Obviously you like your genre - but what do you hate about it?

1. How everything ends happily ever after. The girl gets the guy, the family gets back together, the dying dad is suddenly happy and in the end everyone is smiling and singing God Bless America.

2. I agree with CandyCaneCait about the hetero-normative. And when there is a gay character, they always fulfill the stereotypes most of which aren't true. Not all gay guys with they could wear girls shoes and have an excellent decorative eye. Here's and example of a couple I know: One of them is in a heavy metal band and the other guy has gotten into so many fights that the school board is trying to expel him.

Actually, I'm from the opposite approach. I DON'T like how much vulgarity is in YA. I realize it happens, and it would naturally show up in books that kids of this age group read -- but I don't approve of it in any form. There's a lot of subject matter that can be covered without going into that area.

Kids are impressionable, and we should be careful of what happens in the books we write for them. What happens in our books could be seen as the "normal" thing, so we should be careful in defining "normal."

"There's a lot of subject matter that can be covered without going into that area."

So, what kind of subject matter, for example?

I don't like how High School relationships are portrayed as so meaningful and important. Most people don't end up with their high school sweethearts and most relationships end. High school relationships are idealized and treated as overly important.

I also hate how the popular kids are always mean. In my high school everyone got along and treated each other decently. At some point maybe the "popular" people should be the good guys. Maybe in some book someday.

Hear, hear!

*cheers* Same here! I don't mind characters talking about subjects people are generally uncomfortable with, though, as long as it's handled well.

Abuse (all forms), paranoia, depression, teen pregnancy, and drugs, to name a few gritty ones. I've used the first four in my works, without a lick of foul language or any graphic scenes. I don't EVER curse or take God's name in vain, and nor do many other people of my acquaintance. And there is such thing as people who wait until marriage to have sex. And I feel sorely underrepresented in fiction, movies, and TV. Including in the YA genre.

So I particularly dislike:

• blasphemy
• the ignoring of abstinence as a possibility
• how few teen mothers raise their own children in fiction (My mother did a remarkable job raising me, ty, and teens WERE mothers not all that long ago, historically.)
• for gender norms, the stereotypes irritate me most—especially how all the women are spitfires, dads are idiots, and boys are irresponsible goof-offs.
• the ignoring and/or misrepresentation of perspectives/demographics.

  For examples, notice the above. The frumpy bookworm girl also generally looks like that because she DOESN'T CARE about her appearance, so dressing up for an event and getting compliments for it might actually be uncomfortable for her. Ooo, whoop-de-do, now I look so pretty! So all these random freaks will be hitting on me when I go to the store or library! Hooray! :-| Not. (Do you really want to know why I stopped speaking Spanish in public?)

- - - - - - - - - - - -

...We do?

I attended 2 different high schools and 2 different colleges. Not my experience—and no, they weren't all Christian and disapproving of crass language. One college encouraged it. And I still rarely heard anything objectionable except when my script writing professer would occassionally let one out.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

No, you don't.

That also applies some to the class one. Each demographic has its own subculture, and if a writer doesn't know anyone in that subculture to compare to it, he can't write it. I actually have just started being exposed to the black—or whatever the PC term is, now—culture. Interestingly, though, it bewilders my boss, too. Who is black.

EDIT: for an unconventional homosexual male, check out Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson books. Warren can't cut hair. And he's a VERY good fighter (which is why he's still alive).

I hate how people treat the YA gender. How they'll say 'oh, that book doesn't have anything important to say because it's YA. Teens don't care about important stuff.' Or when books will be oversimplified because that's all they think teens will read. I read this author interview in the back of this book once that was about a twenty-year-old looking back on her high school life, and the author said the reason she wrote the book like this and not like the girl was actually in high school was because she didn't want to dumb down the book! Although there are many things wrong with a lot of YA books, there are a lot of amazing ones out there with messages stronger than any adult book out there. And people won't give them a chance because of a label!

-end rant-

2006: My Boyfriend Wants to Eat Me-lose
2007: The Rise of Queen Callia-lose
2008: Opening My Eyes-WINNER!

I do not mean to attack any author or say that they should write differently, I only mean that I, too, feel enormously underrepresented in books that I love.

People that I have known in high school and college have used profanity, at least to some extent. I understand that there is a great deal of responsibility in writing for young adults, but personally I've always felt that this means things are best discussed. I would rather my characters have a discussion about which is worse, racial slurs that are accepted or cuss words that are not, than ignore it entirely.

