Slang in YA

[LM Preston]

I've written MG and YA and I always struggle with slang because there are so many different types of slang.

 

My kid who is an advanced student doesn't use slang when she talks to some of her friends, but uses it a lot when talking to others.

 

Also, there is different types of slang. There's street slang, suburb spin off street slang, preppy girl slang, cultural slang....

 

What to do? What do you do?

 

My pub told me to slim out on the slang because it's too many different versions of it, and it doesn't fit in with the character profiles of some of the books I've written. Yet some reviewers mention they would prefer more slang.

 

[Georgia McBride]

I think there are two-sides to every coin. Slang can easily date your book, make it less relevant to those who may read it years from now. It can also turn most readers off while not bothering others in the slightest. For those it doesn't bother at all, great but why risk the ire of those it does? You only get a few chances with readers. Why waste that chance on something that adds little value to your story or depth to your character? Just my .02

[Bria Quinlan]

I'm not a super fan on slang but have seen it work in two books recently (and I'm attempting to steal the usage :) )

One was a character overused slang so much that most of it was stuff normal everyday slangers wouldn't even know. It was a character trait that drove the other characters (and me the reader) crazy. But I didn't mind b/c that was what it was meant to do.

As a total aside: I spent 5 months this summer driving/camping/couch surfing around the country and I can tell you that not all slang translates. I was surprised with how I expected non-regional television to have kind of created a similar sound everywhere. But that hadn't happened. As a Boston girl living on the NM/TX line for a couple months this winter, I have no IDEA what people are saying here sometimes and I've had to explain my usage of "hot" and "cool" more times than I want to count.

Not sure *any* of this helps :) but good luck!

[Angela Ackerman]

I think with slang you have two choices--you stay close to the tried and true slang that spans the ages, or you create a slang that is specific to your characters and how they interact.

If the slang feels real rather than trendy, it won't have a shelf life. But creating slang to mesh well with your characters requires a lot of skill and patience. Listen to how they speak in your head. Think of it like you would creating a new language. Don't get too fancy or clever.

One thing I see more and more of with the teens I interact with is a splicing of slang terms to create something new. IE: fat and ugly = fugly. Calling someone 'special with a capital L' (for loser). Take something known and twist it.

[Jessica Milar]

Hey, I was just reading something on this topic, so may I say....

Yo yo yo, check this article out yo...

Check Yo’self Before You Wreck Yo’Self: Using Slang in Children’s Fiction
by Tracey Marchini of Curtis Brown Literary

Dialogue is hard. It has to advance the plot, not sound didactic and ring true to your character. In young adult literature, this means you’re probably using some slang. Writing realistic slang in dialogue can be difficult, but if done right, it can really add another dimension to your character.

Things to consider when using slang in YA and MG fiction:

the full article is here: http://tracymarchini.com/

[Kristan Hoffman]

Generally speaking, I agree with Georgia. Ultimately you have to do what's right for your story and your characters.

On a related note, I'm reading the UGLIES series by Scott Westerfeld, and I think it's got a really compelling premise so I'm enjoying that, but all the slang they use (which is made-up slang since it's a future dystopian society) is driving me mad. It's worse in Book 2 (PRETTIES) than Book 1, but for me it really drives home the point about how slang can alienate readers and/or come off as trying too hard.

[Cathy Brett]

I had alot of fun recently making-up a slang lexicon for the characters in my novel, Scarlett Dedd. The story is about teens who make amateur horror movies and I knew I couldn't use the actual language of my readers (too many expletives!), so I devised loads of archaic-sounding gory and disgusting insults. Had the same impact as the swearing but a little more acceptable.

[C. Lee McKenzie]

I kind of like the inventing idea. I've seen it work and be effective. In a movie called The Fabulous Mr. Fox (not the greatest flick, but good for an example of creative slang) the writer used the word "cuss" whenever he wanted the characters to say the F-word. "Are you cussing with me?" "What the cuss do you mean?"

This may not translate easily to prose, but as Angela points out there are other "creations" like "fugly" that might work when appropriate for your character.

I think the most important thing is that whatever you do it should fit the world you've created.

[Alex Gartner]

I'm a fifteen-year-old advanced student. I know high school slang like the back of my hand. My MC spends a portion of the book at high school.

I use little to no slang in my character's conversations.

[C. Lee McKenzie]

Hey! Join the Experts Group here on YALitChat, Alexander. We need you.

[Alex Gartner]

Sure! Thanks for the invite.

C. Lee McKenzie said:

Hey! Join the Experts Group here on YALitChat, Alexander. We need you.

[Audrey]

I'm okay with slang as long as it isn't overused. One thing I hate thought is chatspeak when it has nothing pertaining to IMing... like in Fang (Max Ride 6) the author actually uses "WTH" in his writing. That bugs me to no end. I'm also not a big fang of weird slang, like "brah" instead of bro/brother.. dunno, just didn't work for me.

[Florence Kincaid]

Avoid it. When you're using slang that doesn't come naturally to you, it's very apparent. IMO the first book in the "Marked" series really shows this (the speech rhythms sound more natural with subsequent books).

Plus, it really dates the novel. Imagine if JK Rowling used slang in Harry Potter. If Ron said stuff like, "It's da bomb!" and "It's wicked awesome!" back when that was big (HP started in the 90s, right?), do you think the stories would have remained so timeless for each new group of kids who became old enough to read them? They probably would have been distanced from the story the instant they saw the outdated slang.