Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Slangin' Rhymes Like Diddy


First off, I hate rap music, so don't read too much into the title. Diddy is basically the only rapper I can think of, or maybe Lil Wayne (is that the guy with two teeth, both of them gold?). Anyway, this post is all about slang as it relates to MG, and how it can help and hurt your writing. Example needed? Okay, here you go.

One of the things I really try to capture in my writing is making my characters “real.” We all do, I know. But not long ago, I believed I needed to include the present-day verbal ticks and mannerisms I hear all the time in my classroom. Words like “own” and “burn” and phrases like “rock my socks” found their way into my writing as a result. Not entirely bad in terms of the intent, since those words are chucked around my classroom like Frisbees on the beach, but the consequence was my writing was annoying to the reader, and these slang words also dated the book for future readers. And the way slang comes and goes, we might be calling a book with words like “own” and “burn” dated in a year or two. Heck, maybe even tomorrow. All signs point to: chop the slangish fat off the meat of the story and let the reader enjoy the tasty meal, and not cringe every time a sliver of fat hits the tongue. Hungry?

So I came to the shocking conclusion that my use of slang was actually hurting my story, not helping it. The cleaver came out and off went the fat. And you know what? I believe my dialogue still rocked the reader’s socks. Oh, sorry, there I go again, slangin’ like Diddy*. Or Lil Wayne. Or whatever.

How about you? What’s your take on the use of slang in MG?

* Um, is he still “Diddy” or must I add the “P”? Now that I think of it, maybe I should have used MC Hammer…or is he now “Hammer”? Is he even alive?

13 comments:

  1. I don't do 'too' much slang and try to keep it basic. Slang is so universal from city to city, state to state and time to time. The problem with using it is you 'date' yourself. So I keep most of it out.

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    1. True, slang can be specific to different regions. And that makes it even trickier to use. Good point. Thanks.

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  2. Slang is dating, but casual language can give dialogue a colorful, realistic feel. So, it's important not to go too far in the other direction and have characters sound too bland, or old fashioned. It's just a matter of judgment and the ability to distinguish passing fads from more lasting language habits. I try to make my characters sound casual, but not slangy and hope I succeed in that balance.

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    1. I tend to go along with you. I use slang to make the dialogue seem more believable but try not to overdo it.

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  3. I think this is a big difference between MG and YA. In MG, voice is certainly still important, but it can be more subtle. Less subtle slang seems far less likely to work in MG, especially because things change so fast, and MG readers are often younger than actual MG students (did that even make sense)?

    Personally, when I write I like some intense slang, but it has to fit the character, and not be homogenous for all the characters in the story.

    Also, I don't have a problem dating some stories, as long as they're purposefully set in a specific period (I tend to set a lot of stories in the 90s, because they were awesome), but in a truly contemporary tale, it can definitely be bad.

    One perfect example of not dating a story, I think, is Harry Potter. I know Rowling's been quoted as saying it took place in the 90s (good choice) but really it could be almost any decade in the last 30 or 40 years. Great stuff!

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    1. Good points, but what if the reader doesn't know it is set in the 90s? I read a MG book recently that was set in the 80s (found out at the very end) and I had no idea until then. It hurt the believability of the characters until I found out. Do you come right out and say (or write) that your stories are set in the 90s or do you imply it?

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    2. Yeah. That's a potential problem. I don't make it explicit, but I suppose it remains to be seen whether it gets laid out on the jacket copy if I can ever get these stories published.

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  4. You're one funny dude, Mike.

    I'm not much of a slang artist myself--but it seems to me there is enduring slang which lasts more than a minute ("awesome") and transient slang. (I have no idea what "own" and "burn" might even refer to.)

    In MG, you can pretty much do away with slang words and, as Connie B. Dowell says above, go for a casual feel. (C.f. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, if you want to know what I mean.) Does that rock your socks?

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    1. Burn = to be made fun of ("he burned you with that joke" or after a person gets you good, another person says "burnnn")

      Owned = dissed (to be "burned") as in, "you just got owned"
      Owns = rocks, is awesome (that hoodie owns)

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  5. I don't write contemporary MG, but I would think especially then you'd want to be slang free to keep it timeless. Besides the fact that the slang I'd use would be woefully out of date...

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    1. See, part of me thinks writing contemporary MG set in whatever time period would want to use slang to make it authentic. But the best route is perhaps staying away from slang altogether to avoid any issues.

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  6. I agree, Mike. Some slang here and there is okay, but it can really bog down a story and cheesy (is that slang?). It's like when people try to write dialog in a specific accent and take it too far--makes the story too hard to read.

    Great post!

    Hilary

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    1. I meant, and "make it" cheesy! ;) D'oh! More slang!

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Thanks for adding to the mayhem!