I absolutely do not take issue with people making their own decisions, but ignoring the diversity that exists in life does tend to annoy me a little. I completely agree that abstinence should be treated as more of a viable option in YA books! More real diversity is what I would appreciate.

Carradee, I apologize if I came across as trying to say that one thing is true for all young people, or if it seemed like I was demanding that people write about what they don't know. Reading YA books and feeling like I was some how a freak was a very uncomfortable experience for me growing up. I do not think that you should write about what you do not understand. I was not trying to antagonize in listing things that get on my nerves, I was just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with their writing.

To defend my annoyance at anyone other than straight, white, middle to upper class people existing in these books, growing up different can be a painful experience. I think that part of the responsibility of writing for young people is in helping with that. A lot of us are probably bookish sorts, I think that no matter what social standing you come from, this is probably understandable.

"I don't like how High School relationships are portrayed as so meaningful and important. "

Highschool relationships aren't that important unless you've never been involved in one. In that case, one day you're going to be on a very long walk to the other side of town just for the heck of it, see a teenaged couple holding hands and, to quote David Byrne, think to yourself, "My God, what have I done?" And then it sets in: The chilling realization that you've never felt close to anyone and it's too late to figure out how to.

"I also hate how the popular kids are always mean. In my high school everyone got along and treated each other decently."

A lot of time the nerdy kids that get picked on end up being writers. Sometimes these nerdy kids were actually obnoxious idiots that deserved whatever they got, and their writing is primarily there for the sake of some weird vindication. See also: Ozy and Millie.

"'oh, that book doesn't have anything important to say because it's YA."

Well yeah, but can you blame them? Most YA doesn't say anything. I guess. I don't read YA much because most of it doesn't sound very good or accurate.

My impression on YA books is that a lot of the time, the schools are either in the really nice, big schools with a lot of amenities, or set in small-town America. And the ones set in small town America--and this is just the impression I get--SEEM to think that a lot of small town's place a big importance on family, and which families are *important* in these towns, and that everyone knows everything that's going on everywhere in town, because the towns are small and news travels fast.

This is completely wrong. Small town high schools (And college. Very overlooked point!) are an even mixture of isolation, social paranoia, and never doing anything. Everyone knows everyone to some small extent, and ABOUT everyone to some small extent, but very few people ever get particularly close to anyone else because the ultimate goal is to just get away and that's a lot easier when you don't have any ties to anyone or anything.

Unless of course you end up in a small-town college town, in which case it's not any better and you end up going home all the time just to have an excuse not to live a completely sedentary life.

(I'm not trying to start an argument: just justifying my novel!)

I think that the problem with the things you mentioned (abstinence, no cursing, etc) is that they're only realistic in a few places. I'm fourteen. I go to an English secondary school. Pretty much all of the boys I know (well, apart from the really quiet geeky ones, and most of the Muslims) talk about sex practically constantly; they think that abstinence is ridiculous and near-impossible. So do the girls, actually. And everyone curses quite a lot, including my best friends (I do however have a friend who absolutely never swears, and says, "Language!" whenever anyone around her does... so we're not all bad). hen I'm writing my YA novel, I'm going to have cursing and "vulgarity", because I'm trying to write something realistic, and that's how things are happening around me.

My novel's actually quite tame: my MC doesn't have any relationships throughout the book, she's a timid and nice person, and none of her friends are particularly wild. Why? Well, although I do know people who drink and smoke and have sex, I'm not close friends with any of them. And I'm writing about what I know. Other people do know lots of people who do those things, or do them themselves, so it's natural that they would write about it. (Oh, and... everyone I know , including me, blasphemes; I hadn't even considered that it might be a bad idea to include blasphemy so far.)

See, I don't have any problem with novels which do include all of the things you mentioned. I just think it's a bit odd to want other people to write about them, as well. It's like you said: if people don't know about certain cultures, they won't write about them. I don't know the type of culture which you're writing about, so I'm not going to write about it.

(On a sort-of-related note: I've finished my novel, and I still haven't decided what skin colour my MC is. I guess readers will just have to decide for themselves...)

And as for my own YA pet peeves:
- popular kids always hating unpopular kids; it doesn't always work like that
- everyone having unending supplies of money
- everyone being absolutely gorgeous apart from the MC (or even including the MC!)

I might add more later.

"I attended 2 different high schools and 2 different colleges. Not my experience—and no, they weren't all Christian and disapproving of crass language."

