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the way your characters talk
Your dialogue sounds like a permission slip.
Real teens don't talk like permission slips. They interrupt, code-switch, and use specific slang that ages a book in six months — which is fine because the book will get readers who lived in that exact six months. We talk about realistic teen dialogue, the rhythms that make it feel alive, and the slang trap that flattens it. The trap is using slang to prove the character is a teen instead of using rhythm and behavior. Slang dates fast. Rhythm doesn't.
Permission-slip teen · real teen
| Permission slip | Real teen |
|---|---|
| 'I would prefer not to attend' | 'I'm not going' |
| 'May I borrow…' | 'Can I take…' |
| 'Mother said…' | 'My mom said…' |
| Complete sentences | Interruptions, restarts |
Teen dialogue tonight
- Listen to how you and your friends actually talk for a day.
- Notice the interruptions, restarts, and overlap.
- Write a scene reproducing that rhythm. Slang optional.
- Read aloud. Cut anything that sounds like a textbook.
- Trust the rhythm. The slang dates. The rhythm doesn't.
Slang dates your book in six months. Rhythm carries it for decades. Trust the rhythm. The interruptions are the craft.
— L.A. Walton, The Book Maven
From the Maven Catalog
- Teen Master Course — Real Teen Dialogue
- Teen eBook — Don't Sound Like an Adult
- Teen Toolkit — Teen Dialogue Toolkit
- Teen Planner — Scene-by-Scene Planner
Listen for one day. Write the rhythm. Cut the textbook lines. The characters start sounding like people who actually exist. Even the slang you used will date charmingly later.