A Question of Sex

Well, if they don't know each other very well, they might not, depending on their ideas on casual sex.

But I don't think a little fun is excluded, either. If the don't see it as an intimate act between people who really care bout each other, but just something fun to do, I don't see why they wouldn't go ahead and do it. But it really depends on the characterization.

All lines are arbitrary; otherwise, we wouldn't have to draw them. ~Nicholas Vesiri

http://atsiko.wordpress.com

My answer to this question is going to be two-part.

The first part is this: Is it necessary to your characterization, your plot, and everything that would happen after that kind of scene? Even in novels where the characters are adults, sex does not happen on screen unless it needs to happen on screen (usually). Especially in a novel where the characters in questions are not adults, this needs to be true. Actually, this should be true of every life-altering decision you put your characters through. It must have a point. Not just, how can I spice things up? If you write it in that way, your readers will be wondering why it happened and feel a little disappointed if nothing happens from it.

The second part is this: If you choose to go this direction with your characters, having said that they don't understand the concept or the consequences, the actual act would be very... awkward and boring. They would probably get undressed and then have no idea what to do. After figuring it out, they would probably "do it" for about 2 minutes before giving up. If they do not know what they are doing, having been asking friends or whoever/whatever about it, they probably won't be good at it. So don't make it the "best thing ever" for them; it flat out won't be. In fact, it will probably be pretty terrible and cause a rift between your characters on some level.
Also, as far as I remember and am aware of teenagers now, having crazy hormones does not lead to sex. I knew plenty of people in high school (ok, everyone in high school) who had crazy hormones who did not have sex. And not necessarily because they knew or didn't know the consequences. More that something stops teens (at least the first several times) from crossing that line unless very, very pressured. (Unless they are the pressure-r and very driven to have sex; that does happen.)

The third part is this: Being that I found this topic in the Fantasy forum, a lot of these decisions will ride on how your characters were socialized growing up and in the now. Obviously, in the modern world (in America more specifically where I am from) there is a very big stigma on waiting to have sex until you are "ready," though no one can ever seem to guess what that means. This may be different in your world. If you were writing a novel that followed more medieval or horse-and-sword (i.e. princes and castles and such) plot lines, it could be likely that the characters could hit this point in their lives earlier. If your fantasy is set in the modern world, it will need to follow current socialization.

Ok, so this was more that 2 parts, but I hoped it helped. I just read a book last night that had a very similar "they don't know what they are doing but are pressured by social standards" to commit a sexual act. It is very awkward, very uncomfortable, and they did not much speak to each other after that. Subtly, it touched on the idea that this decision will change your life and your relationship with someone, even if you aren't aware of that going in. In reality, this could be a good opportunity to touch on how sex effects teenagers even if we "hide" it from them; but make sure it is done in a way that makes it clear that these things do happen, can be prevented, and should not be encouraged. [Hope that last part wasn't too preachy.]

Both answers are helpful so thank you.

It wouldn't be sex just to spince things up in the novel, but i have a hard time with the fact that i spend a lot of time discussing how these children live alone, without adults and how they spend their lives etc in a frank manner and yet i haven't really brought up the idea of sex, which would be a large part of the lives of the older children anyway. They both have had sex before so they wouldn't be confused about the mechanics etc

Thanks!

Sarah

"She said she cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful and life was so short" - Brian Andreas

I don't think just because they like each other and they have hormones it should automatically lead to sex. I mean, if they start making out and stuff, that makes sense, but even that doesn't have to lead to sex. But, in the end, they're your characters so you can make them do whatever you want.

"Nailing a live octopus to a wall is impossible. Everything else is merely difficult." -Simon R. Green

I agree with Atsiko.

Another thing that might affect their decision: do they have any experience (either with actual sex or masturbation)? You said "they just know it feels good and it's what their hormones are driving them to do." It's not clear if they personally know that it feels good, or if that's just something they heard from others. If it's just something they heard, and they've never done anything, then it probably *won't* feel good the first time.

Sorry, i thought i had cleared that up. They both have had sex before, so it would not be a new experience for either of them.
Thanks!

Sarah

"She said she cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful and life was so short" - Brian Andreas