Hey guys, In one of my stories there's a teenage character that turns into an adult at some point, and I'm not sure about how it should be developed. He's a 14 years old boy at the beginning, and becomes a man after wearing a suit from his father. At first he's still a boy in a man's body but after a while his mind completely changes to the mind of an adult, which means drastic changes in his appearance, personality, style, goals and relationships with other characters. After turning into an adult he gets taller, serious, more mature, is constantly wearing sharp clothes like suits instead of sneakers and sweatshirts like he used to do before, loses his interests in boyish thigs, and is trying to fit in his new life. Even though these changes make sense (people change as they get older), I still feel like I'm doing a decharacterization of the character. I don't how should I make him age-up without he looking/acting like a totally different person.
He's 14 when he changes, but what is his 'changed' age? In other words, does he just age a few years ...like from 14 to 20, or is he suddenly 35? I assume he's still in his childhood home when this happens. So he won't suddenly have a wife and kids, or something like that, will he? There will be a large period of adjustment. Not only for him but for the people who 'knew' him before he changed. And is there any possibility or danger he might suddenly change back? All of these factors will enter into what you give him to work with as a character. Just take circumstances into account (his home life, his friendships, maybe even a girlfriend), think about what sort of person he was at 14, and think about what kind of person he would be likely to turn into. Keeping in mind that he's not learned anything during the growing-up period, so he will not have had normal ageing experiences. Mentally, he'll still be 14, at least at the start. It's an interesting idea. Think of yourself. When you were 14, how would YOU have felt if you suddenly turned into a fully grown man? You would be surprised, at the very least. You might have been horrified at losing your teenagerhood. Or pleased that you lost your teenagerhood, and are now an adult. Are you happy with what you 'are' or do you want to go back? Do you feel you've missed important stuff? Are you worried that you could suddenly wake up and be even older? How do you catch up learning life's lessons? Can you even go to college, if you only have a freshman in high school's education? Lots to think about. But there is no blueprint. Just use your imagination, and don't make it too easy for your character, if you want an exciting or moving story.
Wearing a suit instead of sneakers makes him a grownup. My wife was right I'll never grow up. I think you could do better to show him suddenly changing. And I get it that the suit starts all the change, but having him mature could be with wisdom i.e. taking on a science project or solving a conflict, etc. The other grownup thing is he could be attracted to a woman of his new peers.
Thank you for these advices, they're helping me a lot. His age as an adult is about 25-29 years old. When the transformation happened he was exploring his father's old house (he's an orphan who lives in a foster home since his father disappeared), and after that he decides to not return to his normal life (everyone assumes he disappeared too) because he's too afraid of how people would react. At first he is confused, but after a while he's pleased and relieved about not being a teenager anymore. Even though he'll get more responsibilities now, he's more comfortable and confident than he was while being a teen, and is not interested in finding a way to be a boy again. His mind is still the same but it works like an adult's mind now, making he seems serious and mature. It will have some consequences, as he still have childlike ideas and thoughts but deals with them as if they were mature and consistent. He wants to explore and enjoy manhood the most he can, and one of his desires as a man is to get married, but he decides to not get involved romantically or sexually with anyone for the next five years because he's uncertain about wether it's right or not. He starts living in his father's house because he needs a place to sleep and clothes that fit his new body, and wants to know more about his disappearance.
I like it so far. There is even the suggestion that he might be 'taking his father's place' in some way?
