I'm finally getting around to working on my youngest member of the main cast and I'm having much more trouble then I realised. So how can I get a realistic reference for someone who is about 10 or so? I don't really have anyone in my life who is around that age and I barley remember what I was like so how can I make sure that she doesn't come off as weird or unrealistic?
Depends on the personality.
My brother is nine and extremely hyper, always screaming and yelling at his friends over fortnite. He's extremely imaginative, he jumps around and acts out scenarios on the trampoline.
I, however, was the complete opposite. I was very shy and anxious, I struggled to sleep over at my friends house and sometimes struggled to express my emotions with them. This was also around the time I started regarding myself as more mature.
It depends on what the child is like and how they express themselves
I myself prefer writing children, so I have an idea. Like the person above said, it depends alot on who they are. They most definitely aren't stupid, which lots of people make them which is really annoying I think and personally I think its one of the best ages because they're honestly pretty cool to talk to. They're just little people, there isn't really that many differences besides what I said. I like having lots of mannerisms for them. (Im around lots of kids and im still sort of one myself) (Im 14) there is lots of big movement, jumping over sidewalk cracks, swinging arms, singing, and when making eye contact smiling, and so on. but then there are children who are closed off, and this comment is already to long so im gonna stop here, but I will try and help if you want if you give me her personality
Ahh thank you both! I suppose my problem is that I don’t know where to start with her personality since I see her as being mature but still being a curious kid right? 10 feels like an awkward age to write since kids I’ve babysat around that age are such a hot or miss from being super chill and cool or being bratty and (being completely honest here) kinda rude. I don’t want her to seem older then she actually is so is there a way to balance out the two parts of being a kid. Hopefully that makes some sense
Ahh thank you both! I suppose my problem is that I don’t know where to start with her personality since I see her as being mature but still being a curious kid right? 10 feels like an awkward age to write since kids I’ve babysat around that age are such a hot or miss from being super chill and cool or being bratty and (being completely honest here) kinda rude. I don’t want her to seem older then she actually is so is there a way to balance out the two parts of being a kid. Hopefully that makes some sense
I think a good idea would be to study ten year olds in media. Thinking something like the boys from the boy in the striped pajamas or Lucy from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardobe
So, I have a couple of younger siblings around that age, and I think one thing to note about kids is that their interest and hobbies make up a HUGE part of who they are.
My one sibling is super crafty, so they're always off crocheting or making something, but they also love learning, so they're also doing that, and they're a bookworm…
In short they're always focused on something the love to do and that's a huge part of who they are.
My other sibling has trouble regulating emotions sometimes, but they love their other siblings so they always get upset when someone is leaving the house or someone is hurt. And they love hanging around and copying the first sibling I mentioned.
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Which leads into the other point I wanna make, is that little kids copy who they look up to. If their older sibling is doing something, they're going to try it out too.
If their best friend does something a certain way, they wanna do it to.
Little kids are copy cats.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ vouch
Oooh that makes a lot more sense, I mean this character is gonna be surrounded by older sibling type figures so maybe take a look at what aspects The Child™ would take from some of the rest of the gang as well as her actual older sister?
About 10 or 11 is the time where kids start thinking they're teenagers or something, so she would really mimic people she thinks of as cool, but most kids I know are bad at pretending to be teenagers. That's a huge transition period, especially if she's in school or around a lot of other kids her age.
Oooh that makes a lot more sense, I mean this character is gonna be surrounded by older sibling type figures so maybe take a look at what aspects The Child™ would take from some of the rest of the gang as well as her actual older sister?
Yeah! Of course the kid is gonna have their own interests, but they're mainly gonna pick them up from people they like and admire.
For example, my one sibling picked up a love of crafting from our grandma, my other sibling picked up a love of piano from my mom, but also a want to be able to do something musical that wasn't voice like our other sibling.
Two of them picked up a youth program from me, and are following my footsteps, and I picked up a love of gaming from my dad, and a knowhow to fix things from my grandpa.
All of us picked up a love of reading from our mom.
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In short, kids are heavily influenced by older siblings and parents and other family in terms of interests and hobbies which then help shape personalities.
Some interests also don't have to be copy cat, it can also be the environment they were put into
(For example, that youth program I mentioned? I fell in love with it after I was reluctantly forced into it)