Most Common Writing Errors ✔️

Texting Slangs Are No Slay :(

This chapter will talk about texting slangs and why you shouldn't use them in your story.

Read the disclaimer if you haven't already.

I've talked briefly about this subject before, but I'll go into more detail here.

Texting slangs are words like "u," where we shorten or abbreviate certain words to be more text-friendly. Most people use these slangs, especially those on the younger side. There's nothing wrong with texting slangs. The problem is when you use them in your story when the characters aren't texting.

I'm sorry, but the second a story includes "u" or something similar in spoken dialogue, I can no longer take it seriously. It feels so off and goofy to not spell out the word.

If you've done this in the past, or even in the present, don't feel bad. I understand it's instinct to use texting slang (depending on how often you use it), and if you're writing on phone especially, it's easy to fall into muscle memory and habit. Just try to keep in mind that for stories, it doesn't really work.

I can see this type of thing working in a comedy, but even then, it's risky. I feel there are better ways to get a laugh from your audience without resorting to texting slangs that aren't very funny, in my opinion.

The problem is, I don't read comedy stories, so the stories I've seen that use texting slang are serious ones.

Now, let's break it down.

1) Why Texting Slangs Don't Work

2) Can They Ever Work?

3) Why Readers Dislike Texting Slangs

Why Texting Slangs Don't Work

Texting slangs are meant for texting, not the spoken language. When you think about it, in spoken dialogue, "u" and "you" don't sound any different. When you say the word "you," you're thinking "you," not "u." 

"U" is a slang, not a standard.

In text, you automatically translate wtf in your head. I'm willing to bet most of you read wtf as what the f-ck instead of w-t-f. Idk is I don't know, not i-d-k.

So in spoken dialogue, if you use "Idk," it comes off as the characters actually saying "I-d-k," not I don't know. If they are saying "I don't know," then they should be saying I don't know. The characters are speaking, not reading. Just because your audience can automatically translate it in their minds doesn't mean it makes sense.

I have never heard anyone seriously say idk, lol, tf, or wtf in a sentence. I've heard lol and lmao used in a comedic sense, but even then, I hear them very rarely.

That's why they don't work. If you use texting slangs outside of text, it looks like the description, dialogue, or whatever is saying i-d-k instead of I don't know. Texting slangs are meant for text, that's why they're called texting slangs.

If you want readers to take your story seriously, be sure not to use texting slangs outside of a text conversation.

Can They Ever Work?

As I mentioned in the beginning, sure! It's possible they can work if you use them for a very specific purpose, such as a comedy book trying to crack a joke.

However, in serious stories, I can't see them working even when there are supposed to be moments of humor. I feel the risk is not worth the reward when you can simply come up with a different joke that won't pull the reader out of the story.

I won't say it's impossible because I don't think many, if any, things are impossible in writing. As I state in my disclaimer, there are so many exceptions in writing that you really need to take everything I say with a grain of salt because there are ways to make things work, but it's very hard.

Texting slangs work in text, but in spoken dialogue and regular description? No, they don't work. If you are describing a text message, that's different because it relates to a text.

Long story short: if it's a text or relates to a text, sure use texting slang if you want to (depending on the tone of the texts, of course). If it's not a text, don't use texting slang.

If the tone of the text conversation is supposed to be sad, angsty, serious, etc., then you should still try to avoid texting slangs. I'm not saying don't use them, but I'd say it's better to avoid them if you want the audience to take the text convo more seriously.

Why Readers Dislike Texting Slangs

I can only speak for myself since I don't really talk to readers about this type of thing, but for me, I dislike texting slangs because...

Okay, this is gonna sound harsh.

They're kinda cringe, to be honest.

I know, I know, boo me. I know I've been on record saying using harsh language like "cringe" isn't productive, but I really don't think there's any other way to describe it.

In real life, think about how you text your friends. Your casual conversations that include slang are probably upbeat, fun, and offensive (let's be honest, we all have some type of dark humor that would get our speech rights revoked if anyone saw).

Since your conversations are so upbeat, when you read texting slang in a story, your brain will likely create a connection between the two. You don't see "u" used in the spoken language of English, so what else do you have to make a connection to other than your text conversations?

When readers are making that connection, it causes them to completely pull themselves out of the story. Sometimes, we even laugh when we see slang such as that.

But I think it goes beyond that. We're reading a story to immerse ourselves in the characters and the world. We want to be taken away from real life, in most cases. We want to be in the world of the book. So imagine you're reading a book and fully immersed, and then your favorite character says "Wtf" during a serious moment.

It completely kills the tension.

Along with that, it's boring. It tells us nothing about how the character is feeling. It feels random and out of place, and you can show more emotion by describing and using stronger dialogue. Using texting slang feels boring and sometimes lazy depending on the severity of where it is placed in the text and how often it is used.

If authors have used texting slangs in the past, I'd be curious to know why they did that since I think most readers don't understand the point of using slang when spelling out the words works better for the sentence and our comprehension of the story.

So, long story short, most readers dislike reading texting slangs in serious stories since it brings us out of the moment, and it feels a bit lazy.

I can understand, to a certain extent, if someone uses slang in their stories because they're writing on phone and they're used to it (or auto correct jumps in), but even then, I strongly, strongly, strongly recommend not using texting slang unless the characters are texting or referring to texting.

Or, if you're going to use it, make sure it's very intentional and serves a clear purpose.

I hope this chapter was helpful!

~End~

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