What’s “Write On Con?”
WriteOnCon is an online writer's conference for kidlit writers. For more details you can check our about page.
Write On Con will take place Tuesday – Wednesday, August 14 – 15, 2012.
Interested in working with the writers of WriteOnCon for the conference? Check out our proposal form.
Finally, if you have any questions, hop on over to our FAQ section or shoot us an email at writeoncon at gmail dot com.
The Reading Room
The emphasis is on community.
Thank you so much Suzanne, you have offered some great advice here. This isn’t really my genre but I’d certainly feel more comfortable including this in future works after watching this. Thanks.
So you’re saying I have to take out all that throbbing?
j/k Great advice regarding a sometimes delicate subject. I’ve heard authors say they didn’t want to put it in because they felt as though it gave the teens permission to go there, so to speak. I think they’re going to be going there whether they read about it or not. Seeing it written about in an honest, and lovely way would probably be appreciated. Thanks for the great vlog.
I love you. Hahaha, I totally agree with everything your saying.
It irritates me when people say sex shouldnt be in YA. But in all reality, sex happens. Its natural.
I Loved Perfect Chemistry. Shiver as well.
I havnt picked up any of your books, but they have been on my wish list for sometime.
Thanks!!!!
Leilani
Thank you, Suzanne, those comments make me feel better about where I need to position my novel. In my first one the main characters never quite ‘hook up’ so I’ve pitched it as YA to some agents. But my second one with the same characters has lots of sex in it – all behind closed doors – by this time they are both 18 and it’s 1982. So maybe I’ll try a few more YA agents.
Thank you, Suzanne, for taking time out of your busy day to be here. You have offered some great advice on a delicate subject. I totally agree with the forced issue! Sex/Hooking Up should be easy and natural.
Great vlog on a touchy subject. I think your advice and thoughts on the matter is pretty much the way I feel.
I have not written a YA yet but have an idea for one that may involve some sex scenes so this was very helpful.
Yay for Perfect Chemistry! I agree with everything you said, Suzanne. Sexual tension has to have pay off for the reader.
And you did a great job with it in The Naughty List. Can’t wait for the sexual tension in the sequel.
Love it! You’re so witty.
That was delightful and useful! Thank you.
My problem is this: I really do NOT want to send the message to readers that sex is good or even okay when you’re a teenager. It’s hard for me to keep my personal and religious beliefs regarding sex OUT of the book and not into it. That’s why it’s hard for me to decide how to use sexuality in my book.
Thanks that was awesome. Very penetrating.. wait no, that’s gross, in depth, gross too.
That was better then lost it, because lets face it, losing it hurts and it’s awkward and awful, so yeah that vlog was WAY better.
Seriously it was great thank you.
OMG, I never even thought about the issue of mentioning protection! Now I’m thinking I should bring this up with my editor. Thanks for a fun and thought-provoking vlog. Stasia
Cassandra, that is a concern with a lot of writers. And I think the answer is, don’t put in anything you’re not comfortable with. It will show through. I read plenty of books where they end in a kiss and it’s just as exciting because it fits the tone of the book.
And thanks everyone! I’m glad you enjoyed it! I really appreciate you checking me out. heh heh
Great vlog, Suz!
Cassandra, I think a way out of that for you might be for your characters to hold those religious beliefs. Otherwise, you’re forcing them to obey a doctrine they don’t believe in, which won’t feel natural. But if they do hold those beliefs, then there’s a reason why they don’t hook up, and it stays true to them.
Haha, thanks Suzanne. Thank you very much, in fact. I’ve had a problem with this because I live in Iceland and parents here don’t mind sex in books as much as American parents seem to do. I don’t know why this is, but Icelandic parents just kind of accept that sexual curiosity is a part of a teenager’s life. I read somewhere a good article or a blog about why not let them find out about it in YA books? There are repercussion where they have to deal with things afterwards, they sometimes discover that it’s not all that great, they get betrayed, etc. Better for them to learn about this in a book than test it for themselves, right? Anyway, I think I’ll just write my scenes now as I write them and trust the editor to know how far is too far, as you suggest.
Tasteful and true to the characters. Good way to put it.
Thank you so much.
Great post! I love what you say about wanting more sex in YA! (and, of course, not gratuitous scenes…but the whole idea of hooking up is a huge deal for teens!) A mentor once gave me THE JOY OF WRITING SEX: A GUIDE FOR FICTION WRITERS by Elizabeth Benedict, which has been very helpful!
Great vlog, Suzanne! Though the MC in my WIP is not yet sexually active, by the second paragraph, she receives condoms and KY jelly…from her mother.
Thanks for the good advice! I will definitely review and revise where necessary to ensure the story rings true.
I am so glad this was addressed. Thank you for taking the time to talk about sex in YA.
Funny and informative. Thank you!
This really helped answer a lot of questions I have been asking myself as a writer. Thank you so much.
Christine.
Excellent post. My characters tend to be on the older side of YA, so sex is a real issue in my books. This helps a lot!
Great vlog, Suzanne!! And excellent advice to keep the character in mind. And that you can always tone it down later. Thanks:-)
LOL!
Great advice on an interesting topic. I’m kind of bummed my interspecies characters aren’t allowed to throb and flower, though.
Thanks, everyone!
And KrisT, you just made me choke on my Diet Pepsi. Nice comment. haha
Suzanne – Thank you for keeping it real. Exactly what authors are supposed to do.
Thank you thank you thank you… so helpful – great advise.
Thanks for the tips! I’ve been writing around the part of my story that may have a sex scene, so these tips will prove to be very helpful when I’m finally ready to just do it already!
Smiling a lot as I sip my coffee here, Suzanne! Thank you for the frank sex talk. It’s the best kind.
Common sense with a little dash of wit.
Thanks Suzanne.
Great vlog, Suzanne. Very thought-provoking.
Thanks for the info. I agree that shock value isn’t a good enough reason for sex in YA. See you on your blog. :]
Suzanne, as a YA writer I found your volg very helpful, as well as, funny. I find the idea of writing a sex scene in my YA fiction a sticky situation and feel a little unsure as to how to proceed. (Okay, why is it when you write about sex everything you type seems to have sexual connotations?) I have asked myself “how far is too far” and it was helpful to hear that you had examined the same issue. The fundamental idea of keeping the audience in mind, not as a parent or teacher, but as the character you are writing is the heart of the matter. Writers must be true to the characters they create, if they aren’t it shows. I have found that teens are much less likely to accept the unbelievable (especially if it relates to them) than adults, and if the characters aren’t lifelike, they won’t buy it.
[...] Sex in YA: The ABC’s of Hooking Up by author Suzanne Young [...]