Hi! First post from this noob author. My main character is the 13-yo daughter of a veterinarian and sometimes observes her mother in surgery. Is it a good idea to describe the medical procedures my character is witnessing, to include biologically appropriate terms like testicle, nipple, uterus, etc? I think my target audience would benefit from frank and accurate descriptions, but I don't actually know how younger readers might react to a scene describing a dog being neutered at the vet's office. I don't want my readers (or their parents?) to be put off, but I also want to avoid euphemisms and be honest about what goes on in surgery.
I think this depends a lot on POV and the importance of witnessing the procedure. Is this a reverent piece of the story? And does adding these details fit with the narrative? I don't see anything wrong with using the appropriate language so long as it fits with the POV and is relevant to the story. But if your 13 year old is your POV character, think about the terminology that would come to mind, specific to this character. If you're writing in omniscient, then I think using those words would be fine. They might be fine either way. But there is also a big difference between tween books and young adult books. Tweens are less likely to feel comfortable reading those words or they could grab their attention. I don't think these terms will be off-putting to young adults.
Why would it not be a good idea? If she knows the terms (and if she lives with vets I'm sure she would know these pretty basic anatomical terms) then sure. Also, 13 is well old enough for sex education. It's hardly inappropriate for kids that age to be exposed to what is about to be a very real part of life and, as far as puberty goes, probably already is. God help any poor girl who gets her first period without ever being told about her uterus.
Who is the POV character? Is it the girl? (what is her name? I'll call her Girl) If it's third person, deep third person or first I would bear in mind that Girl IS 13 years old and may not be privy to all the medical terms. You may need to change the terminology to its simplest form. Uterus and penis/testicles would probably be okay, once you explain it. However, is there a true reason for her to watch her mother have surgery? Or are you trying to educate readers? I would see about talking to a thirteen year old girl and her mother, asking them if the girl would find it interesting and if the mother would be okay with it. Include a short sample story for the mom then the daughter to read. When writing things from a child's POV you must remember to describe things as a child would. This is harder than it sounds. The younget the child the simpler you must be. Your best bet is to search for stories and documents done BY the children of your age group. Let's think about Harry Potter. (You HAVE read this book right? If not read it. Theres way to find copies of it.) Rowling said that her target audience was for the 13ish year boys. Instead she captivated the world with her own magical world. Anyhow, if you were to read it, or examine it, you would notice that she never, ever get's technical or does advanced descriptions. She keeps it simple. So simple that even a 8 year old can understand it. That's what you call stepping into the character's perceptions. Sop, you must become Girl. See the world through Girl's eyes. Find out how real girls see the world. If they are willing take an object and ask them to describe it in their own words and take notes, or record it. I am a woman who writes from a young man's perspective. I had to learn how men think, how educated men describe things then I had to research ranchers because my protagonist is a unicorn rancher. I studied videos and books on how they wrangle their horses, the terms, anything I might need and I took notes. I had to do a little inventing because of the unicorn's horn but I keep it realistic. I even gently added a few things that horses do not have but basically my unicorns are modified horses. Even a fantasy world like mine must have a basis of reality to make it feel real. The same went for Rowling. examine her world and see the similarities to the real world. There's more than you think there is. The Weasleys have a pigpin, and a car. Mr Weasly has a job, just like any average Joe. Sure the Potter world is magic but if you know where to look, there's a type of magic in the real world. Look at Sunsets, no two is exactly alike. Climb a mountain and look at the world far below. There's just something magical about staring at the world spread out around you. Seeing a distant factory belching plumes of smoke like a little toy. Staring at roads meandering through the landscape. Watching cars zooming along an interstate going who knows where. You want to simply stand there and soak in the awe of the mountain top, the flowers and weeds rustling in the breeze around you until you realize it's getting late and you make your way back down to where your family is. As you slide down the muddy areas where you painstakingly climbed only hours before, hoping and praying that you can find the place you come from. Your clothes often caught on briarers that you know you've seen before. The joy you feel when you find your own landmarks. Relief floods you as you finally return to where you started. Then you realize that you have to figure out how to explain to your parent where you went as you hear them call your name. You remember the sights you saw and decide to tell them the truth. Looking back, you realize how dangerous it was to do that and you chuckle, knowing why your mom and pop was so angry with you. Ahhh good times. As you can probably tell, that's one of my own memories. Anyhow, I was only 17 at the time and you see how I didn't do complex descriptions and I , hopefully, pulled you into my memory and let you see it through my eyes. That's what I'm talking about. it's all a matter of perceptions of the age/gender. Okay I'm out. have a fantastic day/night
