Hi my wonderful blogging-buddies! I have a publishing-mate from MuseItUp Publishing guesting on my blog today with a funny take on writing dialog for kids. Without further ado, here's Heather Fraser Brainerd!
“Dude!” I said to my son. “Chillax!”
“Mom, no one says ‘chillax’ anymore.”
I have three boys in the tween-to-teen age range. While writing my Young Adult paranormal mystery, Dream Shade, I relied on them to be my vocab coaches. Problem is, teen lingo changes at a crazy fast rate. This meant that my manuscript’s slang had to be revised. A lot.
“That is so epic!”’ became “That’s beast!” which morphed into “He’s got swag!” which then changed to “YOLO.” (I just learned what that last one means.)
In the end, I cut almost all references to teen slang, hoping that the classics like “cool” would carry me through.
But while I’ve got you here, why not check out my book? Because, you know, YOLO.
Blurb:
As if high school wasn't tough enough, sophomore Sarah Pasmore has one extra little problem: ghosts have started appearing to Sarah and they seem to want something from her. With help from her brainy best friend, as well as a few new friends (including the hottest guy in school), Sarah must solve the mystery of what the spirits want in order to put them back to rest. To complicate matters further, a more evil spirit will go to great lengths to make sure this doesn’t happen. As they investigate the past to unravel this supernatural mystery, the teens learn a lesson in the powers of friendship and love.
Release date 10/25/13. Pre-order link:
http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/coming-soon/october-2013/october-25/dream-shade-detail
Leave a comment below for your chance to win the e-book Dream Shade!
Learning the Lingo
By Heather Fraser Brainerd
“Dude!” I said to my son. “Chillax!”
“Mom, no one says ‘chillax’ anymore.”
I have three boys in the tween-to-teen age range. While writing my Young Adult paranormal mystery, Dream Shade, I relied on them to be my vocab coaches. Problem is, teen lingo changes at a crazy fast rate. This meant that my manuscript’s slang had to be revised. A lot.
“That is so epic!”’ became “That’s beast!” which morphed into “He’s got swag!” which then changed to “YOLO.” (I just learned what that last one means.)
In the end, I cut almost all references to teen slang, hoping that the classics like “cool” would carry me through.
But while I’ve got you here, why not check out my book? Because, you know, YOLO.
Blurb:
As if high school wasn't tough enough, sophomore Sarah Pasmore has one extra little problem: ghosts have started appearing to Sarah and they seem to want something from her. With help from her brainy best friend, as well as a few new friends (including the hottest guy in school), Sarah must solve the mystery of what the spirits want in order to put them back to rest. To complicate matters further, a more evil spirit will go to great lengths to make sure this doesn’t happen. As they investigate the past to unravel this supernatural mystery, the teens learn a lesson in the powers of friendship and love.
Release date 10/25/13. Pre-order link:
http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/coming-soon/october-2013/october-25/dream-shade-detail
Connect with Heather:
Leave a comment below for your chance to win the e-book Dream Shade!
73 comments:
Wow, I'm so out of the loop when it comes to slang. I agree, if in doubt, just go with "cool"! (Or even create your own slang...)
erm, I have no idea what yolo is, hahahahaha!
But yes, teen slang changes far too quickly to use, especially since publishing is so slow!
Slang would be nearly impossible to keep up with. I think leaving most of it out was a good idea.
Not sure what YOLO means. I'll have to ask my daughter. Agree with everyone that we have to be careful how much we use.
I teach fifth grade and I have daughters, 13 & 16, so I do have a feel for it. Sometimes the daughter complain about the lingo my characters use, but I still hear my 10 year old students talk that way. Chillax is out, but they still say chill. And cool, awesome, gross. They say "Ya think?" and "Really?" and "Dude!" A little goes a long way, though!
Yes, Heather, creating your own slang is fun! My brother (and sometimes-co-author) is great at that.
You Only Live Once. Like I said, I just learned that one, and it's probably out by now! :)
Thanks, Alex. I started the manuscript with slang sprinkled here and there, but found that I had no choice but to cut most of it.