People don't generally swear *in class* because that's considered mixed company and discourteous, unless the teacher is fairly informal and okay with it -- rule of thumb being don't say anything that the teacher wouldn't, and do it less often. Outside of class, people swear all the time here. Same for my highschool, which, might I add, and not for the sake of bragging, has the reputation for being one of the better schools, academically, in the area.

Also, on the subject of profanity, why is it just language that's considered profane? Bringing up sex and teen pregnancy in a mature manner, using all of the appropriate, clean anatomical phrases and what not is hardly profane from a language standpoint and most people probably wouldn't find it vulgar if it wasn't gratuitous, but I'm sure some people would be offended by its very presence.

And what about discussing depression and paranoia, to the camp that thinks YA should mostly be for entertainment and teaching kids morals?

I'm not saying you're *wrong* or anything, I'm just saying I find your experience pretty atypical, and I'm wondering how far other people would go in declaring something profane.

I don't include curse words or anything like that, but that's more because I don't say anything like that in real life, so I'm not just going to put it down in print, where it will be 'heard' much longer than if I said it out loud.

2008- Locked Away: WINNER!

It's less that I want everyone to write about them and more that it gets irritating that nobody mentions them. Other minority issues and groups, sure. Those? Nope.

Not that I've found, anyway. :-)

I was referring to out of class, too, actually. :-) But yes, I realize that my experience is probably rare.

…Um, it's not. Profanity is blasphemous and/or sacreligious words or actions, by definition. It's also defined in common useage to meaninappropriate language. :-)

Quite true. I know a couple who can't stand hearing about anything beneath the skin. I start mentioning my gall bladder surgery, and they start turning distinctly green.

I don't mind non-gratuitous things. Unless it's blasphemy, which I have a very low tolerance for, or a graphic sex scene, which I object to mainly because it's TMI. I don't need to know—I don't want to know. I'm not married, and I don't need those kind of images bouncing around in my head. It's not healthy.

Foul language, I have to be careful with. I'm a visual learner from words, and I've noticed that, after reading something with a fair amount of cursing, I'm apt to start thinking it. And I have no desire to say it, so then I have to avoid things that curse for awhile. But hearing it in a movie (or when my brother gets frustrated) doesn't have the same effect, mainly because I learn worst through auditory means.

All stories teach something, regardless of author intent. Personally, I think writers should at least attempt to be aware of what messages and lessons others can draw from their writing, even if they don't set out to write a novel to teach something.

…This is going to sound weird, but I find "dark" stuff comforting. It reminds me how great my life is, and it helps me when I encounter people in those kinds of situations. And "dark" topics can be educational, too. One of my favorite YA novels is actually a didactic one that shows what kinds of messes a vengeful attitude can get you into. (Franny Billingsley, The Folk Keeper.)

And prior exposure to the darker facets of life helped me not utterly freak when my cousin murdered his mom and tried to murder his dad.

One thing I hate about young adult fiction (in addition, to pretty much everything in the original post) is that good writing is hard to find. Some people might be offended by that, but I think it's true. Matter of fact, I had a conversation with a total stranger in the book store not long ago about it. I guess the same can go for any genre--all books aren't going to be written well--but I have found it especially true in YA. You have to dig a little deeper, but they're out there!

What do you mean by blasphemous, and why do you keep bringing it up? I've seen you do it several times and I find it really bizarre.

"Personally, I think writers should at least attempt to be aware of what messages and lessons others can draw from their writing, even if they don't set out to write a novel to teach something."

What if they set out to actively not teach anything at all?

Blasphemy is using any of God's names in vain—that is, using any of God's names in anger or when you're not actually referring to Him. It also refers to abuse of what is sacred.

That's just it. Your characters' actions and the consequences of those actions will teach something. For example, Harry Potter and friends are often rewarded for breaking the rules on those books, but I doubt that's a message J.K. Rowling intended to convey. Nonetheless, it is there.

What I think JK Rowling was portraying by that was: Rules don't always define what is right and wrong.

Throughout the book there are problems with authority and the government, and sometimes in order to do what's right in the larger scope you might make some authority figures mad. The small ways they broke the rules weren't big deal (Harry, Ron, Hermione were much better than the Maurders). They didn't want to hurt or tease, but to help people. Doing what is ultimately right weighs out the rule-breaking.

I think the Harry Potter books have some very good moral lessons if you think about them. I don't think the books were written to specifically teach a lesson, but by operating within a moral universe and a battle between good and evil the results were quite educational.

