Smokin'

Cochinay

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This is tough business. I keep wanting to quit. OKAY, I've got a question.

My novel is a young adult mystery romance (I know).

But can my main character, my protagonist, be a guy who smokes, quits, smokes and quits. That's by no means a major theme, but I'm just asking. Is smoking so off the charts and taboo, such a turn off, that I ought to just drop his bad habits and get it out of the story?

PS I want a Marlboro Light right now.
 

Greene_Hesperide1990

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Hey Cochinay,

Has anyone told you in particular that the smoking was off-putting? Even if it's YA, smoking shouldn't be a deferring factor, I don't believe so at least.
 

Fuchsia Groan

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If it's YA, your protagonist needs to be roughly 14 to 18 years old. If there's time in there for the cycle of quitting and starting and quitting, it works.

Granted, off-hand I can only think of two recent YA novels where the protagonist smoked, and one was set in the '90s. There are probably others I'm forgetting, though. Drinking and weed smoking both seem more common.
 

Cochinay

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No one said anything specific, except an agent I know said that if I ever think "librarians" might want my novel, things like excessive foul language, drugs and tobacco could be problematic. I'm remembering my old librarian.
 

ChibiUsagi

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I can't see why this would an issue, plenty of the "bad boy/bad girl" kids at my HS smoked.

If you're worried the PC Police will make you take it out, I kind of doubt it.
 

hester

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I agree with the above advice that smoking is fine :) (not for you, but for your MC!) My characters smoke (cigarettes, weed) and drink, and it's never been an issue.
 

RaggyCat

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Totally not an issue. Granted, I've not seen tons of YA books where the main character smokes (more secondary characters and love interests) but the idea that things like smoking and swearing and sex are taboo is old-fashioned now. Yes, there may be some very traditional librarians and some behind the times places but YA has moved on a hell of a lot in the last few years. These issues are all relevant to today's teens. I really wouldn't worry at all.
 
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LoaderBot

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Can't speak for the U.S., but not many in Europe would bat an eye at a young adult smoking. That being said, late teens seems like an very early age to get into the cycle of quitting/starting again. I've found that people of that age can control themselves when it comes to smoking/not smoking. They don't start the cycle until they are way older and quitting is tougher. If you've only smoked for some years during your teens, quitting is rather easy. Basically smoking is a conscious decision not forced by an addiction at that early point.
 

pingle

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I'm glad it looks like it's OK. I have drinking through my book and although it feels 'right' (it's often ceremonial, and the setting is somewhat archaic) I sometimes get a moment of, this is illegal! making me second guess myself. It never jars me as a reader though so I reckon I'm just being overly paranoid.
 

Hbooks

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In most of the YA I've been reading that's published very recently, teen drinking is quite common, and I don't see smoking as often.
 

Treehouseman

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It would help to have it relevant to the story that they were a smoker, ie: if they didn't smoke they'd be addicted to something else., and it's like a shield for the character, a habit to ward off the even worse stuff.

Especially in YA, where nuance is a little less obvious, a concrete and familiar reason for smoking would be important. Of course the overriding authorial voice should be "this is something he'd be better off not doing".
 

ChibiUsagi

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It would help to have it relevant to the story that they were a smoker, ie: if they didn't smoke they'd be addicted to something else., and it's like a shield for the character, a habit to ward off the even worse stuff.

Especially in YA, where nuance is a little less obvious, a concrete and familiar reason for smoking would be important. Of course the overriding authorial voice should be "this is something he'd be better off not doing".

I don't think I've ever read a book where smoking or any destructive behavior from a young protagonist was promoted as good.

Unless, of course, you count Bella Swan jumping off a cliff to hear her ex boyfriend's voice. Lol.
 

PSkertich81

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No one said anything specific, except an agent I know said that if I ever think "librarians" might want my novel, things like excessive foul language, drugs and tobacco could be problematic. I'm remembering my old librarian.

Yeah, those published books would be challenged in some libraries and schools. Oh, you forgot the spicy hot romantic scenes too. That would probably be challenged, too. But, back to OP's question. I started smoking when I was in middle grade. So, yeah, that's completely normal. The main character is struggling with his addiction or trying to fit in. Maybe his dream girl wants him to quit. If he doesn't then she'll not love him. I don't know what your manuscript is about. But the conflict he has with smoking has to reflect on consequences. So, if he continues to smoke and his friends leave him. Which induces more stress and makes him smoke more. The girl he's dreamy eyed about, yells and shouts at him to quit smoking. Maybe she doesn't want to be with him because of the pungent tobacco smell that lingers on his clothes. I'm just spit balling here to help ya out a bit. But, maybe he's a bad boy, and the girl of his dreams loves bad boys. Maybe she's pushing him to smoke more because she loves the idea of being with a bad boy. Just spit balling.