Is burning someone alive too violent for a young adult book? http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170 dalton My novel isn't strictly YA but i'm hoping to have as many people read as possible. But is having a character burnt alive too violent? It's not a graphic scene, but it is designed to be a shocking moment. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:08:34 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_802871 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_802871 Dennis Dunjinman It wasn't too graphic when my favorite anime did this when I was four. I had a video tape of classic fairy tales that I wastched over and over again. At the end of the one about The Six Swans, the brothers vouched for their sister and she was saved from the stake, but witch wanted to burn her anyway and set herself on fire instead. Then she ran through the crowd, all ablaze, screaming for help and not getting any. Granted, this was a cheap 80's anime cartoon, and the witch got what she deserved. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:35:51 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_803709 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_803709 larri2005 Isn't there a scene in Wizard of Oz when the Wicked Witch of the West sets him on fire? You should be fine. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:31:40 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_804124 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_804124 LuLiLa That's perfectly fine, usually children in the YA age group have already been exposed to far worse... I'd say it would be fine even if it were graphic (though this is coming from someone who is doing a bit of a horrorish novel for NaNo). In my novel I have someone freezing to death sort of, someone getting shot, someone dying in a car crash and then someone dissecting a child's body XD. Just write, don't let your concerns get in the way! Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:46:32 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_804737 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_804737 Safkhet No, it's not. By the time you're a teenager- and I am one, so I know- you've seen murders on TV, R-rated movies, etc. etc. etc. A ten-year-old might not read it, but teenagers are already used to violence and gore and whatnot. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 11:48:42 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_805317 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_805317 R_C_LandPsMommy05 No. In a recent very popular book series, the first of which is being made into a movie in March (you all know if you have read it) there are a few characters who endure burning. One dies from burning. I don' t think it's too graphic for YA. Plus, most kids will have seen shows like Heroes where people die in fires or movies where that happens by the time they are that age. The age group for YA can also range from 12-25 or higher so I think it's just up to you how much you want to show. Tell your story. Let the reader and/or their parents figure out what's best for them to read. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:09:19 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_806784 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_806784 luvinpadfoot In Tamora Pierce's book Cold Fire she burns a pretty important character alive at the end. It's a YA novel and I never thought twice about it. You shouldn't have a problem. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:39:22 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_809369 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_809369 Suzana Mazon Go for it, as long as it's part of the story. Stephen Kings "Fire Starter" and "Carrie"; Heroes; Bones; No Ordinary Family; any of the NCIS or other autopsy shows - YA have all been exposed to burning bodies or seen burned corpses. There's almost nothing worse in terms of injuries and pain, and as a veteran of having worked in a hospital with a burn ward, please use it judiciously. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 04:16:59 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_815930 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_815930 Hanka Think of Haensel and Gretel. They burn the witch alive and it's a fairy tale for children^^ Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:46:27 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_816972 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_816972 AltoidStorm Haha, look at some of the things from The Hunger Games. I don't think burning alive is too much. Just watch the intimate details and you're fine. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:49:47 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_820506 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_820506 R_C_LandPsMommy05 Yup, Hunger Games is what I was getting at before. I was just trying to be sly and subtle about it. ;) There are some characters in that series who are severely mutilated as well, like some of their body parts are cut out. Etc. In Harry Potter, a bunch of characters are killed--and by that I mean, murdered, so no. I don't think it's too "violent' for YA. In fact, the first major character to be killed (aside from the MC's parents) is a teenager. Many of those who die are young people. I think it's a lesson you learn when you're that age. Sadly, it's one that happens all too often: people die too soon and there's sometimes nothing you can do about it. I think it's a hard but important lesson that needs to be recognized in books and if you do it properly, your book can be a great one. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:43:21 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_887472 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_887472 silvertouch Maggie Stiefvater burns a character alive in Ballad (one of my very favourite books) but it's kind of the entire point of the book, that she has to burn or she can't reincarnate. The actual scene is done at the end of a chapter from the POV of one character outside, and then there is a shorter one during it from the POV of the burning girl. It's done very lyrically and almost quietly. Sat, 10 Dec 2011 13:53:34 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_959413 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_959413 Hanka Nope. Definitely not. Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:49:47 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1012215 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1012215 Vacillator Doesn't someone (I heard Crabbe or Goyle) get burned alive in one of the later Harry Potter books? I stopped reading after 5, so I can't say for sure. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:07:54 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1136670 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1136670 Caseyhein No spoiler but allusions to a spoiler. I was wondering this also, I just finished the Hunger Games trilogy, and for some reason I thought that the series would end with the MC starting herself on fire as a last act of defiance. Much like the Tibetan Monks who practice Self Immolation to protest the tyranny of the Chinese govt. I honestly thought that's where the writer was going with the whole "Katniss, the girl who was on fire" line that got repeated over and over again. I can't help but think that in that regard, it would be an extremely powerful moment. I would have been impacted far greater if the character had met such a tragic/heroic/defiant way for her character to go out. I don't think that the readers of YA would be adversely affected by this, but the parents of the readers might have a big issue about not wanting their kids exposed to this. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:21:27 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1141696 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1141696 beanza3 Goyle (I think) does end up burned... I dunno about Crabbe... :D Or switch that. O.o Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:22:18 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1152999 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1152999 beanza3 I wouldn't like that, just because it'd be odd. Do you mean like, if she was trapped or forced to do something terrible, ect ect? Cause I could see that then, and it would be good, theme wise. :D But just randomly setting herself on fire (which is how I read your post) would be... odd, at best. :D Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:24:06 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1153003 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/41170?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1153003