One of the most
frequent questions I get about writing young adult books is how I get into the
mindset of a teenager. Some people find it strange that a forty something year
old woman can accurately capture the thoughts and feelings of a modern teen.
After all, when I was a teen, the internet was still just a figment of Al
Gore’s imagination. Back then, when we wanted to call our friends, we used the
rotary dial phone on the wall in the kitchen. If we wanted privacy, we pulled the
handset into the hall closet and shut the door.
Still, as a teacher and
a mother, I have an advantage. I get to live and work with twenty first century
teenagers every day. And because I am a
word person, I love to examine their current slang. Mind you, I don’t use much
of it in my books because I don’t want to be overly stylistic. That would make
my books go out of style pretty quick. However, I still love to reflect on
trends, and I find slang to be very amusing. So shared here, just for the
readers of Zigzag Timeline, five interesting and mildly confusing teen slang
terms.
1.
Turn up
This
means to party. Or to get ready to party. Or to be excited to party. Here it is
in a sentence.
Britney is having a
party this weekend because her parents are going to New York. Turn up!
2.
Mad
This
one is used in place of the word very. It has nothing to do with ones emotional
state or sanity. Here it is used in a sentence.
That boy’s got mad
skills on the basketball court. He’s going to the NBA.
3.
Doe
This
one is hard and I’m sure if I tried to use it, I would do it all wrong. But I
think it means something similar to the word though. Mostly, it’s added just
for emphasis I think.
Sentence: Oh, this bike,
doe.
4.
Turnt
All I
can think of when I hear this one is turnips, but supposedly it means getting
rowdy or having fun.
Sentence: We are going
to get turnt at that pep rally!
5.
YASSSS
This just
means yes but with ten times the excitement of an average yes. Like when a
fangirl is going to a concert with her favorite band.
Sentence:
Headed to One Direction! YASSSSS!
Despite my research and
my daily exposure to teenagers, I still find that tapping into my own teenage
years and remembering the emotions, the fears, and the triumphs I went through is
the best way to write about teenagers. Trends and technological advances will constantly
change, but the universal human experience of coming of age is mostly the same.
Exploring your talents, having your heart broken, facing your failures and enjoying
successes all shape who we become as adults. And for me, I love that I get to
relive that time in my life through my stories.
To learn more about me
and my writing, please check me out online at Melissamacvicar.com or on
facebook and twitter at Melissa MacVicar-Author and @melissamacvicar
http://melissamacvicar.com/
https://twitter.com/MelissaMacVicar
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melissa-MacVicar/137762893067929?ref=hl
Ever Lost (Secret Affinity, #2)
New town, new
school, new ghost.
Jade has a
dedicated boyfriend, an overprotective mom, and a full scholarship. Uprooted
from Nantucket, Jade is installed off-island at her dad’s new house so she can
attend snobby Layton Academy. Leaving Charlie behind is sheer torment, but
living with her father has plenty of dangerous distraction—in the form of a
terrifying spirit haunting her new school. Hottie classmate Mateo Fernandez
can’t see the ghost, but he knows its story. He’d like to know hers, too, but
Jade still misses Charlie, even though distance seems to be changing him.
With support from Mateo and the mysterious Noemie, Jade
commits to helping the agonized spirit cross over. As she delves into the
ghost’s past, the disturbing secrets Jade learns draw her into a deadly
confrontation with a desperate man. If she can’t play his demented game, the
spirit’s harrowing fate could become her own.
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