By Shari Randall
It’s official. I’m old. It’s not just the endless letters from AARP or forgetting to remember to check the reminders on my phone. It’s that suddenly everyone is speaking a different language. I was at a picnic chatting with one of my millennial nieces (and aren’t they old now?) when she said, “No cap.”
No cap? “What does that mean?” I asked.
“It means ‘no lie.’” She gave me a look that made me realize that maybe I wasn’t the cool aunt and we were on different sides of some insurmountable generational divide. I felt the same way when my Pilates instructor used the term “bougie,” and I assumed she was talking about a new breed of dog.
What does this have to do with writing you ask? Language and writing are inextricably linked, of course, and language is the clay, the medium, the writer uses to create a story. The problem with language is its glorious ability to morph, to change in subtle and not so subtle ways to express a speaker’s ideas. A character’s language, their dialogue, is one of the best ways to show a reader exactly who that character is – their age, their background, their education. But I’ve realized that care must be taken in crafting language for young characters because some slang has expiration dates.
(Speaking of morphing and changing, “bougie” is the latest iteration of “bourgeois.” I like it.)
I was reading a new book the other day when a character said a murder “rocked her world.” I have no doubt that it did, but would my millennial Pilates instructor or niece know that expression or say it anymore?
Of course, historical fiction writers have different concerns, and period-appropriate slang will add richness and authenticity to a historical novel. But writers of contemporary fiction, in my opinion, should take care because slang can quickly become outdated and incomprehensible. Worse, it can easily strike a sour note in dialogue when put into the mouth of a character of the “wrong” generation.
I’ve seen instructions for writers to watch TikTok or spend time on social media sites geared to teens to pick up their language, their slang. But does one run the risk of dating a book by using current slang? Or alienating a reader because they simply have no idea what a character means when they say “No cap, he’s got mad rizz”? (I’m not lying, he has charisma. And yes, I love how “charisma” has morphed into “rizz.”)
Some slang terms do have staying power. “Sick” and “killing it” have been around for decades. In a recent interview, a tennis player said she “literally killed it." My inner grammar curmudgeon does have a problem with her use of “literally” but I know what she means.
What must writers consider when crafting dialogue for characters? Which slang terms have staying power and which don’t? Which will work a year from now, from the time a manuscript goes into production and its publication? Language changes, that’s a given, but how quickly will it change?
I want to avoid dating my work. My teenage ice cream maker and aspiring rock god Brandon Terwilliger is so much fun to write but I’m careful to keep his dialogue slang-free. I don’t want him to sound ridiculous or simply incomprehensible in a few years. He’s a reader favorite, and I want all ages to enjoy Brandon and his crazy ice cream creations for years to come.
No cap.
Writers how do you deal with characters of different ages and their dialogue?
If you’d like to catch up on some current slang, here’s a website to try:
https://www.weareteachers.com/teen-slang/
Shari Randall is the author of the Lobster Shack Mystery series, and as Meri Allen, the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series. Her latest book, Fatal Fudge Swirl, is available now.
I generally say avoid it. As much as I love Disney's Aladdin, there are some moments in it that absolutely date the movie to the early 90's. But it is hard because you want people to sound authentic, and people do use slang. Except for us cool people who spend all our time reading, of course. :)
ReplyDeleteI use with care and mostly to characterize. I might have my protagonist who is wewll past AARP eligibility say something his granddaughter doesn't understand and he or his son must interprete for Seamus's granddaughter.
ReplyDeleteAnd I recall an interesting scene where an old codger uses an expression that dates from his youth that Seamus was familiar with but had to explain to his thirty-ish son.
But I try to avoid any current slang because (1) it can quicly fall out of usage and date the piece, and (2) I may not nail its usage becuase I am past my best used by date.
A balancing act, using words with contemporary interpretations for your characters to be current, but not easily outdated.
ReplyDeleteMark, I hear you! I'm watching some of those movies with my nieces, and some hold up better than others for sure.
ReplyDeleteJim, I love that you use slang that way. It is a great tool for characterization and humor.
ReplyDeleteHi KM, Definitely a balancing act. I often wonder which words and expressions are going to have staying power.
ReplyDeleteI avoid slang but still try to make my thirty-somethings seem young. It’s mostly their actions and decisions.
ReplyDeleteThis is fabulous! I try to avoid slang in my novels for the same reasons. Some does slip in, and I hope it stands the test of time! Thanks for the link, Shari!
ReplyDeleteIf possible, I avoid slang. I do throw in interior design slang terms, mostly to lure the reader into the decorating world.
ReplyDeleteGood discussion, Shari. Piggy-backing on Korina's topic of varied ages in stories, and Jim's comment above, I'll sometimes have my older characters (60+) use a bit of the slang that's passed the test of time in their own heads (like "cool"). They might not be up on the latest lingo, but slang from their own generation is a way of pegging their age for a reader. I hope. And, if that works, cool.
ReplyDelete