Building a strong main character in your story is the most important writing work you will do. This work includes lots of different tools to help you build. One of these tools is to gain an understanding of the developmental stages of middle grade kids. When you have that knowledge, you can craft your main character to fit in the same zone.
I receive manuscripts all the time that the author says are middle grade, but I know right away that they’re not actually middle grade. The two elements that stand out the most are the MC’s voice, and the way they respond to situations. Middle grade voice and situational responses are distinct to this age category based on the developmental levels of kids in real life. The character has to be relatable as a real person, even if they are a robot.
The developmental stages of middle grade age kids in the areas of emotional, social, and intellectual growth are loosely set, and highly variable based on experience, environment, and many other factors. But we have to make sure our characters fall in the general guidelines well. We want our readers to recognize the protagonist as someone who could be their classmate in real life.
Keeping your middle grade protagonist solidly in the world of middle grade is vital to connecting with your reader.
What to know? What to do?
The developmental stages for emotional growth, social growth, and intellectual growth for this age category of kids are vital shifting points in their lives. Lots of changes happen in the middle grade age.
So how can you write this accurately in your story? How can your main character fit the guidelines of understanding, voice, and response? Having a basic understanding of these stages is important to making sure your protagonist fits.
I created this video where I talk about the stages of development in middle grade kids, and how your story can reflect these stages and the shifts that happen within them. Click here to access the video Developmental Stages of a MG Protagonist.
When you understand some about what makes middle grade kids tick, you’ll be able to create a character that solidly fits in this category.
Right In The Middle
So often, I get manuscripts that show the main character as thinking, talking, and responding to situations in ways that a middle grader never would. Sometimes they are too ‘old’, and sometimes they are too ‘young’. As a writer of middle grade fiction, do your homework. Learn what will land your character with your reader in a very relatable way.
I created this chart to show some specific topics of development, along with some strong examples from great middle grade fiction. Download the PDF Developmental Stages in MG here. Use this chart to remember how to build your character well.
This is a tool that will help you create a character that is easily recognizable in the middle grade world, and thus connectable to your readers.
A strong middle grade character is the goal.