I'm very opiniated, so bear with me...sorry if I offend you to the pits of your soul, but I'm being honest...
1. I hate how stupid, sappy, melodramatic, badly written crap like Eragon and Twilight becomes a bestseller and gets turned into movies (zinger!)
2. I hate YA novels about high school, trying to get a girl to like you, feelings of inferiorty etc. (honestly, without the covers I wouldn't be able to tell them apart. There are exceptions--Breathing Underwater by Alex Flynn, for example--but really, YA authors should branch out and tell powerful stories to which teen drama takes a back seat.)
3. I hate YA novels that are trying too hard. (You know the kind...the kind you read a page of and can just imagine those 60-year-old dudes Googling terms like Guitar Hero and Facebook and reading thousands of other YA novels, then writing a subpar story sprinkled with so many pop culture references and colloquialisms that it looks hip)

As an avid reader of YA Novels (I'm in the demographic after all) I really prefer novels that can last. If I can read something later and still find it wonderful as when I first read it, it's a keeper. YA Fiction is challenging when the feeling of "Oh, look at this teen. Aren't they just LIKE YOU?" and they try too hard. Really. I don't know if being a teen has anything to do with it but I don't like it when the author assumes things of teens that aren't true. We're not all mindless idiots and I dislike being talked down to while reading something I'm trying to enjoy. The question is that when did adolescence become inexplicably tied with foolishness? :[

On another note, I'm okay with vulgarity and the like. Not every teen is going to grow up in a perfectly clean upbringing and it'd be inaccurate to portray all teens as wholesome.

Good topic: Quite a few things!

1. How YA seems to be incredibly trend-driven. How many HP rip-offs do there really need to be? It's a limitation that doesn't seem to be as strong in adult fiction...which has certain, seemingly eternal trends (or plots, the great 12 or whatever it is). It's strange that kids' books can take up something like dragons or "magic school" en force.

2. BAD WRITING!! I think someone said this earlier, and it doesn't really count, since there's bad writing everywhere. But I still hate it (can't they find a decent editor???).

3. Moral pap for youngsters. I am completely anti blatant messages when it comes to kids' books. Kids are CONSTANTLY being told what to do. It's not like they're going to lose their moral compass by reading Roald Dahl, or think that all adults are evil, or that they should break every rule. They need a little time off from responsibility, just like adults do.

4. YA books that take themselves too seriously, for no apparent reason. No one cares about you! Get over it!

5. YA with uber-plucky (translation: obnoxious) kids who "know better" than and outsmart every adult (uh, okaaay...). Unless you're writing about a child genius, please stop. And just because your character needs a flaw to be well-rounded doesn't mean you should immediately reach for annoying. And if they're a child genius, won't they know better than to piss everybody off?

6. Self-deprecating (translation: shallow and self-pitying) characters who just accept what they're given. Just cause you have to punish your characters to make life interesting doesn't mean that they have to be wusses and take it. Isn't the point to have them overcome, not be flattened even further? It's like in horror movies when the character, who is supposedly a smart cookie, opens the freaking door. Doesn't make sense, and it's really just plain alienating.

Whew! I don't know where that came from. If I made anybody mad, fabulous! Let's chat!

I did not start out writing my book going "I think this is going to be YA." I just told a story from the viewpoint of youngsters. As I started getting serious about my writing and getting what I had published, I learned that my story fell into the YA genre, simply because it was told from the age range of those reading.

With that said, I've made a decision to be cautious about what goes into my books (because currently all of my novels are related to this first story). Since I'm writing about terrorism, hatred, as well as the basics of my faith, I know it has to be done right. On top of that, as I write each difficult scene, I imagine a ten-year-old reading through this book. And I make certain that while I hint at things older readers may get, I'm never explicit enough for the younger audience.

Yes, 10 is below YA range. But after a trip through B&N, finding Harry Potter sharing the same shelf as Little House on the Prairie, I'm very careful. I realize that's not everyone's intent when writing YA, but those are my two cents, and why I've chosen to avoid some topics. I'm not ready to introduce some things to that ten-year-old.

Hope that made sense!

Definitely makes sense! I read an advance copy of a book some years ago, volunteer screening for the overworked teen librarian, and I was impressed by how it handled the narrator's accidental selling of herself into someone's harem. Someone could have read it and still not known what a eunich and harem were.

And I've regretted my inability to remember the book's title ever since. I can remember the plot, the cover, but not the title. I thought it was "The Black Tulip", but I can't find it online.

EDIT: I FOUND IT!!! Hooray!

Leyla: The Black Tulip by Alev Lytle Croutier, in the Girls of Many Lands series.

Girls from Many Lands series. I think I might want to collect that.

