Looking for someone to help me with a story set in a school

[AJ_Watson]

I have an idea for a story lined up that I want to set in a high school - nothing untoward going on, participants are all of age. I decided that as a challenge I'd try to write about a US school. However, I am from Scotland and am terribly ignorant. Don't know much about the US education system either ;-)

Now of course I can operate a search engine as well as the next man but I like to cover all my options. Therefore I'm appealing for a charitable person, familiar with the aforementioned institutions and with lots of patience to join in the fun and act as my consultant for this project. No beta reading involved, just answering my scatter-brained questions when they come up.

All applicants welcome, I wont be charging much for this opportunity

NB : Actual fun may vary.

 

[Guest]

I have an idea for a story lined up that I want to set in a high school - nothing untoward going on, participants are all of age. I decided that as a challenge I'd try to write about a US school. However, I am from Scotland and am terribly ignorant. Don't know much about the US education system either ;-)

Now of course I can operate a search engine as well as the next man but I like to cover all my options. Therefore I'm appealing for a charitable person, familiar with the aforementioned institutions and with lots of patience to join in the fun and act as my consultant for this project. No beta reading involved, just answering my scatter-brained questions when they come up.

All applicants welcome, I wont be charging much for this opportunity

NB : Actual fun may vary.

I'm certainly not available 24/7 but if you have questions, toss some them out on this thread. I'd answer a few and I'm sure other people would enjoy helping.

 

[kromen]

I'll check back on this thread too. I like helping. LOL

 

[3113]

I have an idea for a story lined up that I want to set in a high school - nothing untoward going on, participants are all of age.

Well, you've got a bit of a problem. The vast majority of students in a U.S. high school are going to be underage for any erotic work that you want to post on this site. That's because this site requires all fictional characters be 18 years or older.

If you write this story for some erotica site in the U.K. where the legal age is 16, you'll have an easier time with the U.S. High School setting. Now that isn't to say you can't use this setting, just that you're going to be limited to the Seniors who have turned 18 somewhere between December and June of this, their last school year.

Everyone else in the school, 14 year old freshmen, 15 year old sophomores, 16 year old juniors, and 17 year old seniors will be off limits.

You need to also decide if this is a public or private school. In the States, this means the opposite of what it means in the U.K. (as I recall). A private school means the kids have wealthy parents, small classes, may wear uniforms, have a small, nice campus, etc. A public school is one that is paid for with government money and is open to anyone living in that area.

They're usually noisy, over-crowded, and have underpaid teachers

You might want to rent some John Hughes movies (16 Candles, for example)--very hip back in the 80's and outdated to some extent now, but a lot of things remain true year after year at U.S. high schools and he captured a lot of those truisms--the gawky freshmen, the tough seniors, lockers that don't open, etc. Also the first seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the whole metaphor of which was High School as horror movie

 

[slyc_willie]

3 made some very good points; however, you can still set your story in a high school, but with some disclaimers at the beginning of the story indicating that any sexual activity happens between adults 18 years of age or older.

I've seen it posted that Lit accepts the title of "high school senior" as an indication that a character is 18 years old. I've never tested that theory myself, but aside from that, there are a wealth of American high school seniors who turn eighteen during the school year, or during the summer just before their senior year begins.

In the States, high school (as well as the vast majority of public and private schools of any grade) begins in late August and ends in early June, with two to three weeks off for Christmas and a week in March or April called Spring Break. I say this because I know many European/UK schools run year-round in six-week increments.

As Sarah suggested, post your thoughts and ideas here. You'll get a lot of ideas and answers from a wide variety of perspectives.

 

[AJ_Watson]

After a longer than expected hiatus I'm back on this project. Thanks to those who give me some helpful hints the first time round

The premise I'm working on is far from original. A popular, non-academically inclined hottie needs the assistance of an intelligent but socially awkward guy. I am however hoping to give it a non-standard treatment.

I therefore need a point of academic necessity to bring the two together.

What is at stake for a high school senior's results?

Also how is assessment typically carried out? Is it mainly examination, projects/coursework or a mixture?

 

[oggbashan]

I wonder if you are overlooking one of the normal tenets of writing: Write about what you know.

If you need that much information about the US High Schools then you should think if that setting is reasonable for your story.

Why not set the story in a UK sixth form college or post-18 establishment?

The plot could still work and you won't make obvious errors that US readers would slam.

Og

 

[Weird Harold]

Also how is assessment typically carried out? Is it mainly examination, projects/coursework or a mixture?

All of the above, but it depends on the class. A history class, may depend heavily on a "term paper" or a science on a research reaserch project, while a math class would depend heavily on testing -- daily, weekly, term tests, or a combinations of all three.

The Stereotypes for your scenario are a science project partner or a math tutor. You might want to try soemething less stereotypical and go for a marginal history grade and a geek who plays period roleplaying games (civil war re-enactor, SCA Knight or the like.)

For your situation, A Society of Creative Anchronism geek (specializing in Scottish knighthood like Young Lochinvar) helping a Babe failing her classical literature (Humanities) requirement over Sir Walter Scott's poetry would suit well, I think. That would put you into home ground for everything outside of the school environment itself.

Schools in the US generally have a set number of credits required for graduation -- so many math, so many science, so many Language, so many Humanities/Social Studies, etc. It is possible to have more than enough credits to graduate except not have one of the required credits; even a smart babe with near perfect grades could be failing the one class she has to pass to graduate and need help.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Nobody mentioned the "Between classes break" when everyone sneaks out behind the school and smokes. Or the gym showers where the guys try to peek around the plumbing in the walls into the girls showers. Or copping a feel at the Homecoming Dance. Or the seniors getting sand in all their orphases at the beach after the Prom. Or trying to explain to your parents what that nasty stain is on the back seat of the family Chevy. Or...

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Nobody mentioned the "Between classes break" when everyone sneaks out behind the school and smokes. Or the gym showers where the guys try to peek around the plumbing in the walls into the girls showers. Or copping a feel at the Homecoming Dance. Or the seniors getting sand in all their orphases at the beach after the Prom. Or trying to explain to your parents what that nasty stain is on the back seat of the family Chevy. Or...

We weren't around to use the showers in our schools. Too much fear of abuse and lawsuits.