Writing Adolescent Fiction/Teen pregnancy

When dealing with teen pregnancy, remember - your opinion about what should be done with the baby will shape your story. Whatever option your character chooses must be something you feel comfortable writing about, even if it is not the choice you would have made. For instance, if you do not feel right about writing about someone who has an abortion, don't have your character have an abortion.

Should your teen character decide to place the baby for adoption, the Web site Adoption Online has examples of letters from those seeking to adopt. These letters can be used as examples of what possible adoptive families will say about their homes, families, and why they want to adopt. Also look in your local library under the Dewey Decimal number 362.734, but choose those books that do not emphasize international adoption - books that emphasize international adoption do not tend to have anything about placing a baby for adoption.

Should she decide to have an abortion, books on this subject include Abortion by Carl N. Flanders (1990), and Abortion by Allison Lassieur (2001).

Should your character decide to keep the baby, examples of teen parents who have kept their babies can be found in the books Teen Fathers (1998) and Teen Mothers (1996), both by Gail B. Stewart and both part of the Other America series. Other books that might be helpful are Teen Parenting by Gail B. Stewart (2000), which is part of the Teen Issues series, and Teen Mothers: Raising a Baby (2000) and Teen Fathers: Getting Involved (2000), both by Julie Endersbe.