As if! Here are 10 character writing prompts focused on teenagers. While I wrote a section on children earlier, teenagers could practically fill up an entire book of characters because a single teen can represent nearly a dozen different people during a given week. A combination of raging hormones, a developing sense of right and wrong and an impending opportunity to move away from home can create some wild situations for many teens. Even though teenagers may not find out who they really are until they are well beyond college age, seeing that attempt to understand themselves is extremely fun and painful to read about in a story.
Free Character Writing Prompts #30: Teenagers
1. Despite the fact that he couldn't drink, smoke or vote, he acted like a middle-aged man in his topics of conversation, his attire and the way he acted. He had a group of friends who appreciated his maturity, though he tended to weird them out with his thinking, that was in a way both forward and backward at the same time. His parents tried to get him to enjoy things that kids his age liked but it was to no avail. He would talk at length about politics and dinner parties and he never stooped to watching anything like reality TV or listening to popular music. Where did he get these qualities from and is it the kind of personality trait he'll hold onto for life?
2. If James Dean was the "rebel without a cause," he was the "rebel without anything to rebel against." His parents would give him whatever he wanted, even if that request included space or responsibility. He wanted desperately for them to give him a hard time because he had so much bottled up angst for no reason. When he took it out on teachers at school, his parents were completely understanding, which drove him crazy. He even asked them once to pretend to get angry at him and they couldn't do it right. To escape from this heaven of an upbringing, he opted to get the best grades possible so he could choose any school, as far away as possible. What were some of the other things he tried to rebel against unsuccessfully?
3. She was the epitome of a New York girl and she loved the fast pace and the lived in quality of the city. When her single dad found out that she was sexually active, he moved her to the suburbs of Los Angeles, to get them both as far away from that life as possible. She hated suburban life with a passion and quickly drew the ire of her classmates. After all, she refused to wear anything but comfortable normal clothes, didn't speak like them or become part of their cliques and she even did her homework. She didn't mind not fitting in for the most part, though she was sad on the weekends when the other person she had to hang out with was her mom. What will her two years in suburbia be like and will she ever adjust before going to college?
4. She was the kind of girl who felt that every problem could be solved by shopping. Need to get over a breakup, bad haircut or a broken leg? Go shopping. It was a two steps forward one step back shopping process for her as she would max the credit card her parents gave her, take some things back and then do it all over again. She loved being on top of the newest fashions and refused to wear the same outfit twice if possible. When her family fell on hard times, she adjusted immediately by purchasing discount fabrics and sewing products and making her own clothes, which the girls at school loved. What is next for this shopping, sewing phenomenon and how will her family's hard times impact her life?
5. He was the star running back of the football team, a member of student council and he seemed to have the perfect life. At home, things were a different story, as he had to take care of his ailing grandmother and his mother was overseas fighting the war on terror. Even though there were plenty of offers, he shied away from having a girlfriend because he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it all. He was just hoping to hold it all together until he got out of school, got a job and was able to pay for home health care for his grandmother. He loved the idea of playing for some big college, but he wasn't sure if four years away from his nana would work. How did he come to be so responsible and what will happen to him after graduation?
6. He was in the marching band and even though most guide to popularities would say the opposite, he believed there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. He got to travel to other schools and meet lots of new and interesting people. His love life was actually booming with a fellow trumpeter from a school only 20 minutes away and his friends were loyal and kind. Sure, he received some gentle ribbing from the popular kids at school, but he was so genuinely good at his instrument that they actually gave him some props for it. When his school won a national marching band championship, he was even on the front cover of the local newspaper. What are some other qualities of this self-confident, talented musician?
7. As much as she tried to live high school life like a regular teenager, she would always be the girl who got pregnant and had a baby her freshman year. When other students were out playing volleyball or doing Spanish club, she was going back to her house with her parents and taking care of her toddler. She wasn't a bad kid or anything, she was just foolish and unlucky the first time she slept with someone. The baby's father had gone away to college and while he came back to see the baby, he was rarely a part of the girl's life. She was in this alone and she had to be strong until graduation. What was it like telling her parents about the pregnancy and what does she want to do after graduating high school?
8. She was head over heels in love with her English teacher and while she knew it was wrong, she wanted him more than she wanted any boy in the school. She would stay after school to get "extra help" from him and she joined the newspaper since he was the faculty advisor. She would cut out pictures of her and her teacher from the yearbook and put them together on her bedroom wall. She held herself back from the dangerous next step of calling his house or trying to seduce him, after all, she didn't want people to think she was crazy. That's right about when he called her asking to meet up. What will she decide to do with this risky opportunity and will she tell anybody about it?
9. He was the quiet kid who wore trench coats to school and was always reading comics featuring destruction. The rest of the school, including the teachers, assumed that if a shooting were to occur in the school it would be him. When an honor student was the actual perpetrator, it was the quiet, dark, comic-reading teen who put his own life in danger to stop the shooter in his tracks. He heard the shots ring out and he burst into action, attacking the boy, disarming him but taking a bullet for his troubles. When he returned back to school, it was as a hero and many students who had mocked him made efforts to befriend him, if he was willing to forgive them. What are some of his internal qualities that enabled him to take action in such a frightening situation?
10. She was the kind of girl who made every effort to be in every club possible. Her parents joked that school was her job and frequently asked her if she'd gotten a promotion. She laughed off jokes like these that also came from the student body because it was more important for her to be involved than anything else like social standing. She felt that life was too short and if she didn't try everything at least once, she was missing out. She was pretty and intelligent and if she played her cards right, she could certainly transition to popularity. It just wasn't something she cared about in the slightest. What clubs will she join as she gets older and what will she do in the real world when a job tends to take up more time than school?
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