I am a girl run by lists. I keep a small spiral notebook on top of the fridge where I organize my life. Each Monday morning I sit down to write out the week's items. I've got tabs for:
To do
To eat
To buy
To buy is generally a grocery list, but also includes odds and ends. To eat is a weekly menu by day. To do is a daily to-do list.
I sure do love crossing things out or making that check mark next to an item. Am I weird? I'm weird. I accepted that fact a long time ago.
But that doesn't change how much I enjoy a good list. I think that's why I love Goodreads and Pinterest so much. Digital lists?! Why didn't I think of that before?
Recently I purchased a couple more small notebooks to carry in my purses for last-minute list additions and, more importantly, story/plot ideas for the book I 'm working on. I'm fairly certain nothing will ever come of it, but I'm having fun anyway. Plus, if I'm able to finish and only my nieces read it, well, I'll consider that a success.
This all brings me to my question of the day. My main character (and, therefore, most of the characters) is 16 years old. I'm struggling to write conversation in the book because I'm not sure how informal to make it. Should she speak like a normal teenager, with tons of "likes" and "awesomes" etc. thrown in, or is that just too painful to read in print? Where's the happy balance?
I'd love to know what you all think. The good, the bad, the like totally ugly...regale me with your opinions.
I think it's easiest, and most effective, to write true to how you would speak, and as a teenager you never spoke like a teenager. Hope that helps.
ReplyDeleteI think that's definitely true. I've just struggled with how to make her friends communicating abilities seem teenager-ish, but still readable. We'll see if I can polish these things up...
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