History SoYouWantTo / WriteATeenDrama

* ComingOfAgeStory. Teen drama is arguably a sub-genre of it, which is part of why they often star multiple characters: by splitting the narrative arc up amongst several people, you can cover it all without having to do {{Time Skip}}s. This lets you keep a relatively compressed time frame, which seems to be a genre staple, particularly on film where it's hard to guarantee your young stars will age the way you want them to.

* The TeenPregnancy trope has been used in this genre time and time again, so much that most audiences expect it. By now it's almost an UndeadHorseTrope: there was a time when most teenagers, save for those living in isolated areas and being raised by overprotective parents, knew about condoms and birth control, but since then we've had MoralGuardians push something called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstinence-only_sex_education Abstinence-only education]] (link to Wiki/TheOtherWiki) into service, which resulted in some teens ''not'' knowing about condoms and birth control because educators were forbidden to teach about them. By strange coincidence, places where abstinence-only education was instituted saw a spike in TeenPregnancy, bringing you right back to your potential trope.

* Sex. Teenage-dom is linked to physical maturity, which is linked to sexual maturity (if it's not "''identical'' to sexual maturity"), and SexAsRiteOfPassage is a natural evolution of that fact. (Heck, if you go to the pr0n sites, you'll notice that the ComingOfAgeStory is a time-honored plot structure.) The problem is, there are a lot of MoralGuardians out there who don't want their teenagers thinking about sex, on the grounds that discussing it gives tacit permission to have it. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Regardless of the wisdom of that position]], this means that if you want to address sex in your teen drama, you will need to do it carefully. Notice that one of the most popular TeenPregnancy films in recent memory, ''Film/{{Juno}}'', still glosses over sex a great deal, even though anyone with a brain knows that, to get knocked up, Juno's had some! It's dangerous to present a sex-positive message in any media that people under the age of 18 are going to be exposed to. (Even though, of all people, teenagers are who most ''need'' such an aesop.)

* The [[CastCalculus number of characters]] in your cast is ''very'' important. [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters A lot]] and you'll have a great variety for your audience to identify with. Too much and the audience may get confused. If you are just starting out, maybe start with a small cast of [[FourTemperamentEnsemble four]] or [[FiveManBand five]]. Enough so you won't overwhelm yourself but still have the possibility for drama.

* Sex. Teenage-dom is linked to physical maturity, which is linked to sexual maturity (if it's not "''identical'' to sexual maturity"), and SexAsRiteOfPassage is a natural evolution of that fact. (Heck, if you go to the pr0n sites, you'll notice that the ComingOfAgeStory is a time-honored plot structure.) The problem is, there are a lot of MoralGuardians out there who don't want their teenagers thinking about sex, on the grounds that discussing it gives tacit permission to have it. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Regardless of the wisdom of that position]], this means that if you want to address sex in your teen drama, you will need to do it carefully. Notice that one of the most popular TeenPregnancy films in recent memory, ''Film/{{Juno}}'', still glosses over sex a great deal, even though anyone with a brain knows that, to get knocked up, Juno's had some! It's dangerous to present a sex-positive message in any media that people under the age of 18 are going to be exposed to. (Even though, of all people, teenagers are who most ''need'' such an aesop.)

* Part of the trope definition of a "Teen Drama" is that it's a ''series'', but that doesn't mean one-shot dramatic stories with teenage leads can't inform you. [[TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples Start with]] ''RomeoAndJuliet''.

* The TeenPregnancy trope has been used in this genre time and time again, so much that most audiences expect it. By now it's almost an UndeadHorseTrope: there was a time when most teenagers, save for those living in isolated areas and being raised by overprotective parents, knew about condoms and birth control, but since then we've had MoralGuardians push something called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstinence-only_sex_education Abstinence-only education]] (link to TheOtherWiki) into service, which resulted in some teens ''not'' knowing about condoms and birth control because educators were forbidden to teach about them. By strange coincidence, places where abstinence-only education was instituted saw a spike in TeenPregnancy, bringing you right back to your potential trope.

* The TeenPregnancy trope has been used in this genre time and time again, so much that most audiences expect it. Most teenagers, save for one living in isolated areas and being raised by overprotective parents, know about condoms and birth control.

