1. Evren

    Evren New Member

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    Naive Character?

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by Evren, Nov 21, 2016.

    I'm writing a character who has lived in only one town their entire life, but I've been running into a problem. I feel like my character is incredibly naive, and they come off as annoying and childish, even though they are mid-teens. Any ideas on how to make a character come off as inexperienced, but not childish? Any suggestions would help :).
     
  2. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    Do you have any examples of their naivete? A single town would still have plenty of adult human experiences--it's not as if everyone in town would be sweet and kindly all the time. So they might be unfamiliar with different races, clothing, food, demonstrations of wealth, and so on, but I don't see why they'd need to be childlike.
     
  3. hawls

    hawls Active Member

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    Immaturity is annoying.

    Naivety sets your character up for life lessons. Nothing wrong with naivety in your protagonist.

    If your mid-teen character is earnest in their approach to life's challenges, their inexperience will be endearing to older readers and potentially a relief to younger readers. However, there are things in life which are genuinely troubling or inconvenient for teenagers and their tendency to simply complain is understandable. If you choose to include them, make these moments rare so they stand out.
     
  4. Denegroth

    Denegroth Banned

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    1. Imagine a puppy that gleefully bounds up to everyone, and maybe licks their faces.
    2. Then imagine someone slapping the puppy so hard it stings, and sends the poor puppy rolling.
    3. Imagine the puppy coming up to new people after that.

    1. naive
    2. rude awakening
    3. somewhat jaded
     
  5. texshelters

    texshelters Active Member

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    I think a well developed immature character that grows emotionally can be interesting. Peace, TS
     
  6. texshelters

    texshelters Active Member

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    One of my main characters is naive and that leads her to believe everything she is told and she aligns with the oppressors. It can be very interesting. She's also delusional...Peace, TS
     
  7. Catrin Lewis

    Catrin Lewis Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023 Community Volunteer

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    Is she naive in her own environment or does that come out only when she goes to another place and/or mixes with outsiders? If the latter, there's a big chunk of your story. If the former, you run the risk of giving your reader the impression that you think everyone who's raised in a small town is childish and naive.
     
    ChickenFreak likes this.

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