YA: Is my character supposed to be a good role model?

[Darwinist]

Been thinking of rebranding my character as younger, around his mid-teens. I wrote him as being rather vanilla at the moment, was thinking putting a Young Adult spin on him would bring out a few characteristics better. Problem is, the storyline I'm writing has him as an art thief. It's not a major part of the story I'm planning but it ties up a lot of backstory and propels the plot at the beginning (he steals something he shouldn't have). I don't condemn the theft or make any apologies for it - I'm wondering if I should worry about any kind of moral compass to my main character in this aspect.

[mithrandirthewhite]

I say no, on the basis that people arent perfect, and if you want a role model, have one who grows out of old faults, or that others who befriend the character not judge him for all his actions, but for good qualities.  And if it goes to the extreme, anti hero stories are fun too.

[Ramenth]

I'm not much of a YA reader, but I'd argue so long as he's compelling and ultimately a "good guy", especially if he steadily gets better through the story, you're fine.

[Nickeris86]

My main character in one of my novels is most definitely not a good role model. He cuts himself (blood magic) consorts with dark forces, and creates undead servants. though he hasn't ever done anything evil he is defiantly not the typical hero.

[Darwinist]

Yeah, that's more along what I meant, Nick

Though your example is to an extreme, I have to take into account that as young adult, it is intended for a moral audience. So, if as the other poster said, the character is redeemed in a way as the story progresses - can this override the initial morality of the character?

Case in point, the story starts with him stealing an object. The backstory is established that he is a thief. As the story progresses, the thievery is justified as the main character attempting to rid the world of a dangerous object.

My question is, do I really need to justify his theft? Can it be that the main character steals because he wants to steal? Would that alienate a younger audience? For adult fiction, you don't need to have these kinds of concerns, but from a publishable standpoint - should I justify the theft with a pretty little bow? Or just make my character a right old (young) bastard who gets his jollies from theft - and stumbles upon a dangerous object in the course of the story? The latter sounds much more fun to write than the former, but I'd hate to put so much time into a premise that will break a trope of the genre (morality)

[Nickeris86]

i would say let the little bugger steal, though you should give him a reason to steal rather than just because he likes to do it. For instance he could have come a poor family so he started shoplifting groceries to help feed his family, and got really good at it. Then he moved on to stealing bigger things because he enjoyed it and needed the money to buy shoes for his little sibling or something, and just have it escalate form there. He doesn't have to start out as a moral individual so long as he ends up doing the right thing in the end

[mithrandirthewhite]

All these comments are good, but I gather that few people here like anti hero stories.  They can work.  One of them is called Day of the Jackel.

[Nickeris86]

All these comments are good, but I gather that few people here like anti hero stories.  They can work.  One of them is called Day of the Jackel.

It's not that I like Anti Hero's, though I do, i just like main characters with depth and adding a flaw like he steals stuff is a relatively harmless way of giving them a flaw that while you may not agree with it or even like that aspect of the character it makes them more interesting to read then someone that never does anything wrong. Take Tony Stark from Iornman, the movies would not have been anywhere near as successful if he had been a boy scout and not a alcoholic womanizing dick. You wanted to hate him but he was just to damn charming and then he starts saving the world. He's still a dick but now he's a dick that is still at least trying to do the right thing.

[Gruud]

Don't know much of anything about YA, but in the case of theft and morality, I'd say be sure and show consequences to his actions, and/or have him know internally that stealing is wrong.

heck, you might even use that as his growth arc.

He starts out as a thieving little shit, but as time and the plot goes on, due to the results of his thefts, he "begins to see the light", etc.

FWIW

[SunshineDuk]

There's a lot of successful YA out there right with very anti-heroic characters. The Thief is about a pickpocket, The Demon's Lexicon is about a street badass, and even The Hunger Games' main character kills people left and right.

~Duk

[OZ]

I have read many successful stories about thieves but usually there is some redeeming characteristic, if not at the beginning then at some point in the story. Who are his victims? Would he have any second thoughts if he found out that his theft had bankrupted a family and let them starve? Would he care if someone else was punished or killed for failing to keep something safe? Would it bother him to find out that the painting he stole had sentimental value and that he left somone in tears or suicidal? Just to say he is a thief because he likes it leaves a lot of leeway. Of course some people have written stories about people who were real jerks and still sold books. I guess it partly depends on who you want your audience to be and how you want them to feel about your main character.

[meg_evonne]

It's the character that counts, not that s/he is a thief.

If you are serious about YA, get involved in SCWBI and attend events. You'll get up close and personal with agents and editors from major houses. You'll get a chance to ask them.  Also, on twitter, is #askagent. You might get on twitter and ask a YA agent what they think. nothing like a direct source.

[Quantus]

It depends somewhat on the particular moral grey area you are worried about, but in general I don't think your characters don't need to be moral in any particular way, but IMO when your target audience are young and/or impressionable, you should take at least a little care in presenting the story, or at least the immoral/amoral aspects, in some form of moral perspective, or at least draw attention to the moral question at some point.  The main thing to avoid is portraying the questionable aspect as common or acceptable or what have you.  If your MC is a thief, don't let him get thought the whole thing without somebody (himself or another character) questioning its moral implications, or else facing its consequences.  If your characters are vikings, its entirely possible that they will spend much of their time raping and pillaging, and may not ever think bad of it, but somewhere you might remind the reader that the lady might not appreciate it.  This is one of the complaints I hear most often regarding a certain shiny vampire series: that an angsty, obsessive, possessive, and often violent relationship is common and proper and something to strive for.  Not that any of that is all that unusual in a vampire setting, but it never really pointed that difference out, and as a result a whole crop of pre-teens are going to have dreams of a kind of relationship that in the real world just causes damage. 

</soapbox>

This is one of the few instances IMO that is easier to handle in a 3rd person POV than a 1st.  In 3rdPOV you just have to slant the narrative tone slightly, and you can usually keep everything grounded enough.  But in a 1stPOV, your narrative voice and tone cannot so easily diverge from what your character themselves is supposed to think/feel about the matter (unless you are narrating in a future musing memoir flashback sort of a way, which lets old MC comment on the foolishness of his own youth or whatnot). In those situations, it usually takes another character or event within the story to draw attention to the particular morality you are trying to preserve, even if its simply by contrast.  Or there is the redemption path, but then the morality is a central theme to the story, and is in no danger of getting lost. 

[Darwinist]

</soapbox>

Damn, well said. Got right to the root of my inquiry. I also like your idea on the POV, its something to consider. I'm a pretty weak 3rd POV writer, so it would be a challenge - but I agree it would make the narrative stronger and easier to follow.

[mithrandirthewhite]

You could also give him an annoying voice in the back of his head that berates him everytime he steals.  A bit cheesy I guess, but it's a thought.  Though its best to introbduce the concience after a traumatic moment, so that there would be a reason for it.