 Drama: April 24, 2024 Issue [#12514] |
This week: From A Child's Point of View Edited by: Joy  
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"The stories of childhood leave an indelible impression, and their author always has a niche in the temple of memory from which the image is never cast out..."
Howard Pyle
“You may lead a child into darkness, but you must never turn out the light.”
Monica Hughes
“Keep in touch with your own inner child. What frightened them, made them happy, made them sad or angry?”
C.J. Heck
“The next thing I knew, I was falling. I dreamed I was being thrown into an open grave, but jerked awake and landed on a bed.”
Eric Jerome Dickey, Finding Gideon
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Hello, I am Joy , this week's drama editor. This issue is about writing stories, fully or partly, from the actual point of view of a child.
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Welcome to the Drama newsletter
You know you have a great story idea, even a plot, and in there somewhere, stands out an important child character and you want that child's voice to be heard, as well as the adults' voices in your story. One way could be to give that child their own space like a chapter or two in a novel. Another could be telling the story totally from the POV of the child. Still another way could be to sneakily introduce into the plot the child's sight, understanding, and feelings.
Whichever way you choose, please know that writing in the voice of a child is not difficult, even if some writers do botch it up. We all experience childhood, but do we truly recall it all? So, before pushing your own childhood into your story-child's character, consider knowing that specific child character and their perspective very well. Afterwards, you can step in if you wish.
As in the creation of any character, understanding the workings of a specific child's perspective helps us writers to represent it. An example for this is Harper Lee’s "Scout" from To Kill a Mockingbird. The author here presented a little girl as she was, but not as a child an adult wishes she were. Scout was herself throughout the entire story. She had her own interpretation of what we now call "social consciousness."
Generally speaking, children may see the world through stories, yet with limited experience. Some events and emotions they amplify and exaggerate, but others, which may be even more important to adult eyes, they don't care about much. For example, a five-year-old may be terrified as the result of a fire drill in school whereas the same child may not quickly grasp the danger if he were caught in a hold-up situation when shopping with parents.
Also, while a few children are time-conscious, most others have a limited understanding of time. After all, they have been here on earth for only a short duration so far.
Still, any child, unaware and ignorant of a specific experience, is free to fill in their interpretation of it creatively in imagination. Usually, Most children are brutally honest, while others can lie a lot and can easily believe their own lies. This mostly stems from their role in their surroundings and becomes their voice in our stories.
Another point to consider, especially if the story spans several years, is that the same child could be slowly acquiring a changing voice. Is the writer giving the 12 year-old the same voice that character had when she was six? Is the six-year old character more secure than her 12 year-old-self? Is the changing voice abrupt or is it happening gradually? Most of the time, we writers are so busy thinking of and developing our adult characters in plots that we may, unintentionally, neglect the changes in children through the course of a story.
Then, there is the fact that not all children grow and mature equally at the same rate, and neither do they go through the same life experiences. Street children who are forced to fend for themselves may have learned the slang and the mannerisms of adults in their environment, for example. Here, do remember Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. On the other hand, a gentle child who grows up in a protected environment can act also like the adults in his environment but still, deep down, both kinds of children may develop distorted internal logic, which may add a tiny bit of a delight to the telling of a story, as children can be perfectly, painfully, and also delightfully honest.
"How much does a child understand" is another concern. Children may not be able to make sense of grown-ups' behavior or their surroundings since most major parts of adult concerns and actions may be hidden from them. Yet, on the average, children can see through and even understand much more than given credit to them despite all the adults' care and precaution. Consequently, writing child characters as totally "innocent" can turn them into puppets, and not characters.
So, to wrap it up, I'd say, to express a child's POV, you need to get under that child's skin, and if you want that child's voice to be heard, be it in a chapter or a whole book, don't let the readers know you are the adult telling the story. Let that child talk.
Until next time! 
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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 This Issue's Tip: A child's true voice can add humor, sadness, reality, insight and authenticity to your work. Consider writing from a child's POV, which is actually a very freeing exercise, as a child’s perspective is a portrayal often unheard.
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Feedback for "Creating Drama through Imaginary Beings"
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brom21 
Fantasy drama is my cup of tea! The emotional, hot back and forth dialog between different mythical/supernatural beings fascinates me. When two worlds clash, the verbal exchange and interaction allows me to get in their heads. Great NL!
Thank you and I agree. Although I'm not necessarily a fantasy writer, I love to hide behind monsters, angels, and whoever else is magical.
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Beholden 
Thank you for including my short story, Doomsday, in your Editor's Picks section.
As for creating fantasy with characters that have human desires and motivations, that is exactly why I write. I don't normally use mythical or invented creatures for this (such things are really only humans in silly costumes, after all), but WDC has persuaded me to give it a go. So I've written a fair bit about trolls and even included the odd story about dragons. But they're still only people in monster outfits.
You're welcome. And yes, fantasy characters are still people whatever the outfit.
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