: Re: Using colloquialisms the reader may not be familiar with I'm from Ireland, most of my stories take place in Ireland, and many of my characters will speak with Irish accents and/or dialects to

I think colloquialisms in a story written by a person who speaks that dialect are great and really add something to the story.

What I dislike is if someone who doesn't speak a particular dialect writes a parody of that dialect. I recently read Theatre Shoes by Noel Streatfeild and was horrified by the (frankly racist, but thankfully brief) parody of a Chinese man speaking English.

Contrast that with the totally marvellous Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo, where the main character starts out writing in Chinglish and gradually changes to English, and it's completely believable.

If you have dialect words in your story, it is usual to add a glossary at the end. I have lived in various places around the UK, and when you tell people from another region about the dialect of the place you used to live in, they are totally baffled - e.g. "gey brant" (very steep, Cumbria), "gert lush" (very nice, Bristol), "messages" (shopping, Glasgow).

I am a fan of descriptive grammar rather than prescriptive, so I'd be fascinated by usages like "amn't" and "yous".

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: In general --and of course, this varies widely for actual individuals --my own personal sense is that women tend to be more aware of, interested in, and concerned about a wide and constantly

: Re: Using colloquialisms the reader may not be familiar with I'm from Ireland, most of my stories take place in Ireland, and many of my characters will speak with Irish accents and/or dialects to

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: I'm writing a thesis/novel. What should I pay attention to on a possible research trip? For my BA degree, I am required to complete a thesis project in the field of fiction writing, and I

: Should I use the real name or attempt to describe? I'm writing a story in a fantasy setting, where there are characters who dress with ancient Egyptian type clothing - such as haram pant and

: Am I changing POVs if I'm describing what two or more characters are sensing (touch, smell, sound, etc.)? Am I changing POVs if I'm describing what two or more characters are sensing (touch,

: In general --and of course, this varies widely for actual individuals --my own personal sense is that women tend to be more aware of, interested in, and concerned about a wide and constantly

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