I wrote adult-oriented novels in 2006, and YA in 2007 and 08. I miss writing the swearing and sex talk (inuendo and explicit)... but at the same time, it is a different challenge. I know it happens, but I don't think I need to contribute to it in my stories - and if I want to get them published some day, I think it'll be easier if there is not a plethora of gratuitous swearing. I do think it is appropriate, and perhaps even unavoidable, at some points. If I get to one of those points, I will use the appropriate word. But I have not yet hit that point.

-----------------------------------------------
2008: Radiance of Moon (52699 words, Winner!)
2007: Firmness of Rock (54705 words, Winner!)
2006: The Story of Jack (51846 words, Winner!)
2006 Spade (50344 words, Winner!)

I was primarily a MG writer and dislike YA (which should come as no surprise since I'm male). I have two major beefs about the MG/YA genre:

1) Nostalgic (old storyteller) voice - please, it's time to stick grandma and grandma into the blender. Librarians and parents are the ones promoting writers like Richard Peck. I'm glad children are passionate about the stories they love and quickly forget the ones pushed upon them.

2) YA novels that are whiny self-absorbed messes - yes I understand teens can be like that, but I find it a lazy kind of writing especially if the main character is not an enlightened soul nor has a unique viewpoint.

YA novels don't need sex, vulgarity, etc. but if it's important to the story keep it.

Being fourteen and a freshman in a rather liberal high school, I think that people need to stop being so damn careful. We curse, we make sex jokes and yes, many people my age (and younger) not only know what drugs are and what sex is, but they are intimately acquainted with them. It's not out of the ordinary to overhear a friend talking about her little brother and his friends getting totally smashed on the 'weed cookies' his mom keeps in the freezer-- IN HEALTH CLASS. Real life is not as pretty and pure as writers make it out to be. Even people like me, who don't do the whole sex, drugs and partying routine know about this stuff and deal with it. Not to mention that easily half of my friends are gay or at least bisexual. I myself am bi, as are nearly all of my closest friends. I know probably three nice guys who aren't gay. Not to say that straight guys aren't nice or that I only hang out with the gay community, but that my experiance of school is that a lot of people are curious and that a lot of straight guys are just bags of douche, and that's all there is to it. I live in a very ordinary world where even polite girls laugh at sex jokes, everyone says retard, lots of people use drugs and practice self mutilation, even people who seem totally clean cut, and every fifth cheerio is a fruit loop, if you know what I mean. I don't know if my school is weird or something, but if my life is like this, I think that YA writers need to loosen up with the vulgarity and standards. Assume you're writing for a seventeen year old and you'll probably be in the right zone for a someone who's thirteen.

When in doubt, release the plot bunnies on your friends and laugh. And then get back to work.

I hate the stereotypes about children never getting along with their parents. I hate YA books where the parents don't have developed personalities--they just exist to give the main characters grief.

YA books where the parents are abusive (these aren't commonly published, but a lot of emo highschoolers like to write them and they sort of get on my nerves. Especially since it's almost never handled with finesse--just a bunch of angsty brats complaining about thier alcoholic parents).

YA books written by adults who don't take writing YA seriously. They think it's easy, and that teenagers are stupid and easy to please. They really piss me off.

Because updating my word count was so inspiring:

NaNo 08 (continued into December because I didn't finish it yet):
53,826

I agree with the above about Twilight and Eragon sucking HORRIBLY but becoming phenomenons. I personally HATED Twilight because it had no depth.

My main pet peeve? People who insult teens by thinking they -need- to be taught a lesson in the books. When I read the books I did in High School, the ones I liked best HAD no lesson. Like, Into the Wild is one of my favorite books I read in high school, because it was a cool story. Reading it didn't make me want to drop out of high school and travel the world in an old beater car, or change my name to Courtney Supertramp. It's insulting when anyone (authors, publishers, etc.) think that children/teens/young adults should be censored or protected by any sense of the word.

Take for instance the young authors above, aged 14 and older. They know about sex, that's what sex ed is for. Writing a book where everyone has sex all the time isn't going to make any of them go, "You know, I think I'm going to have sex with everyone because my moral compass strayed to the left after reading this novel." If you want to write a story about it, do it. It's your thing. I won't read it, I'll think it's stupid and unrealistic. In my books, my characters cuss. Why? Because I cuss, and have cussed since I can remember. I think "blasphemy" is the dumbest crock of shit excuse NOT to cuss or use certain words. Characters who have depth are interesting.

