Hi Jim,

I have a rather unusual one for you. I’m trying to write a romance story dealing with two completely different species. However one of the characters who is going to be part of the relationship is only about 13 years old. Her race essentially reaches maturity at six years old, though they still look physically young and only live for about 40 years. I can’t retcon this because I’ve written previous books dealing with this race. I’m concerned that people may find this story to be promoting pedophilia. Do you have any advice on what I should do or how to write the characters?

Thanks,
(Name omitted by request)

Hello Anonymous,

Oh jeez… I’m afraid you’ve got me at a bit of an impasse here. On one hand, I am a strong advocate for freedom of expression and to write whatever you want outside of threats and incitement, but I’m also a huge child welfare advocate. So this posses a bit of a problem for me. Let’s see…

I mean technically you can write whatever you want, that’s your freedom, but you’re going to want to be aware of some things…

1. If your book gets any level of notoriety, be prepared for some blow back. Fire Emblem Awakening got it with Nowi. There will be accusations of pedophilia and things like that. Like it or not, even if that’s not your intent, you will get some people being icked out by things like this.
2. I STRONGLY recommend you check into your local laws. Several states/countries have decency laws that could take issue with what you’re writing. I’m not a lawyer nor a law professor, but this is something you definitely want to be aware of.

All in all, its your story, so write what you want. Several series have tackled unorthodox relationships in the past, Kes from Star Trek Voyager for example. This is why I’ve said that you should just write what you want to read instead of worrying about what others want. Keep in mind, you wouldn’t be the first to write something like this. There are movies, video games, books, etc. that cover this topic as well.

So as long as you’re not breaking any laws, I’d say write your story, see how it comes out and then determine how you want to go forward with it. You’re going to get critics whether you like it or not, so just be ready for it.

I’m sorry if this isn’t very helpful, but this really goes along with what I’ve said all along; Write what you’d like to read and then let your audience decide if they enjoy it. That’s really the best way to write.

Readers, do you have any advice?

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim