: Re: Describing big cities and using slang words while writing I've been trying to write a book that takes place somewhere in America, maybe New York, Chicago, or another large city. But the problem

@Debbie451

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If you want your story to sound authentic, you must learn and use the slang of the city(ies) in question.

The New York Times had a fascinating dialect quiz a few years ago, and the author just put out a book called Speaking American. I haven't read it, but it sounds like a good place for you to start to grasp how regional dialects differ.

Beyond that, you'll have to travel or spend a lot of time speaking with locals to get the flavor of local language. You may get some from documentaries or news, but real people will give you the best results.

If you want to describe the city properly, same thing: travel or start researching films/documentaries. If you are writing about a real place, you have to experience it to write about it.

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