I'm currently writing this novel, which mostly centers around a thirteen year girl with a complicated relationship with her parents. Your average 11-16 year old kind of book I suppose. But I've recently decided to extend on another relationship she has with someone just slightly older. He's a sort of aquaintance at first, in a relationship with another male, but he has homophobic parents. He talks the main character through a difficult time and she later pretends to be his girlfriend in front of his parents. However, it turns out that he has some genuine feelings for her and reveals he believes he is actually bisexual not gay. I've had various idea's about how their relationship escalates, but I'm wondering how far I can actually take the physical side of their relationship. Whether I could have it getting to the extent of them sleeping together or whether it should stop at a little touchy feely stuff. Bearing in mind that this is ideally a book for 11-16 year olds and at this point in the story the main character is no older than 14.
Hi Emelia. I love your book idea and would ideally prefer to have my child read a book that would stop with touch and feeling and not the actual sleeping together. There's quite of emotion you can add to just that.
I read a book called Through the Amber spyglass. In it is the piece of a girl and boy about 12-11 years and being friends they discover each other in a different light. The affection stop when they tried to have their first kiss and hold each other's hand.
I thought it was a great read for that age group. Coming of age books are all about feelings and there's quite a lot to go about in a teenager's mind. They are four seasons in one day.
Good luck
Hi Emelia, it might be worth popping into your local book shop and having a browse through the 9-12 year readers and teen fiction sections. If the staff are friendly and approachable, it would be worth chatting to them and asking what is currently popular with children and young adults.
Ultimately, - unless you are writing purely for your own pleasure and then you can do whatever pleases you - you should be checking what children/teenagers read and enjoy. That way your completed novel will have a better chance of success with them. Children's/teenage fiction is one of the richest and most varied category imaginable.
Hmmmmm.... Physically, you can't enter into a wide field. Frankly, Teenagers are, well, lovers of the first quality but the relationship doesn't extend beyond some caresses and an occasional touch. I mean, unlike adults they are quite aware of what each touch means. They keep a respectful distance from each other. So basically you can show some touches, some kisses, but nothing more....
This is what happens where I live, anyway.
But sleeping together isn't a bad idea, lovers do that too. But you have to be careful that this doesn't enter the erotic realm or something like that..