The use of slang in your writing - Writers Forum

ynke75 · 10-25-2004, 04:21 PM

I'm just wondering how appropriate it is to use slang in my writing. For example,

"...she silently wondered if it would do any good to wish on it like she used to when she was a kid."

I understand that "kid" is slang for child. Someone pointed that out to me, which is great, but I'm wondering if changing it to the formal word will take away from the realism I'm trying to convey to my readers. I want them to feel like she is just like them in some ways. I know when I'm speaking to people with children they will usually refer to them by saying "my kids". Not "my children". Unless their speaking to someone who is not in their interpersonal circle of relationships. Say a doctor or a teacher. Any help on this subject would be great!!

Michael · 10-25-2004, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ynke75

"...she silently wondered if it would do any good to wish on it like she used to when she was younger."

Is that an acceptable compromise?

If the story is written in the first person, slang is acceptable, if it is something the character would relistically say. If it's in dialog, it's acceptable.

If you're writing with an objective third person narrator, it's better to sound more formal than not.

That's just me, though - somebody else might have better advice.

daniela · 10-25-2004, 05:06 PM

I do not know of any set rule regarding slang, but most of the time I only use it when writing in the first person (if it is necessary for the story) and in dialogue. In third person, I like to keep things a little more formal and try to avoid using words like "kid." If you write vivid descriptions and your narration is interesting, the realism will come without needing to resort to slang outside of the dialogue. Just remember that if your work is going to be viewed by people of different nationalities, you have to be careful which colloquialisms you choose to use. Not everyone knows what phrases like "dropping trou" means and you may confuse your readers rather than giving them that extra level of believability that you were going for.

Well, that is my opinion on this subject. Please feel free to ignore everything that I have said and write whatever way you want since I am not an expert.

--DM--

Farror · 10-25-2004, 05:39 PM

Maybe narration should be kept to good language, and dialogue can include slang?

River1034 · 10-25-2004, 05:56 PM

dialogue is good for slang, it adds to the realism and the personality of your character, first person is also okay as long as the slang term is well known, in third person stick to general slang and not regional, try not to use it to often.
Just my thoughts.
-River

BlackHoleEnvy · 10-25-2004, 06:20 PM

Third-person narration is boring enough as is. I say throw in whatever slang you'd like. Spice it up. Sorry to the 90% of all writers out there who write "formally" in the third-person, but you are boring me to death, and sucking my will to live. In fact, I would go so far as to say this: if I pick up a book and read the first line, and it is written in third-person without even a touch of a spicy voice, I am going to do one of three things:

A)Scoff out loud and slam the book down
B) Set the book on fire
C) Vomit

Or maybe I'll do all three.

Kimba · 10-25-2004, 06:48 PM

I personally tend to find writing slang within a prose rather irritating. However, depending on the actual genre and what narrative it's written in, it could be written quite well.

I think the only problem with writing slang within a prose is that if you have international readers, they may or may not understand the specific slang if it's not a universal one.

Farror · 10-25-2004, 07:04 PM

So, BlackHoleEnvy, if you picked up the Lord of the Rings, Of Mice and Men, The Wheel of Time series, essentially anything by any classic authors, you scoff aloud and throw the book away?

Kimba · 10-25-2004, 07:08 PM

I like third person narrative but it has to have a reasonable amount of dialogue in it.

I agree with BlackHoleEnvy to an extent. If a novel has more than five pages of solid paragraph writing without dialogue, then I usually either browse through the book until I do find a dialogue or I just put the book down and move onto something else.

Call me lazy if you want but that's just me.

BlackHoleEnvy · 10-25-2004, 07:20 PM

Quote:

So, BlackHoleEnvy, if you picked up the Lord of the Rings, Of Mice and Men, The Wheel of Time series, essentially anything by any classic authors, you scoff aloud and throw the book away?

Indubitably.

One man's classic is another man's kindling.

daniela · 10-25-2004, 07:27 PM

Maybe more formal is a poor choice of words. It is not like I adopt the same tone for a work of fiction that I would in an essay. I just try to avoid slang, especially that which an international audience would not know. This does not mean boring writing as long as you remember to make your characters and dialogue realistic. However, it is up to each writer to develop his or her own style. If slang works for you, use it.

--DM--

Pendulum · 10-25-2004, 07:40 PM

Personally, I don't enjoy slang in third-person description. A good writer should be able to make their descriptions interesting without having to resort to slang to communicate with the reader. In first-person and dialogue, however, it adds some enjoyment to the reading and makes the characters a little more real.

Talia_Brie · 10-25-2004, 08:53 PM

I think it all comes down to narrative voice. There are plenty of books written in first person that use slang in description. I think 'kid' was perfectly acceptable in that phrase because it adds to the voice of the narrator.

Also, I'm not sure that 'kid' is really slang anymore. It's common usage and easily recognised. It's not like your using 'bling bling' etc, which are definitely 'sub-culture' words.

Farror · 10-25-2004, 10:07 PM

A kid to me still refers to a young goat.

Talia_Brie · 10-25-2004, 10:26 PM

I trust you're trying to be humourous, because 'kid' in the context above does not refer to a baby goat unless your story is about metamorphising goat-people