From what I've observed, people in general are a stupid, confused lot. That applies to all sexes of all ages. That being said, I'd focus on sprinkling a few little, superficial details here and there because boys and girls, men and women do have some unwritten (and generally unspoken) rules that the other sex often doesn't understand very well or even know about if they aren't of the type to mingle with the opposite sex a lot. Being a guy, I can give a couple of examples from the male side just so you know what I'm talking about: -if you're taking a leak at a urinal and there's another guy beside you (hopefully also just taking a leak, anything else would be pretty awkward), remember that more than three shakes and you're wanking -there's a difference between "shut the fuck up" and "shut up, motherfucker." Guess which one could make the other "lose face" if the context is right? -contrary to what anime would have us believe, guys don't really touch each other much (except when you're drunk, you're goofing around, in a physical confrontation, you're actually into guys etc.) -when in a public shower, you pretend you're alone even if there are 20 more gross, naked dudes around you (or if you talk to a friend, you address the wall/shower) And so on and so forth. Girls have their own sets of such "rules." Some follow them diligently, others when they feel like it, and some are completely oblivious to what goes on around them (the last group has the highest risk of getting bullied, shunned etc). But this is just superficial stuff, kinda like what kind of clothes or haircut a character has, what music s/he listens to etc, not a basis for building a 3D character. Oh, and for the record, males, in general, are my least favorite demographic group. And they smell, especially in packs.
And THAT, my dear friend, pretty much sums it all up. Whatever demographic you are going for, if you try too hard to cubbyhole them into a particular, cookie cutter, collective grouping, you are likely to fail. Yes, teens of all ages do tend to develop a "follow the pack" mentality whether they are aware of it or not. It is a protective mechanism born in humans since the days of cavemen when being part of a pack meant you were more likely to survive and being apart from the pack meant you were more likely to be dinner for some quadruped with sharp teeth and a craving for homo sapiens for dinner. Consider lions on the African savannah hunting hyenas or whatever might be on the menu for the evening. They don't head for the middle of the pack. They cull out the ones from the perimeter. The easy targets. It's the same with human beings as a general rule, even today - adults as well as teens. We don't usually notice it but all you have to do is look at politics and how so many people vote party instead of person. It's that same pack mentality. And it is at its height in those confusing between age high school years when kids, outgrowing their tweens and pre-teens and growing into adulthood, are just starting to acknowledge and recognize their own identity and power as human beings. That being said, yes teens do tend to have some distinctly collective qualities and characteristics. But, because they are unique individuals, I would warn against belabouring that "Borg collective" quality. Oftentimes, a teen, or anyone for that matter, may concur with the group attitude in the open but, internally, they question the group opinion and are merely too timid to speak out. Geez! People are confusing animals, aren't we? (T.Trian, did you already say that?)
OMG... I'm glad to hear that it wasn't just me. We formed a pack in high school, though it was much more hush-hush except between our alphas. Heheheheheh. Aw, I feel embarrassed even admitting that. Though, we did want a 'pack' house when we got older. One huge enough that everyone could stay in it, but still have enough room to do their own things. That definitely still tugs at my heartstrings, especially since most of us are no longer friends. Don't get me wrong when I say this... but I totally thought I knew myself when I was a teenager too. Looking back, I realized that a lot of things I did and allowed doesn't make any sense. Which is why I think teenagers seem so crazy and emotional. The 'rational' and 'logical' part of their brains either haven't fully developed or are just starting to try and work. Which is also why adults normally don't understand kids. I'm not saying that you don't know yourself, but a majority of ADULTS don't know themselves either.
lol, true. still, having your parents tell your younger siblings to try and calm down when you are being the model child can be pretty amusing. (well, the model child when they're looking anyway...)
Well, I'm 16. I do agree with most of the aforementioned I guess people my age just like to get new experiences, and the faster, the better- We girls (or at least I) tend to be very fickle, and just one single little thing can get on your nerves so easily, and switch your mood so fast, that even you are surprised (or thinking "heck, I'm such a crybaby") But there is other teenagers that just don't care about what you say at all, or at least pretend not to care (but think afterwards about it). Some really enjoy studying, some do not but does it anyways, some don't and then just complain about having bad grades, some don't care at all. Some study because they have concentration issues making it more difficult to learn, some learn easily therefore don't have to study to get a good grade (or whynot a really good grade), some learn fast but get a mediocre score because they lack of personnal knowledge...etc,etc. Some grow fast (heck they do) Some think that they've already grown up (and are so wrong) Some are immature and childish. Some avoid responsability like the plague. Some are overwhelmed by responsability. Some think about the future. Some do not. Some think they're special and they will be great. But most are not. I think the biggest issue in this period is answering the question "who are you?"
I've been reading Miss Pym Disposes, by Josephine Tey. It's a mystery set in a British physical training college for women. While the characters are probably three or four years older than you have in mind, they're still in a dependent rule-following stage of their lives, on the verge of graduating and achieving independence. And there are a lot of them, with different personalities and relationships and goals and backgrounds. I think that it might serve as a very good introduction to very young women as a character type. And the fact that Josephine Tey is a very respected author can't hurt. The only down side is that it was published in 1946, so you won't get any specific details about current trends and pursuits of young women. But I don' t know if that's such a bad thing--a more general view, not tied to the very moment of the present, can be more useful.
I'm not sure about anyone else, but I honestly find you can create a teenage girl character with just about any personality and set of distinctive characteristics; you don't have to stick with how generalized teens are portrayed in modern society. To be honest, we're all crazy teenagers in our own way and about our own things, I suppose the distinguishing features between 'adults' and 'teens' is dependent on their own personal experiences and how they deal with them. Things like high school, social dilemmas and emotional conflicts are definitely going to be interesting to explore specifically for a teenager, simply because adolescence is an age where things like that are most prominent and important in life. Like some people said, it does feel like the world is ending - I personally found it was just me getting to grips with my own reality, as well as confronting my own identity as a person and coming to terms with who I am and what I am doing - in that sense, yes, the world was definitely falling apart. I'd take influence from varied sources - to find a character that fits your story well and doesn't flounce about with no particular purpose. Twilight is, in my opinion, a terrible example of a good teenager, but that might stem from my plotting and insidious dislike for the fact they ruined my grizzly image of Vampires. Haha If I was going to research for teenagers (or really, you can probably just look up interesting characters), I'd probably choose books like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Northern Lights, Pride and Prejudice, or books that focus on the character (just to give you ideas about it?). Good luck writing your book!
