I agree, Denise!

If I'm catching what you are putting down, you are asking about using present tense in the dialogue. That makes sense to me.

"I deduce the letter is hidden in that dusty box," said the precocious teen protagonist.

Deduce - present tense
Said - past tense

Having a wise-beyond-their-age character is a fun element to many stories. One thing to consider as you write this character, is to add believable concerns for their age.

Motivation for this character should reflect appropriate problems for a pre-teen. And playing with these problems makes interesting reading.

How can they move about your story freely when they dont have a driver's license and are expected to be home on time for dinner? Adding these type of constraints to your teen character's concerns adds authenticity to your teen character. It can add humor and fun as well.

Thanks for sharing your character with us. Happy writing!

Kris

I agree. CW it up!(TV channel)
Another observation I have, but understand how difficult it is to capture, is the playful creativity teens have in how they use common words.

A perennial example is when something is "bad". Is that like 2-week-old sushi in the back of the fridge? Or like the hottest fashion trend?

Anything can change its meaning in a second. It's fascinating to observe, but hard to keep current. Getting that essense on the page takes a similar level of creative finesse.

🙂 Kris

I agree. CW it up!(TV channel)
Another observation I have, but understand how difficult it is to capture, is the playful creativity teens have in how they use common words.

A perennial example is when something is "bad". Is that like 2-week-old sushi in the back of the fridge? Or like the hottest fashion trend?

Anything can change its meaning in a second. It's fascinating to observe, but hard to keep current. Getting that essense on the page takes a similar level of creative finesse.

🙂 Kris