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I'm writing in the first person from a child's point of view. Is this too complex for an eight-year-old?

My feet tingled. It’s one thing to have an agent come and watch the show, but now the one coming is someone actively looking to cast for a new production. That increases the chances of being on broadway.

Or does it matter if the narration from the child's point of view does not have to represent exactly what a child would say when describing what they're going through?

An example I just found is Eloise in the Plaza. It's writing in 1st person also but Eloise is six. Here's an excerpt from the book:

I am a city child. I live at The Plaza. There is a lobby which is enormously large with marble pillars and ladies in it and a revolving door

To me, Eloise sounds more advance than a six-year-old, yet it seems to fit.

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    Is the child gifted? Well educated? Thoughtful? Is that how they would think? – Nai54 Dec 15 '20 at 0:56
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I once read a book called The Secret Keepers. (Which I highly suggest by the way, it’s a seamless mix of mystery, true crime, and fantasy.) The book is in third person limited, and we only know the thoughts of the eight year old protagonist, Ruben. I don’t believe anything is “too complex” for any age.(unless they’re one or under)

In the book, The Secret Keepers, Ruben singlehandedly solves a thousand year old mystery, saves his city, and is very good at parkour.

So no, I do not think those thoughts are too complicated.

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  • Thank you for the advice, and I completely agree. Some of the best books I read, like Artemis Fowl, Cryptid Hunters, Charlie Bone, and Harry Potter, are all writing from a child's perspective. My issue is that the child I'm writing about is normal. She has no magical power; she's not extremely intelligent; there's no fantasy in it. I feel like the way she speaks is an eight-year-old, but I make her think like someone eleven or older cause that's the perspective I'm used to. – Future Writer Dec 15 '20 at 2:14
  • Then up her age. – Hello.There Dec 15 '20 at 2:51
  • Her age is eight turning nine in eight months. I need her to be that age because it goes with the plot. Umm, would it be better to do third-person limited, since it would allow me to describe things as an adult since I'm the narrator? – Future Writer Dec 15 '20 at 3:46
  • There's a difference, though, between an eight-year-old solving ancient mysteries and saving the world, and an eight-year-old talking or thinking like the example in the question. – DM_with_secrets Dec 15 '20 at 9:43
  • @FutureWriter You're also allowed to change the plot - you're the writer, you can do anything you want! – DM_with_secrets Dec 15 '20 at 9:43

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