Hi, Stephen, thanks for commenting. I’m so glad you pointed out the need for being polite when writing about real people. There have been times when I’ve written something and people have been offended. It wasn’t my intention to upset someone, but I had not carefully read the comment before posting it. A good friend of mine likes to point out that when someone is reading your words, they can’t hear your voice. I’ve gotten into the habit of reading everything I post more than once, especially when it is about someone else.

I’ve also gotten into the habit of reading posts and comments more than once before dashing off an instant reply. Sometimes, I’ve been offended by a post on the first reading, but when I go back and re-read the comment hours or even one day later, I find that I had misunderstood what the author originally intended to say. I’ve learned to try and give everyone else the same benefit of the doubt that I’d like to have.

Thank you both for commenting!

A few junior/senior girls I know were saying that the peer pressure and ‘jocks vs. geeks vs. goths vs. cowboys’ aren’t the way its portrayed on tv or in books, and it wasn’t like that when I was in school either. Those groups existed, but the lines in the sand were more permeable.

I would suggest looking past the simplest expressions of who your characters are. Even Malfoy from Harry Potter wasn’t completely evil. He had moments of unsurety and some tough decisions. Everyone thinks their actions are the only reasonable course…it’s the writer’s job to show the reader how they might be right…in a way.