You've got that right, Natalie! YOLO is "you only live once," but in the short time since I wrote this post, I've heard it morph from "YOLO" to "YOLO swag" to "hashtag YOLO swag." They actually say the "hashtag" part out loud. :)
Yes Dianne, a little certainly does go a long way! My sister taught fifth grade (she's taking time off to spend with her kids, and will go back to teaching next year, but in Kindergarten) so she's another great resource.
Thanks so much for hosting me, Lexa! I'm having a great time here!
This actually sounds sweet. I love the part about the MC learning about friendship. Nice to meet you, Heather!
Thank you! I like to keep things positive. And it's nice to meet you, too!
Dat was da bomb! Ha! Yeah, no one says that anymore do they? But, yes, great point about trendy language. It can have a very short shelf-life. Congrats on the novel, too!
Thanks! Short shelf life... true dat! :-)
Super cool. ;) I hear you about chopping the slang. You don't want to date your work, and at the same time, you want to be authentic. The book sounds awesome!
Thanks, Crystal! Yes, a lot of slang got chopped. I was sad to see some of it go, others were just a relief!
A while back, I told my son "Chillax" and he just blinked at me, then said, "Oh mum, we need to sit down and work on your slang." Nice to meet you, Heather! :)
Just learned what YOLO means. :)
Slang is so tricky. Not only does it change at lightning speed, different places, even within the same country, use different slang. It's impossible to keep up with. Not to mention, using it wrong can seriously date your book.
I'm with you in usually leaving it out of my books. It's usually dated between the time you write it and go to print. I think teens are more interested in a character that speaks to them than a character that speaks like them.
Sounds familiar, Cecilia! :-) Nice to meet you, too!
My kids are already sick of YOLO! I wonder what will be next...
You are so right, Kate. Good thing "cool" will never go out of style. :)
That's a great point, Sarah!
I think it must be so hard to write teenagers. I sometimes feel I am 105 when I hear them talking to each other because I'm so out of the loop on slang and everything else now LOL. This was a fun post! Great to meet you, Heather, and best of luck with your book.
Thanks, Julie! Yeah, I feel pretty old, too, sometimes... especially when my kids are talking to each other and I have no idea what they're talking about!
I wouldn't presume to know what what young folks today are saying, much less how they say it. But this was a very interesting post and I enjoyed reading it.
Heather, I plan on writing a middle grade book. I'm so out of the loop with their language. Hope Sarah is right that the kids are more interested in a character that speaks to them than a character that speaks like them.. Great post!
Susan Bernhardt
The Ginseng Conspiracy coming in 1/14
www.susanbernhardt.com
Why thank you, Stephen!
Sometimes I think teens are speaking a foreign language! I just keep with cool too. :) Good luck!
Thanks, Susan! Yes, I agree with Sarah. Although you do have to make teen characters' voices believable. MG is such a great age to write for (my brother and I are working on one). I think you'll like it!
Thank you, Christine. Yes, sometimes I say to my kids, "I don't even know what language you're speaking!" Of course, they just laugh at me. :)
I was a teen way back...and I don't think I would be able to write a MG now to mesh with today's teens, and their lingo!
Congratulations and well done!
Congrats, Heather! And slang does change so quickly, and then there are some slang words that stay the same too (like "cool").
Yep. Teens change faster than Texas weather. Love the cover of your book. Don't enter me because I've already won a copy. :) Lucky me. Looking forward to reading your book. Congratulations.
Thanks, Nas. If it wasn't for my boys and my nieces, I'd be at a lingo loss!
Thank you, Cherie. Thank goodness there are some teen-acceptable words that have staying power!
Hi Beverly! Thanks so much for stopping by, and for your kind words. Hope you enjoy!
You're ahead of me. I have no idea what YOLO means. I'm sure as soon as adults catch on, they have to change it again.
It's "you only live once." And it's already starting to change, which proves your point. :-) Thanks for commenting!
Great to meet you, Heather! So true about teen slang. Best to stay with classic.
Hi, Lexa!
Ooh, this sounds like fun! I love a good ghost story :)
Nice to meet you too, Carol! It's funny; I honestly didn't pay attention to how quickly slang mutated until I started writing this book.
