As some of you know, I’m currently enrolled in two writer’s workshops through Writer’s Digest. For one of my recent assignments, I had to submit 1,000 words from my novel in which I had complicated my main character’s path to achieving her goal.
The excerpt I chose involved my main character, Calleigh, who was desperately searching for her friend and potential love interest, Aaron. He was planning to show up at the Fourth of July party on the beach but never did. Calleigh becomes worried for good reason. The excerpt begins with Calleigh finding him in the forest alone and unconscious. Beside him is an empty bottle of whiskey. Her cell phone battery went dead (of course) while she was looking for him. It’s a forty-five minute drive to the nearby town. And this is a forest, which means, you know, hungry animals like black bears and cougars might be searching for their next meal.
Because it’s impossible for Calleigh to drag Aaron to her car—it’s a long hike—she has only two choices: stay with him or drive back to town to get help. If she leaves, he could stop breathing and die. She decides to stay. The added bonus is that she used to be a lifeguard so she knows CPR. Also, it’s a popular hiking spot, so someone will show up the next day and can help them if necessary.
My instructor had some concerns, but they weren’t a big deal because I had dealt with them before the excerpt, only she didn’t know that. The problem came when I checked out the feedback from my classmates. One wrote: I worry that this part of your book might stir up some flack w/parents re: Calleigh not seeking help in a potentially deadly situation.
Now my first, second, and third response was great! Bring it on. One of the reasons I wrote Lost in a Heartbeat was to generate discussion among teenage girls, and hopefully reach out to someone who’s suffering through something similar to what Calleigh went through. If parents get upset about aspects of the story, such as the scene dealing with alcohol poisoning, then that’s a good thing. Maybe that will lead to a discussion within the family and school setting about the warnings signs of alcohol poisoning and what to do if you suspect it. Too many students have died because no one helped them when they passed out at a party. No one checked to make sure they were okay.
So here’s my question for you: Should writers of YA novels write stories that avoid upsetting parents, even if it means missing the chance of helping just one teen going through the same issue as our character? Or should we write realistic stories that deal with issues that are important to teens regardless of how some parents might react?
Now for some contest news. In case you haven't heard, and I'm sure every blogging writer in the blogosphere has, Sarah Wylie is having a contest to celebrate the sale of her novel. And the prizes are awesome. *runs off to enter*.