A great number of fanfictions have Harry's age be 11. Unfortunately, most have him far too mature for his age. It seems that the vast majority of fanfiction writers have no idea how 11 year olds think and how mature they are.

I'm one of those people. I barely remember what I was like when I was 11 years old. So my question is: What is the mentality of an 11-year-old? How different is it from that of an adolescent? And how should it be portrayed in fanfiction?

 

I'm 13 so you would expect me to remember, after all, it was only two years ago.
But, I, like you cannot remember at all what my mentality was like and how it differs from now.

 

you want a rather centralized way of thinking. everything effects them primarily and everything else secondarily. this is not to say completely self-centered, this is to say that they are still learning to consider the enormity of the world, and how their concerns can be dwarfed by those of others.

More over we are discussing the mentality of an emotionally and likely physically abused eleven-year-old so you are also going to want to take into account low self-esteem and low self-worth. I would also imagine him not being used to opulent living and being afraid that he is taking things from others.

 

All I remember from my eleven year old years was a mass of convoluted , fast moving thinking. I don't think I was ever able to think anything up on any grand scale.

 

While that's true irl, don't use that. I don't want to read about some sad abused kid who hates himself.

 

Well, there's a conflict of interest there. It all depends on how you write that particular self-hating 11-year-old. It's why Harry is able to do things that others can't. It's probably how he's going to defeat Voldemort, come to think of it. He values his life very little. He'll put everything he has into a single goal. If you don't focus too much on the angsty part of the self-hate issue, you can work it to your advantage by having a rambunctious child who's constantly throwing himself over the edge for concern of a greater goal.

 

I don't know what an average eleven-years old kid is supposed to act like. But I've seen plenty of children who've been raised around hardship of one kind or another. Whether it is a broken home, abusive guardians, poverty, health problems etc. And without fail all of them are more mature than their counterparts who have had a relatively normal childhood.

This can show up in greater emotional sensitivity as in empathy, they are able to understand complex emotional reactions and may even play off of that and manipulate those around them. More worldly wise and protective of what they have, be it siblings, friends that have been with them against all the hardship or any other thing that has been constant.

Yes, typically a lack of self esteem, ranging anywhere from self-hate to just a lack of interest in one's own fate. They find it easier to sacrifice, for things that are important to them. Not much of self getting in the way.

In canonical Harry Potter, it makes sense that he is self sacrificing and has the hero impulse. Yet, at times he shows a remarkable lack of street smarts that a kid who has been hurt repeatedly should be aware of.

So as a fanfiction writer you can take anything in that range, what would be very off is a child Harry who is clueless and flighty. Maturity in some manner or another is a given and I expect to see it every time.

 

In a situation such as Harry's it is also possible to run into a disinterested personality. Someone who has to put up with crap from others and has no recourse may eventually go with the "oh screw it" attitude. This would lead to a Harry that has absolutely no care or concern for the events around him.

The main problem a writer runs into with Harry is that you're not just dealing with the neglected, simi-abused, emotionally stunted 11 year old. You're dealing with all that plus his suddenly being thrust into the role of a Pre-teen Savior and mysterious hero. Then, to top that off, you toss in the behind-the-scenes factors such as Dumbledore's manipulations and the general environment of a new world.

The end result is a house of cards built on quicksand. In reality you're looking at a kid who will either off themselves in the most angsty emo way possible by age 17 or an incredible self-reliant and defiant jerk. The possibility of him ending up as he does in the books (an angsty and tempermental nice guy with a 'saving people' thing) is slim to "give me a break".

Yet in all of this we set aside reality to enjoy a story with magic and a kid hero.

What does it all mean? Who knows... but it makes me glad that I don't have kids of my own.

 

In fiction, everything is exagerated. Who really wants to read about an average eleven year old? To be entertaining, the eleven year old in question has to be smarter, and more calculating than normal. At least to me.

 

It seems that most of you are over-looking the fact that, although Harry is thrust into a new world that he doesn't understand, he is being given a respite from a world in which he is abused/neglected (on whatever scale). It would make sense that he is willing to do everything to save the wizarding world and it's people, almost to a point of being reckless and fool-hardy, because, in his youth, he wished for a hero that never came. Now, able to do more than most to save the undefended, he wants to...

This should be taken into account when you are trying to create Harry's personality, whether he is seventeen or eleven. He is still going to be grateful to the Wizarding World as a whole for getting him out of the hell he is in--at least in the beginning. As time goes on he may become disinterested with the world around him because of their constant manipulations and the near daily death-threats.

Also, Harry Potter has been raised in a house-hold that has told him "No!" from day one; it stands to reason that he would have a certain disregard for authority. He has also been belittled since youth, therefore, comments aimed at him, in whatever manner, could easily set him off--this would explain the Canon reaction to Malfoy or Snape, instead the cool and aloof Harry that we all love.

One thing that IS missing from eleven year old Harry, canon-wise, is a wariness of his surroundings. Since he has been abused since birth, you would expect him to distrust authority (Dumbledore) and also for him to expect someone to cheat him or turn on him at any moment. As time goes on, he would become more, or less, comfortable in his surroundings, yet Canon!Harry takes Dumbledore at his word (however riddled and evasive it is) and depends on Ron and Hermione to be there (despite the fact that they've only known eachother a short while and, as anyone can attest to, relationships can change in the blink of an eye).

I think any story, regardless of age, should take all of these things into account, but it's alot easier to just by-pass logic and write a story the way you want it. THAT, is the essence of Fanfiction after all--

You can say you are writing for everyone else, but when it all comes down to it, you are writing the story for yourself. They aren't spending hours at a time to write it, and they are probably skimming through.

So if you want a story that portrays a real life scenario, write Harry with these things in mind; but also remember that Harry Potter is a series of FANTASY novels--if you want your main character to be a smart ass kid, give a few reasons, and move on to the meat and potatoes.

 

Some great points Averis. It's like I said...

 

I remember when I was 11 that the world revolved around me. It was also at that age when the shocking truth hit me.

As for Harry, if you're abused and all that shit then I'd say you'd be pretty much a loner and lack a good deal of self-esteem. With that, I guess he should have ended up as a Neville Longbottom. Anyway, since Harry as a kid was tough and knew how to fight back, I'm guessing canon 11 year old Harry would be a good way to portray 11 year old Harry. Just get rid of the friends thing. He'd be better off a loner.