A Theme

Seems like a lot of shows cover teen pregnancy these days – not just TV, but also in the movies. Some make more publicity than others, but often it shows some choices that aren’t the best for teens, but so many of them make – whether they’re thinking about it or not.

It’s a difficult topic for a YA writer. Do you put on your kid gloves and pretend sex doesn’t exist until marriage? Do you get in the gritty and gruesome side and show actual choices teens face? Do you take a middle road and acknowledge it? Do you show your personal opinions in the writing, either way, and risk alienating those on each side of the fence who make up the readership?

Each writer must make the decision for herself. Those decisions color everything we write and make our books more personal. Personal, meaning closer to the writer’s thoughts and closer to readers. I haven’t tackled this topic yet, but it doesn’t mean I won’t.