So, rant #50000 - characters that are ALL the same. Tommy, Jane, Bob, Sam...none of them cuss. They're so perfect. So is their mom and dad and sister and grandma and aunt, etc. etc. etc. The flawless characters in Twilight annoy me. The flawed characters of In The Forest of the Night and Demon in my View are so interesting! One character is a moral beacon, the next is dragging people into hell. I love it.

I absolutely understand what you're saying. I'll point out that the Harry Potter series is an odd case. Each book was literally written at a different reading level - reflecting the main character's age. That means the first book is at a sixth grade level, the second is at a seventh grade level, etc. until you reach the last book, which is on the level of a high school senior. That's reflected in what takes place in each book. The reader doesn't see anyone die until The Goblet of Fire, because younger readers may not be able to deal with "on screen" character death. Some would, but others wouldn't.

The fact is, most books - especially popular ones - aren't always read by the target audience. Second graders read Harry Potter, which - especially in the later books - are far outside their reading level. When I was that age, most of what I read was for middle grades. When I actually was at the age most young adult books are targeted at, I was reading adult fiction. (Now, I'm back to reading middle grade books...) That's what I keep in mind when I try to write a young adult novel: whether I intend it to be or not, some ten year old may well read my story. As someone else pointed out, you think you're writing for a seventeen year old, but you're really writing for a thirteen year old - who knows what you'd expect a seventeen year old to know. Really, what you have to do with any book you write is know your audience.

I'll close by saying this: if you find books for young adults beneath your level, why not just read the ones written for adults? It's not illegal to stray outside your reading group, you know? In fact, most teachers would probably applaud it.
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My point was that I deal with what I consider to be sensitive subject matter. So I'm careful - especially when I consider my younger audiences. I'm also of the opinion that you don't need sex, cursing, and graphic violence in order to make your novel interesting and to give your characters depth. And seriously, will it hurt kids not to read stuff that leaves it out?

I'm one of those "crazy" people who don't curse. Naturally, I have no desire to have my characters curse. I have mentioned in my books that so-and-so cursed. The people in question are villians, and it seemed natural for them to have a vocabulary that I don't use. However, I did not feel the need to share the curse word.

Again, my two cents. No, we don't have to actively teach a lesson, but we do need to be careful of what our books will tell the readers. Like it or not, they will probably learn something from it. I would prefer the lessons from my books to be positive ones.

Same with me. Though my first NaNo novel leans more mystery/sleuth genre it does feature teenagers (kinda like a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys thing).

Keep in mind that every teenager is different from each other. Some swear a lot, others don't. It's also safe to say that teenagers also make their own decisions on who they want to be as people, meaning they also have the right to choose not to swear or not talk about "risque" topics such as sex and drugs, not necessarily because their parents say so. I also have no desire to have my characters curse, simply because I myself don't curse (and this is by choice, not because my parents told me that cursing is evil).

streamergirl - I think you're perfectly normal. I think I was normal when I was a teen (I was a teen in the '90s, which was also a very gritty-liberal decade in my opinion). :)

But I also agree about the "hidden messages" that we're conveying through our books. The "level" of morality these days weren't as high as the ones in the past and in general I think many of us worry about how our world would be like with our future generation if we are sending messages that may deemed immoral or wrong or something. In addition I also had to keep in mind that not all teenagers have "a mind of their own," if you know what I mean. There are a lot of teenagers in general who are still searching for their identity and this is where they go through these peer pressure factors where they want to be someone else (ie. being popular or trying to be or look like their favorite teen star, that kinda thing, for example).

I'm probably babbling. I'm sorta losing focus. x_x

My NaNoWriMo! progress blog :: ADRIATASTIC! (writing station) :: My DeviantArt

I'm one of these "kids," and I, shockingly enough, have the ability to form an opinion on life NOT based on whatever vulgarity I happen to read. Kids may be impressionable, but kids can also think a little more than how you seem to think.

Besides, as authors, isn't our job to show enough sides of life that it's impossible to define "normal?" What is your definition of "normal?"

Not to be rude or anything. But I love that book, and that statement completely ruined it for me.

Now, onto my YA pet peeves...mostly, I really hate the stereotypical FMC in this genre. For one book, she's not that bad. A fairly strong-willed girl, generally liked by people, has that glaringly obvious and not at all offensive "normal" stamp on her forehead. But honestly...I've seen that character about five zillion times. I REALLY think it's time for something new, don't you? I'll admit, my FMC this year is this girl. *facepalm* From hence stems all the editing I now have to do.