I'm convinced that FEAR is at the root, of all bad writing

He pointed toward the silhouettes on the side of the [bathrooms] instead--black cutout man, black cutout woman. The man had his legs apart, the woman had hers together. Pretty much the story of the human race in sign language.

And if you are honest about the words coming out of your characters' mouths, you'll find that you've let yourself in for a fair amount of criticism.

We never cease wanting what we want, whether it's good for us or not.

Hairstyles change, and skirt lengths, and slang, but high school administrations? Never.

And didn't they say that, although curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought the beast back?

Adults are the real monsters.