How can I write diary entries about Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird using a character's diction?I tried to write as if I was Jem talking about...

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, to write a diary
entry, I would first find an incident to write about, and it sounds like it has to focus
on Jem's maturity.

There are three incidents that come to
mind regarding Jem's maturity. Maybe one of these will
help.

When Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose's flowers, the biggest
problem is that he is not mature enough at that point to listen to her criticisms of his
father and ignore it, which would be the mature thing to do. However, like many things
we master, we do so over time. In Chapter 11, when Jem is punished and must read to Mrs.
Dubose each afternoon, she does not stop criticizing Atticus, but Scout reports that Jem
has learned to hide his feelings.

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'Don't mutter at me boy! You hold up your head
and say yes ma'am. Don't guess you feel like holding it up, though, with your father
what he is.'

Jem's chin would come up, and he would gze at
Mrs. Dubose with a face devoid of resentment. Through the weeks he had cultivated an
expression of polite and detached interest, which he would present to her in answer to
her most blood-curdling
inventions.

Jem's ability to
take whatever insult she dishes out shows his growing maturity. And in these situations,
you could write about what he thinks when his face becomes unreadable, and even follow
it up about his admiration for her in beating her morphine
addiction.

The second situation, of course, it Jem learning
to deal with the devastation he experiences when Tom Robinson loses in court. This is an
especially bitter pill. You should look at his early responses and how he comes around,
and see if that helps. (End of Chap. 21 and beginning of Chap.
22)

The last instance that comes to mind is in Chapter 28.
Jem is particularly mindful of the sounds they hear as he and Scout return from the
pageant at the school. He takes his responsibility in getting Scout home very seriously.
Jem's determination to save his sister from their attacker is evident. He battles with
the assailant, screaming for Scout to run. He is a youngster himself, but he is
concerned for Scout as long as he is conscious.

In terms of
using the correct language and diction, study how Jem and Scout speak (maybe even Dill).
They are the three kids who will speak differently than Atticus, Miss Maudie and even
Bob Ewell. I would mimic their manner of speaking: they make use of "ain't" quite often.
And pay attention to their exclamations as well: "jee crawling hova" is something Scout
says to Jem when he gets full of himself and tries to act like an adult and tell Scout
what to do.  (Chap. 14)

I hope that this information is of
some help.