So is my book going to be banned and shunned?

There have been many "worse" books written. Really, I wouldn't worry about it.

___
a blind lover, don't know
what I love til I write it out.
- michael ondaatje

If you can get it published, then who cares? A banning is like a big sticker that says BUY ME.

You book may be banned not for the content, but how you are portraying it. Understand that kids are waaaaaay more easily affected than most people give them credit. Take in point, Michael Vick the football player who was found guilty of horrendous acts of animal cruetly. You would think that teens would see this as humanity at it's least honorable, but nooooo. Dog fighting went up. I know, I work in the rescue field and see the results of kids who think he was cool, not cruel.

My suggestion given in a loving way is take a big girl pill and rewrite. Be the responsible adult and clearly portray these kids in a way that will not encourage a gutter driven way of life. Good luck.

Charlotte Mielziner
Certified in Canine Behavior, Purdue University
AKC Rally Judge #43992
ABC Training Mentor
"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." Mother Theresa

Stupid question, but how do I have to imagine a positive gay couple when they ain't the most moral people?
Or does that part only adhere to the antagonists of the story?

But besides, I wouldn't think that your novel as such will stand much of chance to find a publisher in the YA field with these portrayals.

I've read elsewhere in this forum about the writer's responsibility to explore consequences of the MCs' actions. So if a character does something illegal, there must be consequences, rather than to glorify such actions. (in YA). Obviously, the movie theatres are full of films that glorify crime, with very little consequences. Our culture is addicted to this stuff. But as YA authors, I think it is important to fully explore choices that characters face, and how they grapple with whatever consequences. The world is a difficult place, and teens are on the front lines.

Doubt if gay theme is any obstacle at all to publication. Ask a librarian.

Neither is fighting. Again, it is the way these elements are explored and the way that characters change/ are changed in a novel that is most important.

Good luck with your book! Write from the heart & work on the craft & create a novel that you are proud of . This is key!

saposapo

I'm writing a "gay" novel, as it were, but I'm not worried. I've been reading every book with such content I can get my hands on, and there are more out there than you're probably aware of. It won't get banned for homosexual content and mild cussing. Not to mention driving recklessly and blatantly disregarding rules are just the mark of a typical teen. I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't sound like it would get banned or shunned.

My opinion? Getting banned means you're doing it right, if you're willing to sacrifice your art for the sake of protecting the kiddies then you shouldn't be writing, and if a teen reads a book and does something stupid as a result of it, it's called Darwinism.

My advice is to write the book to fit your vision. Once you are happy with your work, start shopping it around. If you have gone to far with your characters it won't sell, if you have developed a sound plot you should get some positive feedback (I've gotten a few rejection letters that have personal notes from the editors offering advice about how to improve my manuscript). Something else you can try is sending your book to a manuscript doctor who can give you an opinion in your characters.

One thing you might want to keep in mind, is that your readers have to care for your characters, if they are totally obnoxious or your reader is unable to identify with them, your book will suffer.

I hope this post makes some sense, it doesn't feel like all of my synapses are firing right now.

xD Well, I'm not sure if you really have to worry about encouraging the gutter driven way of life, considering the only people who'll be in a position to be encouraged will be the kinds who actually read for fun.

And while we're all stereotyping here, I'll have to say that people who torture animals don't strike me as the type of people who read for fun. They strike me as the type who torture animals for fun.

Besides, I know many many teenagers who think that animal cruelty was wrong and would think that guy was sick. I think that censoring yourself to 'save the children' is just silly. You don't think children can come up with sick things to do on their own? They can. Trust me, they can. We're not all innocent butterflies, we don't get our evil ideas from everyone else. Case in point that I'm a writer, and I've written about some pretty horrifying things. I thought up that stuff on my own.

Blaming writers and adults for the teenage crime rate is just ridiculous.

Because updating my word count was so inspiring:

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

I was chatting with a friend in the publishing field and she mentioned that gay teen lit could be the "Next Big Thing."

Write on!! Do what you think is best for your characters and your story. If it's a good book and a publisher wants it - if there is anything askew, they will let you know.

Happy Writing ~

CN

CanadianNational : Speaking as a slash fangirl, this would be lovely!

Honestly, there will probably be a few conservative high school libraries who don't want the book around. That kind of stuff happens all the time. But that doesn't mean that you can't make money off the book. Certainly somebody will publish that sort of content, and after that, nobody will care enough to keep it from book stores or public libraries. Go for it! :-)