Writing for Teens Makes Me Blush

[Dulcinea]

Ok all...Here is a question for you. Do you ever write for your teen audience and suddenly feel really old?

I know how I spoke as a teenager and how a lot of teenagers speak now but teen cool moves so quickly that by the time you write a word you thought was used in all high schools it is "just, like sooooo 2008"

So what do teens say? Well there are always going to be words that go in and out of fashion as fast as the latest style of jeans but one thing that never changes is that a lot of teens will drop letters (T, H, etc) and string words together (kinda, coulda, etc)

I guess the only way to stay in touch is by eavesdropping and hoping that the few choice phrases you used in your latest novel don't go out of style before your novel gets published. Either that or play it safe and have a book of teenagers who speak the Queen's English.

Do people still say daggy (a la Neighbours and Home and Away) or is it daggy to even ask?

Are we allowed to say "totally" and "like, whatever" or did that go out with Clueless?

I know that I would be laughed at to say "bodacious dude" and "hep cat" is a "total bummer"

I think I need to watch some Lindsey Lohan movies and get into the flow (or is it Hannah Montana and High School Musical I should be following now?)

Man I feel old!!!

So what phrases do you remember as being cool when you were a teen? How do you give your teen characters and authentic voice? Do you still feell young at heart when you are teen writing or "like totally past it you dag"?

[Dulcinea]

I know. That makes it even more cringy writing as a teen because I remember how cool I thought I was (natch!) and how embarassing I must have sounded to adults

[Holly Stacey]

I know exactly what you mean. I felt really old reading Twilight too. I was never cool as a teen, so I can't even begin to imagine what a cool teen today would sound like. Until I turn on Hollyoaks. Then I realise that they THINK they all sound cool :)

[Dulcinea]

I have heard the "brother from another mother" but like you would probably cringe if I wrote it down in a story! "Mission" is priceless. Love it! I am going to use that from now on. Not in my writing you understand but in my REAL life. For example when my husband asks me what is for dinner tonight and I know for definite that the contents of the fridge are looking pretty pitiful I am going to tell him not to worry because I am going to "mission on in" and surprise him!
Actually given permission to look at your kid's Facebook? You must be the envy of all parents!

[Wendy Storer]

Listening in to your teenage children is defo a good way to pick up the teen speak - but reading their Facebook entries is also good (- legitimate research - they asked me to be their friends :-)) The one that makes me laugh at the moment is the 'brother from another mother' thing they say - although I'd be far too self conscious to use this in my own writing.
And the other day, I was going somewhere with my daughters and we were a bit unsure about the direction to take. My eldest daughter said "let's just mission on in...". So I said, "yeah, we'll mission on in all right," and she fell about laughing taking the pee out of me and saying how I was so not down with the kids.
And yeah, even though it was tongue in cheek, I felt old.

[Dulcinea]

haha! Great. My husband says "random" because he works with some barely out of teenage lads. I look at him pityingly when he does. "Spas" - that is funny. We used to say "spazzy" when I was a teen. Totally heartless and politically incorrect! Teens - gotta love em!

[Jeannette Towey]

My teenage years are just too far away to count (back in the years of loons and afghans, no less) but I find having an in house 12 year old going on 17 daughter helps enormously. I keep my ears open whenever she is chatting to her friends and it also helps that whenever we're out she borrows my blackberry to send emails to her pals.

What intrigues me most is the extent to which texting has influenced other forms of communication. OMG pops up everywhere for example. Indeed I've even started usinf it myself on Twitter!

As to specific words, 'totally' and 'whatever' (usually with a particular head movement) are still in around here, along with 'spas' (as in my hair is totally spassed today, or I totally spassed hitting that ball) and 'random' (meaning wrong or bad). I'm not sure what a teen says if something actually is random. I might try that one out this evening when little miss gets home.

Fun this, isn't it?