Hey guys, I need your opinion: (spoiler here alert)
I read some thoughts here, and I do agree that Jake is too young, but I don't want to rewrite some of the future Chapters.
I'm thinking of changing Jake's initial age (a time skip would be messier):
4th grade → 6th grade
Tori, Missy, and Sheldon → 12 years
He will go to 9th grade at age 13, while everyone else is 15 (I've already written some Chapters).
I'm not changing anything else besides age and grades.
About the different series:
Gilmore Girls: Never watched it. I've only seen some video clips. Rory seems a bit messy. My only idea is for him to meet her again when he's around 16–17 and have a little "remember" moment, nothing more.
Friends: I really like it. They would serve more as cool aunts and uncles.
The Big Bang Theory: Some interaction with Sheldon and Missy, just casual friends. Leonard feels "meh" to me. I dislike Howard (my idea was to bash him). Paige is someone I'd like to help.
Victorious: I really like Tori. But I'd like Jake to be more like Charlie — at least until his late twenties.
Celebrities: There will be some interaction, but nothing major planned (for now).
High school (9th grade and beyond): iCarly — Carly, Sam, and Freddie will be good friends.
Modern Family: He will date Haley for a while.
I think Haley is "so-so," and I'm mostly including her to interact with Modern Family characters. He won't get emotionally involved with her — just a normal teen relationship.
Other shows or movies: They will come and go.
Other thoughts (just ideas):
I want someone to be the CEO of his companies. My ideas:
• Pepper Potts (just her — no Marvel or supernatural elements involved).
• Donna Paulsen (Suits) — my idea is to make her Judith's love interest (going the lesbian route, which would help Judith become a better person). Donna would be someone awesome Jake could fully trust.
My conflict is more about the girls' ages than Jake's. But I believe that making him older would make things much easier to write.
I'm writing this novel for myself, and I'm still doing it. But brainstorming helps a lot in my professional career, so I might keep doing it here as well.