#developing childrens characters

[aida-caroti]

This is for the anon with the idea of a little boy getting involved in weapons trafficking. A child is perfectly capable of learning how to fire weapons, I know of seven year olds who learned how to shoot in a controlled environment, so a six year old would as well. The only question I have, is how was the boy brought up? Was he taught that life is sacred and to have respect? Or was he brought up in a house with disregard for life? Because that will affect how he responds to this new environment

Good point! 

[aida-caroti]

Hey. I know this seems a little stupid, but I'm really bad with ages, so what would a six years old boy mentally look like? Long story REALLY short, my char became an orphan and got into weapon trafficking, and I need to know if he could already learn how to manage a gun... (Sorry if there are grammar mistakes; English is not my mother language!)

I'm a bit confused to whether you mean what they would look like (height) or how mentally able they would be.

I have said this before and I will say it again DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE CHILDREN. They could learn how to use a gun if taught- in fact they'd find it easier to learn than we would. The childs understanding of what a gun does and the fact it kills may be slightly different to our perception because of how children think. It also depends how big the gun is and how heavy it is- you'd have to look this up. 

-S

[aida-caroti]

Thank for all your help, guys! I have a question and I hope it is not out of place from your usual ones. How does one write a character that is a mature child? I am just about to introduce him, but in my head I can't help but describe him as stoic, and I do not believe a mature child would be stoic.

We get this sort of question a lot. I would say you need to spend some time with children and observe their interactions. It's the only way you can get an accurate portrayal of a child.

Also don't underestimate children- writers do this a lot and it's a huge mistake. Children can be as clever if not more so than adults at times and they don't always think the same way. 

You need to spend time developing this character and making him well rounded just as you would any other character. 

Hope this has helped.

This is where I've answered similar questions before

-S