Minors having sex, drinking...

Hesperides · Feb 22, 2009

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

scarletpeaches · Feb 22, 2009

Seventeen is underage?

Mr Flibble · Feb 22, 2009

Not here no ( well at least on the sex part).

Not that I waited till I was overage anyway

17 year olds do swear / drink / bang. If your character would, then do it

Hesperides · Feb 22, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
Seventeen is underage?

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?

Kathleen42 · Feb 22, 2009

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.

Mr Flibble · Feb 22, 2009

Hesperides said:
lol
I know these days it doesn't seem so... but I think it's 18 sex-wise and 21 for drinking?

I take it you're in the states then?

Doesn't it depend on which state?

scarletpeaches · Feb 22, 2009

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!

J C Coy · Feb 22, 2009

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 · Feb 22, 2009

Hesperides said:
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 · Feb 22, 2009

Hesperides said:
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.

scarletpeaches · Feb 22, 2009

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 · Feb 22, 2009

Yes, it's allowed. The best example that springs to mind is the Gossip Girl series.

scarletpeaches · Feb 22, 2009

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 · Feb 22, 2009

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 · Feb 22, 2009

Hesperides said:
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 · Feb 22, 2009

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 · Feb 22, 2009

Shweta said:
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 · Feb 22, 2009

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.

Sage · Feb 22, 2009

May I point you in the direction of the "Edgy YA" thread? It's a sticky in the YA subforum.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71220

Clair Dickson · Feb 22, 2009

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.)

Horserider · Feb 22, 2009

Teens in real life do that stuff. Why NOT?

Shady Lane · Feb 22, 2009

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 · Feb 22, 2009

Shady Lane said:
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 · Feb 22, 2009

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 · Feb 22, 2009

I have a family, too - of very young boys, so there's not a lot of sex/drugs, etc on TV here, either!

Minors having sex, drinking...

Bloody love

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Bloody love

crushing on fictional characters

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Around

fiddle-dee-dee

Bloody love

Wandering worlds

gone

Bloody love

Not your kid brother's YA

Our Lady of Parentheticals

A dark core to every cloud

Ever onward

my name is hannah

Bloody love

Let's do the time warp again

Bloody love