Thanks! I like reading ghost stories, too. In fact, I recently did a ghost post on my blog. See the link above if you want to check it out!
Hot off the presses, everyone: my son came home from school today and said he heard the term "swolo." Apparently, it's a combination of swag and YOLO. Yup, that teen slang sure does change fast!
Probably a good idea in the end to remove most of the 'in' slang since it changes way too quick and avoids your book outdating... Loved reading your post, and before this post I had no idea what YOLO meant. :)
It does change oh so quickly! Thanks for stopping by!
LOL. This is really funny. I just go to urbandictionary.com to find out what the kids are talking about these days. Keeps me real.
What a great guest post! It is amazing how fast teen lingo changes I can see why Heather decided to take most of it out. The cover of Dream Shade looks awesome and the book sounds great. Wishing Heather the best of luck!
~Jess
I'm pleased to meet Heather.
Teen lingo changes a lot and it's even different by region. Also, working from school to school in the same area, I've encountered different lingo.
HAHA I'm a teenager and all the crazy lingo is well, crazy! It's #yoloswag here in Australia, lol.
Thanks for sharing! <33
That's a good method, Cathy. I guess my kids keep me real!
Thanks for your kind words, Jess!
Nice to meet you too, Medeia! You're right about slang being very regional. Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for your comment, Melanie. I'll have to tell my kids that #yoloswag is in Australia — they'll love it!
Knowing how out of step I am on slang with my 12 - 15 year old grandkids, I wouldn't attempt to write in/for that age group. I'm a bit in awe of those who do. Best of luck on your release.
Thanks so much, LD!
Heather, I sympathize. The lingo changes too fast. Remember TOP SHELF? My sons used to say that all the time in the 80s. Can't imagine what my grandchildren's children will come up with. Well I'm at it, I must admit I have no idea what YOLO means. LOL.
This is the first time I'm coming across YOLO... and I still use the word chillax... ooops!
Thanks for stopping by, Joylene! Yes, it's fun to think of what future generations will be saying. I've dabbled in SciFi, and making up futuristic slang is part of the fun of that genre, at least for me!
I've finally stopped saying chillax! :-)
Hi, Lexa and Heather,
My son is good at telling me that 'nobody says that anymore', so like Heather, I try not to have too many slang references. They do date our work. Dream shade sounds like a good read.
Thank you, J.L.! I'm very excited for Dream Shade's release this Friday!
Hey Lexa and Heather,
Mid-life crisis, skateboarding hoodie living in England, here. This posting is well wicked. I is thinkin' you is well ace. Yeah, you is well sorted and it's not mingin in ere innit.
"Lingo"? Is dat like that game folks with blue hair playz n'stuff?
All the best with "Dream Shade."
Gary :)
Ha! Thanks, Gary. (And I actually understood a little bit of that. Maybe from watching BBC America??)
BBC America, probably so. In Britain you have to have a TV licence to watch the BBC. Heck, dis Chav aint even passed da test. Got a "Learners" sticker on da telly screen!
I'm no where near cool enough to write YA. I have no idea what YOLO means? I got all of Gary's references because I'm British though, and that is all over our TV drama. :) Best of luck with Dream Shade !
Shah
shahwharton.com
Thank you, Shah! It's "you only live once" (and already seems to be losing some popularity around here!).
I agree that avoiding slang is probably the safest bet. Otherwise, it will sound dated in ten years. Now I feel old...I didn't know "chillax" was out and "beast" was in, either. The only reason I knew "chillax" in the first place is from "Despicable Me." The problem is that things are only cool when they're exclusive. Once it becomes mainstream, by definition it's worn its welcome.
Good point, Nigel! (Um, by the way, "beast" is out already. Don't want you to use it and sound uncool! :-) )
Even 'cool' is problematic because do you spell it 'cool' or 'kewl'? :-) But, yeah, everything I've read says keep slang at a minimum, which is tough in a contemporary because slang is always prevalent in teen speak. People writing sci-fi, fantasy, etc are lucky because they can just make up their own that fits their world. :-)
Post a Comment