as the story progresses. If your characters don't grow, readers may become bored.
Teens are messy, fun, and intelligent people and create excellent characters. If you are writing a young adult novel or about teenage characters, these tips are sure to help. Even though writing teenage characters is complicated, it isn't impossible.
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