* ''BeverlyHills90210'', the TropeCodifier.

* ''MySoCalledLife''
* ''FreaksAndGeeks''
* ''{{Skins}}''

Much has been said in the last twenty or thirty years about [[UsefulNotes/{{Depression}} clinical depression]], anxiety disorders, SelfHarm and UsefulNotes/{{suicide}} in the teenage population--''TheVirginSuicides'', ''Prozac Nation'', ''GirlInterrupted''. You'd be forgiven for thinking that, from TheEighties onward, the business of growing up has just mysteriously encountered a DifficultySpike. In reality, that's probably not true. It's partially that science was [[ScienceMarchesOn desperately behind the times]]; UsefulNotes/{{psychology}} itself as a discipline was only invented in the 1870s, and depression as a ''physical'' ailment--as opposed to a spiritual malaise, or a misalignment of [[FourTemperamentEnsemble the four humours]]--was only "discovered" in the TheFifties; even if teens ''had'' gotten depressed before then (and they probably did[[note]]Think about all the other imbalances you encounter growing up--one leg taller than the other; all your limbs too long; getting light-headed when you stand up because your heart hasn't caught up; one boob bigger than the other; hormones surging around giving you acne; etc. Why on earth should neurotransmitters be exempt?[[/note]]), it wasn't recognized as such. But it's also that America wholeheartedly embraces the TherapyIsForTheWeak trope, and anyone who ''has'' mental illness is automatically flawed and defective. It's only very recently that media have started to broach this topic--''GirlInterrupted'' was considered ''extremely'' ground-breaking when it came out in 1999, because it dared show its protagonists as fundamentally normal people who just happened to have different challenges than, say, not having legs. Of course, that ''is'' what a mental disorder is--lacking something physical--but fat chance on getting Hollywood to catch up with that fact, since the missing element (neurotransmitters) is too small to see. The point is, ''you'' could have a field day with this topic, and there's plenty more to say on it.

Much has been said in the last twenty or thirty years about [[UsefulNotes/{{Depression}} clinical depression]], anxiety disorders, SelfHarm and UsefulNotes/{{suicide}} in the teenage population--''TheVirginSuicides'', ''Prozac Nation'', ''GirlInterrupted''. You'd be forgiven for thinking that, from TheEighties onward, the business of growing up has just mysteriously encountered a DifficultySpike. In reality, that's probably not true. It's partially that science was [[ScienceMarchesOn desperately behind the times]]; UsefulNotes/{{psychology}} itself as a discipline was only invented in the 1870s, and depression as a ''physical'' ailment--as opposed to a spiritual malaise, or a misalignment of [[FourTemperamentEnsemble the four humours]]--was only "discovered" in the TheFifties; even if teens ''had'' gotten depressed before then (and they probably did[[note]]Think about all the other imbalances you encounter growing up--one leg taller than the other; all your limbs too long; getting light-headed when you stand up because your heart hasn't caught up; one boob bigger than the other; hormones surging around giving you acne; etc. Why on earth should neurotransmitters be exempt?[[/note]]), it wasn't recognized as such. But it's also that America wholeheartedly embraces the TherapyIsForTheWeak trope, and anyone who ''has'' mental illness is automatically flawed and defective. It's only very recently that media have started to broach this topic--''GirlInterrupted'' was considered ''extremely'' ground-breaking when it came out in 1999, because it dared show its protagonists as fundamentally normal people who just happened to have different challenges than, say, [[SorryBillyButYouJustDontHaveLegs not having legs]]. Of course, that ''is'' what a mental disorder is--lacking something physical--but fat chance on getting Hollywood to catch up with that fact, since the missing element (neurotransmitters) is too small to see. The point is, ''you'' could have a field day with this topic, and there's plenty more to say on it.

