68,825 word count
I've read so so so so many articles on how to write and what it's like to write a novel since I started my WIP and people were always say things like My characters surprised me and I use to roll my eyes, not sure what the hell they were talking about--
--Then I started to actually write and now, yes, my characters do surprise me. They are such different, more interesting people than I imagined them to be. Not sure how that happened. Well, anyway, they did something very surprising in the last scene I wrote...
They had sex! GASP! I mean, I'm just as surprised as they were! It was crazy cause I didn't picture the scene like that all but, hey, they are seventeen and eighteen so I guess that stuff does happen unexpectedly but I did not intend to write it at all.
Now, I think I've only read one or two young adult urban fantasy novels that had any semblance of a sex scene. Which is a little strange considering how intense young love is and how teenagers are in general. Having read a lot of romance novels in high school, I know how raunchy a sex scene can be written but this was not like that. Sorry for being cliche but it was beautiful and full of emotion (at least that's how I saw it).
Now, to me, sex scenes in YA and in adult are two different creatures. They are no mentions of thrusting motions or body parts specifically but it wasn't like they go in bed...and the next morning they wake up in each others arms...kind of thing. It was somewhere in the middle which I think is good and acceptable in this genre.
To me fantasy novels, especially urban fantasy, should be as realistic as possible in some respects so that people are able to suspend their beliefs about other things. And realistically teenagers are having sex, just get over it. I don't know why people pretend like heavy kissing is as far as they'll go and I see that a lot in these kind of novels.
And I can see why you would want to leave it out. It can take a lot of focus away from the plot and not everyone is okay with them but sometimes it's necessary. Plus, I couldn't stop my characters if I wanted to. They got carried away in the moment. Maybe I'll cut it in revisions, maybe not, but I won't cut it just because it's not the norm. Excited to see how they act after that!
How do you feel about sex in Young Adult?
