That's Mularkey!
I'm sure I'm not the only YA writer who, at some point or another, has heard the words, "A teen wouldn't say that."
Publishing industry gatekeepers are experts, no doubt. But no matter how similiar the teen animal can be, there's no real accounting for what may come out of an individual teen's mouth.
Disclaimer: Writers are stubbornly loyal to their words. Especially if we believe said words in question are true to our character. Translation: We can be wrong, aplenty!
I often wonder if my ability to talk "teen" is due to a level of immaturity I've retained. Make no mistake, I'm well aware I'm an adult. And should I forget, the regular slew of bills marked with my name are loud-mouthed reminders.
Inner teen or not, I'm around teens quite a bit. So, I hear their chatter in my sleep. God help me.
But anytime one of them says something my gut tells me the publishing industry would label "un teen-like"...well, I've gotta gloat, err... share.
Over the weekend, I initiated a hot game of Phase 10 with Princess A and her cousin, Lady T. One hour in and a swift kick to my overtly competitive ego later, the game was rolling along. The girls were on Phase 5 and I was stuck, pathetically at Phase 2. Okay, maybe 3. Either way, I was sucking up the joint.
So Lady T plucks a card from the deck, rolls her eyes and exclaims in this disheartened tone, "Okay, this is mularkey," before laying a big old SKIP card down...skipping yours truly.
But I was too busy cracking up over her utterly retro exclamation to care that she'd skipped me.
#1 I don't know what she was so upset about. I was the one being skipped!
#2 Mularkey?!
What is this?
1950?
But she said it, I swear. Princess A as my witness.
For the next 24-hours we proceeded to randomly shout out "Okay, that's mularkey," then fall out snickering.
Maybe you had to be there.
But the look of disgust on her face and the resigned sigh as if it hurt her to have to skip me, preventing me from reaching the next phase (again!) was snort inducing.
I have a point here...
Teens and kids say the darndest things. And now and then, they pull out old school phrases just for the hell and probably to exert some individuality among their peers who are all using the same slang.
Who knows.
But let me say this: S, if "mularkey" ends up in my next mss and you challenge it as an "un teen like" phrase I will be forced to have the girls enact this little scene for you.
It's gold, I tell you.
Gold!
Publishing industry gatekeepers are experts, no doubt. But no matter how similiar the teen animal can be, there's no real accounting for what may come out of an individual teen's mouth.
Disclaimer: Writers are stubbornly loyal to their words. Especially if we believe said words in question are true to our character. Translation: We can be wrong, aplenty!
I often wonder if my ability to talk "teen" is due to a level of immaturity I've retained. Make no mistake, I'm well aware I'm an adult. And should I forget, the regular slew of bills marked with my name are loud-mouthed reminders.
Inner teen or not, I'm around teens quite a bit. So, I hear their chatter in my sleep. God help me.
But anytime one of them says something my gut tells me the publishing industry would label "un teen-like"...well, I've gotta gloat, err... share.
Over the weekend, I initiated a hot game of Phase 10 with Princess A and her cousin, Lady T. One hour in and a swift kick to my overtly competitive ego later, the game was rolling along. The girls were on Phase 5 and I was stuck, pathetically at Phase 2. Okay, maybe 3. Either way, I was sucking up the joint.
So Lady T plucks a card from the deck, rolls her eyes and exclaims in this disheartened tone, "Okay, this is mularkey," before laying a big old SKIP card down...skipping yours truly.
But I was too busy cracking up over her utterly retro exclamation to care that she'd skipped me.
#1 I don't know what she was so upset about. I was the one being skipped!
#2 Mularkey?!
What is this?
1950?
But she said it, I swear. Princess A as my witness.
For the next 24-hours we proceeded to randomly shout out "Okay, that's mularkey," then fall out snickering.
Maybe you had to be there.
But the look of disgust on her face and the resigned sigh as if it hurt her to have to skip me, preventing me from reaching the next phase (again!) was snort inducing.
I have a point here...
Teens and kids say the darndest things. And now and then, they pull out old school phrases just for the hell and probably to exert some individuality among their peers who are all using the same slang.
Who knows.
But let me say this: S, if "mularkey" ends up in my next mss and you challenge it as an "un teen like" phrase I will be forced to have the girls enact this little scene for you.
It's gold, I tell you.
Gold!
posted by Paula at 3:45 PM
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