Much has been said in the last twenty or thirty years about [[UsefulNotes/Depression clinical depression]], anxiety disorders, SelfHarm and UsefulNotes/{{suicide}} in the teenage population--''TheVirginSuicides'', ''Prozac Nation'', ''GirlInterrupted''. You'd be forgiven for thinking that, from TheEighties onward, the business of growing up has just mysteriously encountered a DifficultySpike. In reality, that's probably not true. It's partially that science was [[ScienceMarchesOn desperately behind the times]]; UsefulNotes/{{psychology}} itself as a discipline was only invented in the 1870s, and depression as a ''physical'' ailment--as opposed to a spiritual malaise, or a misalignment of [[FourTemperamentEnsemble the four humours]]--was only "discovered" in the TheFifties; even if teens ''had'' gotten depressed before then (and they probably did[[note]]Think about all the other imbalances you encounter growing up--one leg taller than the other; all your limbs too long; getting light-headed when you stand up because your heart hasn't caught up; one boob bigger than the other; hormones surging around giving you acne; etc. Why on earth should neurotransmitters be exempt?[[/note]]), it wasn't recognized as such. But it's also that America wholeheartedly embraces the TherapyIsForTheWeak trope, and anyone who ''has'' mental illness is automatically flawed and defective. It's only very recently that media have started to broach this topic--''GirlInterrupted'' was considered ''extremely'' ground-breaking when it came out in 1999, because it dared show its protagonists as fundamentally normal people who just happened to have different challenges than, say, [[SorryBillyButYouJustDontHaveLegs not having legs]]. Of course, that ''is'' what a mental disorder is--lacking something physical--but fat chance on getting Hollywood to catch up with that fact, since the missing element (neurotransmitters) is too small to see. The point is, ''you'' could have a field day with this topic, and there's plenty more to say on it.

* HighSchool seems to be the most common setting for ''TD''s. Why not a mall? Or someplace where the main character works with their coworkers? There are plenty of options.

* The TeenPregnancy trope has been used in ''TD''s time and time again, so much that most audiences expect it. Most teenagers, save for one living in isolated areas and being raised by overprotective parents, know about condoms and birth control.
* {{Wangst}}, and angst in general. Yes, teenagers can be angsty, but there's a fine line between being upset about personal problems and doing nothing but whining incessantly. If a plot point requires your character(s) to be emotionally overwhelmed to the point of breakdown, keep in mind that you have to make the audience actually ''sympathetic'' to the character's cause. And try not to pull out the "angst" card too much in general, or else the audience will get so used to it that they simply won't be able to care about the characters.

* The [[CastCalculus number of characters]] in your cast is ''very'' important. [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters A lot]] and you'll have a great variety for your audience to identify with. Too much and the audience may get confused. If you are just starting out, maybe start with a small cast of [[FourTemperamentEnsemble four]] of [[FiveManBand five]]. Enough so you won't overwhelm yourself but still have the possibility for drama.

* ''DegrassiJuniorHigh'', the TropeMaker. ''DegrassiTheNextGeneration'', too although YMMV on certain seasons.

* Sweaters, glasses, and vests are typically used for nerdy and otherwise geeky characters.

* {{Wangst.}} Geezus, ''wangst.'' Yes, teenagers can be angsty, but there's a fine line between being upset about personal problems and doing nothing but whining incessantly. If a plot point requires your character(s) to be emotionally overwhelmed to the point of breakdown, keep in mind that you have to make the audience actually ''sympathetic'' to the character's cause. And try not to pull out the "angst" card too much in general, or else people will be so used to it that they simply won't be able to care about the characters.

* ''DegrassiJuniorHigh'', the TropeMaker. ''DegrassiTheNextGeneration'', too although if time's an issue you can skip the instrumental-theme-music and school-uniform seasons.

* The [[CastCalculus number of characters]] in your cast is ''very'' important. [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters A lot]] and you'll have a great variety for your audience to identify with. Too much and the audience may get confused. If you are just starting out, maybe start with a small cast of [[FourTempermentEnsemble four]] of [[FiveManBand five]]. Enough so you won't overwhelm yourself but still have the possibility for drama.

* The [[CastCalculous number of characters]] in your cast is ''very'' important. [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters A lot]] and you'll have a great variety for your audience to identify with. Too much and the audience may get confused. If you are just starting out, maybe start with a small cast of [[FourTempermentEnsemble four]] of [[FiveManBand five]]. Enough so you won't overwhelm yourself but still have the possibility for drama.

!'''Pitfalls'''

First, be sure to check out WriteAStory for basic advice that holds across all genres.