Minors having sex, drinking...

Status
Not open for further replies.

Hesperides

Bloody love
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 21, 2009
Messages
143
Reaction score
16
Location
A moment in time
What are the rules on that? I'm a novel virgin. My MC is 17 and drinks, does drugs, and has sex.... is that allowed? Will that be frowned upon? And if so, how important is it to stick to your guns vs. changing the age?

Sorry so many questions, lol That's why I joined - I need help :)
 

Kathleen42

crushing on fictional characters
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
7,181
Reaction score
1,275
Location
Canada
There are a few threads dealing with this over in YA.

Personally, I recently read a YA title where the main character (17) took up binge drinking and frequently showed up drunk at school while trying to cope with rape.

Gone are the days when the teen section was dominated by Sweet Valley High.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 7, 2005
Messages
47,985
Reaction score
13,247
The age of consent here is 16. For drinking, it's 18.

But...sheesh. The amount of threads asking "Can I write this?" is unbelievable.

Are we only supposed to write that which is moral and legal? If that were the case, I wouldn't have any manuscript pages left.

My female MC is bisexual, drinks alcohol and has sex outside of marriage with people she's only just met. My male MC also drinks and has sex outside of marriage.

Plus...

*gasp*

...he smokes!:eek:
 

J C Coy

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
87
Reaction score
9
Location
Cincinnati
I have a secondary character who was an underage male prostitute...my wip is not a YA but an urban fantasy and I was advised to up his age to eighteen. I was told by my CP, a multi-published author, that editors would have a kitten over it. I didn't feel like taking the chance so I upped his age one year.
 

ChaosTitan

Around
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
15,463
Reaction score
2,886
Location
The not-so-distant future
Website
kellymeding.com
Sorry so many questions, lol That's why I joined - I need help :)

Head over to your local bookstore (or library, if you're strapped for cash) and find the YA section. Start reading.

One of the greatest tools a writer has is being well-read, especially in your chosen genre. A large number of books coming out in YA right now (as they have in the past) deal with "adult" topics such as sex, drugs, drinking, etc...
 

psaluka

Registered
Joined
Dec 28, 2008
Messages
22
Reaction score
3
Location
The arctic circle (NY near Canada)
lol
I know these days it doesn't seem so... but I think it's 18 sex-wise and 21 for drinking? I was just unsure of how others would respond. Maybe it's from growing up in the South? :)

That's interesting:)-About five years ago I subbed for a rural high school in Arkansas. Not sure that's really considered South (New South, maybe?)...but I was astounded by how much sex the kids were having. They also smoked loads of pot and drank constantly. It was wild how totally open they were about it (or maybe they were with me because I was still pretty young at the time). I remember at least a couple girls dropping out to have babies (which happens a lot up here, too). If there was a specific age for legal consent (for anything), no one seemed all that worried about it. Which was bizzare since we were living in a heavily Baptist/dry county.

I agree. A lot of kids do this stuff. You should write it if you need to.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2005
Messages
47,985
Reaction score
13,247
There will always be people who object to the content of any book. So what? They shouldn't be reading it after they become offended.

Then again...shock value might do a lot for you publicity-wise.

Just stay true to the characters. As I've said a bajillion times before, if your characters would do it, you write it.
 

WendyNYC

fiddle-dee-dee
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 12, 2007
Messages
2,371
Reaction score
1,765
Location
Behind you! Boo.
Yes, it's allowed. The best example that springs to mind is the Gossip Girl series.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2005
Messages
47,985
Reaction score
13,247
I'd go so far as to say there's nothing that 'isn't allowed'. It's not a matter of allowed/not allowed. Just 'does it serve the story'?
 

Hesperides

Bloody love
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 21, 2009
Messages
143
Reaction score
16
Location
A moment in time
Thanks, everyone :) Since the MC is based on Me, it feels weird to change too much, you know? Thanks for answering the newbie's Qs!!!
 

Gynn

Wandering worlds
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
684
Reaction score
54
Location
Noth
What are the rules on that? I'm a novel virgin. My MC is 17 and drinks, does drugs, and has sex.... is that allowed? Will that be frowned upon? And if so, how important is it to stick to your guns vs. changing the age?

Sorry so many questions, lol That's why I joined - I need help :)

Stephen King's "It" has underage sex (12-year-olds), so yes, it can be done.
 

Shweta

gone
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 21, 2006
Messages
6,509
Reaction score
2,730
Location
Away
If the book's YA, then there may be constraints on how you handle those topics (while being publishable as YA), but that's the extent of it.

And for that "how" I'd suggest reading some of the edgy YA out there. As far as I can tell, the one thing you can't really do in YA is avoid the consequences of those actions, good or bad; but my YA reading only occasionally ventures into edgy, and I could well be wrong.
 

Hesperides

Bloody love
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 21, 2009
Messages
143
Reaction score
16
Location
A moment in time
If the book's YA, then there may be constraints on how you handle those topics (while being publishable as YA), but that's the extent of it.

And for that "how" I'd suggest reading some of the edgy YA out there. As far as I can tell, the one thing you can't really do in YA is avoid the consequences of those actions, good or bad; but my YA reading only occasionally ventures into edgy, and I could well be wrong.

You know... I never even thought of my novel being YA. How ignorant and naive of me. I don't ever read YA since I'm not one... Huh. I guess I have more research to do!! Thanks!!
 

Red.Ink.Rain

Not your kid brother's YA
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
8,965
Reaction score
1,219
Location
Your face
Website
kristin-briana.livejournal.com
Yeah...one of my characters was a prostitute; then she was raped and became pregnant. She has two best friends who found her after the attack, took her in and cared for her and the baby, and now they're both in love with her. Plus there are some other mentions of assassins, more rape, giant bloodsucking leeches, a horrifying caste system, suicide, and brainwashing.

Censorship is sooooo last year.
 

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 28, 2008
Messages
2,557
Reaction score
571
Location
SE Michigan
Website
www.bofexler.blogspot.com
The book may not end up in high school libraries, but other than that, there's no limit really on what you "can" write.

And in my state, it's 16 for sex, 18 to be not a minor, and 21 for drinking. (Unless you sneak across the border to Canada where it's only 19 for drinking, though that may stop soon.)
 

Shady Lane

my name is hannah
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
44,931
Reaction score
9,546
Location
Heretogether
Thanks for linking, Sage.

Honestly, I wonder how many people asking these questions have done enough reading in their genre (typically YA) to be writing it.
 

Hesperides

Bloody love
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 21, 2009
Messages
143
Reaction score
16
Location
A moment in time
Thanks for linking, Sage.

Honestly, I wonder how many people asking these questions have done enough reading in their genre (typically YA) to be writing it.

It wasn't intended for YA, so I didn't think to go wondering through that section. Can't say I will even now... I believe I'll keep to my original plan... but thanks!!
 

jubileerocker

Let's do the time warp again
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
293
Reaction score
11
Location
Kentucky, but not from here
Website
www.myspace.com
I've been keeping in mine that if it's on television or in movies then it's allowed. Look at 'Juno' and 'The secret life of an American Teenager' pop culture has become a lot more realistic since people gotten to be more intrested in Taboos. Reguardless of what you put out there someone is going to hate it. 'Harry Potter' gets knocked by bible thumpers along with Twilight and morally those are great books. People can bash you for writing about rape and murder and watch CSI. Sorry since I have a family it's hard to sit alone and read so there's a lot of family tv in this house
 

Hesperides

Bloody love
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 21, 2009
Messages
143
Reaction score
16
Location
A moment in time
I have a family, too - of very young boys, so there's not a lot of sex/drugs, etc on TV here, either!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.