z

Young Writers Society


Ratings confuse me, help



User avatar
1087 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 44360
Reviews: 1087
Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:38 am
Sins says...



I don't know what it is, but I am absolutely shocking at understanding what is and isn't appropriate when it comes to rating things.

To cut a long story short, I'm toying with the idea of throwing drugs into this story of mine. Only marijuana, no Class A territory here, but said story is YA fiction. As such, I'm a bit sketchy on whether that's appropriate, and at what age the cut off point of appropriateness would be. Not going to lie, I grew up in a rough as hell area, so knew all about this stuff when I was pretty young. So yeah... I think it's given me a warped view of what's appropriate for what age.

I also kinda wanna use the f-bomb in this same story, not left right and centre or anything, but occasionally. Literally like no more than 5 times in the whole novel probably, it's just that in some dialogue, it feels right, y'know? If I were to throw the drug use into it, should I may as well throw said f-bombs into it as well (or vice versa)? Or is there a fair difference between drug-use and f-bombs in regards to appropriateness? It's just a struggle because on one hand, I don't want my YA fiction to be inappropriate for YAs, but it's quite a raw story that deals with some hefty topics, so don't want it to be sugarcoated.

I'm so clueless, it's embarrassing.

You can't really ask an expert on this kind of thing, so I guess I'm looking for opinions more than anything. Just anyone who understands ratings any better than I do which, let's be fair, is everyone.
I didn't know what to put here so I put this.
  





User avatar
425 Reviews



Gender: Gendervague he/she/they
Points: 50
Reviews: 425
Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:46 am
View Likes
Vervain says...



Honestly, there's a lot of YA fiction with strong language and drug references, especially realistic YA, so I don't think you'd be too out of the age range there.

The fact is, a lot of teens and young adults DO know and say a lot of these things, so it's less a question of "is it appropriate for the age range?" and more a question of "is it appropriate for the story itself?" Obviously, don't shove drug references and cursing in where they don't belong, but don't feel like you have to shy away from writing things that are a natural part of your story because of some arbitrarily overprotective parents. If it fits in your story, go ahead—I recently read a teen novel (for like age 14-16) with multiple explicit references to sexual themes and cursing, as well as an in-depth discussion of depression, and it fit pretty squarely in the age range it was written for.

Also, it's important for teens and young adults to have cursing and stuff like this in fiction, in my opinion. (Just an opinion.) If everything we read is sugarcoated and whitewashed to be Clean As Clean Can Be, then we're going to have a pretty dull idea of fiction and the real world through fiction. Actually, one of the most common arguments against reading library-stocked fiction that I heard in my high school environment was that it was too clean and unrealistic, and none of the teenagers acted like actual teenagers.

So really, like I said, I don't think it's a question of "inappropriate" so much as it is a question of "natural".
stay off the faerie paths
  





User avatar
1087 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 44360
Reviews: 1087
Fri Apr 29, 2016 1:03 am
Sins says...



Thanks Lareine, that response is super helpful!

I definitely agree on the natural thing, and deep down I know that's the most important thing, I think I just worry that what's natural to me is completely unnatural to everyone else.

Whatever the case, I know I wouldn't just be throwing that stuff in for the heck of it. The drug use was in the original draft because that's how I imagined the scene originally, and the f-bomb thing is just applicable to certain scraps of dialogue that are itching me. A lot of the dark topics in this story are quite subtle e.g. there's a self-harm reference, but only more mature folk/those with decent knowledge on the topic would really pick up on it, so there's also the concern that throwing in drug use and f-bombs could take away some of that subtlety.

I think I'm going to go with it though. I'm definitely going to have a toy around with it anywho, and see how it reads back.
I didn't know what to put here so I put this.
  





User avatar
117 Reviews



Gender: nonbinary
Points: 4007
Reviews: 117
Fri Apr 29, 2016 9:36 am
View Likes
crossroads says...



From what I've seen on various agents' sites, blogs, publishers' pages and published authors' platforms -- and I guess those are as close to experts as it comes? -- generally it's fine. If it makes sense with the story and the characters, it shouldn't be left out. That is, of course, individual tastes vary and some people might like the darker details while others might dislike them, but in terms of YA as a category there doesn't seem to be a rule about it.

The only thing that they all say, and that I'd also recommend, is that you don't make your story send a clear message that, oh, drugs and swearing and self-harm and whatnot are cool-- but I don't think it does, from how you talk about it.
• previously ChildOfNowhere
- they/them -
literary fantasy with a fairytale flavour
  





User avatar
1087 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 44360
Reviews: 1087
Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:07 pm
Sins says...



@ChildOfNowhere - Thanks for the guidance. Avoiding such insinuations is my number one priority, so I've definitely been super careful with that. Hopefully it's worked out okay!
I didn't know what to put here so I put this.
  





User avatar
121 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 1832
Reviews: 121
Sat Apr 30, 2016 3:14 pm
View Likes
WritingWolf says...



I think Lareine and ChildOfNowhere summed it up pretty well, but because I grew up in a slightly more sheltered environment then most teens I'm going to drop my thoughts as well. :)

For the drugs thing, how much do you talk about it in the story? If it's just a reference or only a few scenes then I wouldn't have any qualms about it. Personally, I wouldn't want to read a book that brings drugs up again and again though. But that is just a taste thing, there are plenty of young adults that wouldn't mind.

For language, anytime it's spread out I think it's fine. The question I have is is there other cursing in the book, and if so how much? Within my circles of friends (some of which are more sheltered than I) it isn't uncommon for someone to put down a book because it curses too much. For someone who isn't used to being around a lot of that kind of language it stands out more and can give the writing a more choppy feel, which isn't fun to read. I know one girl who her speech patterns tends to mimic that of whatever she's reading slightly, most of the time it isn't noticeable but because of it she doesn't read books with a lot of language because she doesn't want to throw words like that around carelessly.

So I guess what I'm saying is that no, there isn't anything wrong with having that stuff in YA, but depending on how much there is it will affect who reads your book. So long as you are aware of that impact, go right on ahead. :)
Although I don't know anything else about your story. If it is naturally a very dark story then most of the people who would be turned away by drugs and language probably wouldn't have picked it up in the first place therefor making everything I've just said pointless. I dunno, maybe you'll find something useful in there.

Good luck with your writing!
~You can only grasp what you reach for~
  





User avatar
1087 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 44360
Reviews: 1087
Sat Apr 30, 2016 6:05 pm
Sins says...



Thanks @WritingWolf! It's really good hearing it from a perspective like yours.

The drug thing is only one scene/chapter, and there are extremely loose references maybe two or three times throughout the whole thing, so it is pretty minimal. As for the language, there is quite general cursing e.g. the less subtle synonym for poo, alternative to donkey-hole, if you catch my drift. They're ot said every five seconds, don't get me wrong, but they're part of a few characters' vocabulary. Just nothing as extreme as the f-bomb.

But yus, thanks for your view on things! It's kinda dark, but not crazy dark, so that's where a lot of my uncertainty about this stems from, I think. What you've noted has been helpful though, thanks :)
I didn't know what to put here so I put this.
  








You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot stop Spring from coming.
— Pablo Neruda