The "will it get published?" rant.

It's been too long since my last post, courtesy of GRE prep, work, and summer school. What's been on my mind lately in my writing is the topics in young adult novels. That is, what's appropriate to write about? What's not? Or, more accurately, what's publishable?
Young adult novels are definitely getting darker and, true to history, breaking the barriers. There's been a crazy amount of "dead teenager" books put out in the last couple of years, what with If I Stay, Thirteen Reasons Why and various other books. Not to mention Hunger Games.

Last summer, I picked up the book Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Upon reading it, I couldn't decide wasn't sure whether I was pleased or not to find that the first accurate representation of anorexia I've ever read as a teenage novel. Is it right to write about (no pun intended. Okay, maybe a little one)? There are pros and cons to both. When I read it, for example, I found myself thinking about how amazing it would have been when I was going through an eating disorder to have read the book, had someone to relate to. On the other hand, I was really glad I hadn't been able to read the book, because just reading such a relatable story and being able to get into the main characters mind stirred up all my old anorexic thoughts, which I'd been able to squelch before. Then again, that's just my reaction. It's a tricky business.
Basically, regardless of all the heavy teenage books being published, there are still some rules to cover. Is it okay to write books with underage smoking? Drinking? Drugs? Is it okay to write about death, sexual abuse, eating disorders, sex? Mostly sex. What are the rules about sex with teenagers? What if the problem isn't the focus of the story, but just something that happens in it? Most of all, will it get published? Current day evidence says yes, but I just don't know. I'm concerned, and I know it's come up in conversation about writing with my girlfriend. But if it isn't okay, then what about books like Because I am Furnature or even older ones like Speak? I write what I write because it's a good story, because I feel it's important. And because I had to turn something in to my advanced fiction class. Not to mention the fact that one of my main characters visited me in my sleep.
Unwritten rules are so complicated.
On the bright side, if these things are allowable, I'm in the right niche.

Next up: it's high time for a preview. A sample of my writing!