Screenwriting : Writing Children/Teenagers by Sophia Peaslee

First, listen to kids talk. I get a lot of that when I teach workshops. If you don't have kids of your own, it might mean you borrow some time with a friends and family.

I look up videos of kids/teens talking, Sophia Peaslee. I also look up modern slang.

Spend a week on tiktok, twitch, etc. listen, observe, repeat, find your characters voice and pov. it doesnt have to be perfect but does have to feel authentic.

Yes, It's tricky and requests skill, but if ure doing spec don't worry too much. Focus on creating compelling character because all scripts get revised on set, that's why all those advisors are for.

I've noticed all Shyamalan's kids speak like they're 40 or something, but he manages to put them into so much extraordinary situations, no one really sweats 'bout that. He's still a great filmmaker.

I come from a long line of families that only have daughters. So there are plenty of girls; daughters, sisters, nieces, aunts, etc... Nobody has boys. Ever. So, when I needed to write a 5 year old boy, I reached out to my friends who had sons and asked them to share stories about them to help me learn what 5 year old boys are like. It worked, readers of the story love naughty little Dillon. LOL

Research what the younger age groups are into, How they talk (More texting now) ETC.

What you're saying almost deserves its own story, Sallie. "After a nuclear catastophe, only one family line survives, one in which men can only get daughters; now in a race against time a discarded scientist must use new AI gene technology to create the first male." Title: "Daughters of Men"

I write YA novels for Simon & Schuster, and have written children's books for Viking and Harcourt, but am primarily a screenwriter these days. Whether your screenplay or book is about adults, children, or teens, you would write this exactly as you would for an audience of adults. It's just a question of having a good "ear" for the way real people talk-- and any character you write will be a unique individual anyway. Every human being, of any age, has the same set of emotions to work with. I think the only difference between kids or teens and adults may be the subjects they tend to talk about, reflecting their major concerns and daily experiences in life. For example, adults may often think and talk about worries about their health, what their kids are doing, taking care of their aging mom or dad, and their mortgage. Kids and teens do think and talk about what's going on in the larger world (including big issues that affect their futures), have their own stresses in life, and sadly many kids today have to grow up too soon and do worry about many of the same things adults worry about, such as money concerns. But in general, they would tend to think about and talk about the things that reflect their own daily lives (and futures)-- just as is the case for adults-- and a lot of their life is lived online. Depending on the situation and who they are talking to, a kid or teen would also probably be much more likely to tell you what they really think than most adults would, so that's something to consider when writing-- although I guess when people get old enough, they may go back to telling you what they really think again! But instead of worrying too much about "how" a young person would talk, I'd think mainly about who the character is as an individual, what they'd be talking about and to whom, their chosen methods of communication (always a challenge to show this in movies in a way that's not boring) and what their concerns would be based on their daily lives and what matters to them (for some, that would include the future, and for others not). I would interview kids and ask them to tell you the things they worry about. Social life, friends, and acceptance, and where they fit into that universe-- or don't-- is also a huge factor in the lives of most kids and teens. Lots of kids get bullied for a whole range of reasons. Rumors and ostracizing, and comparing oneself to others, can now spread in nanoseconds online, which can get toxic very quickly. Although the world has changed a lot I remember what I thought about as a kid or teen (which was different at different ages), and you will be able to remember those things too. But every kid is different. Most kids and teens also don't have complete freedom to make their own choices and decisions in life, and while adults don't either (they have bosses, taxes, and family responsibilities), the fact that-- at least till age 18-- most kids have older people telling them what to do and lack complete autonomy, is a factor in what they feel and say. Most chafe at this at one point or another, as anyone would in that situation. The dream that in the future, as adults, they'll have complete freedom to do whatever they want may be a bit of an illusion, but for many it's very appealing. Being a kid or young teen, especially if still living at home, is like having a "boss" you live with, in a job you're not able to quit.

Thanks everyone! Staton Rabin that is really incredible advice

You're welcome, Sophia Peaslee.

Rutger Oosterhoff LOL! I like that! So many possible twists in that story line, too!

I get self-conscious writing young characters also so I try to remember that the sixteen year old character in JUNO did not really sound like a real teenager nor did the high schoolers in SUPERBAD. Adding your own style and rhythm helps.

Coming of age usually involves a search for an identity that confirms with their peers, but the ordeals the characters go through reveal their true identity for them. Sometimes younger characters that are unburdened by life's baggage and years of social conditioning by society can end up talking the most sense in these situations.