The use of dialect in fiction is an oft-debated subject. While its foes are adamant it should never be attempted, an equal number of writers will try it, we assume merely to be contrary, because when we do it, it’s stylish.
In a post on the Killzone blog, Reavis Wortham says you can use dialect, if you use it sparingly, and if you know what you’re talking about.
“Don’t string that much local dialect together in your manuscript. It’s too much, and too hard to read,” Wortham says. “Just sprinkle in two or three regional words or phrases to help establish your character, and move on, dropping in a little more spice every now and then to help identify the speaker.”
More importantly, you shouldn’t try to learn regional dialect or slang via Google or by mimicking watered-down TV speak. “To write about a location, in my opinion, an author also needs to smell the air, listen to the symphony of sounds in the location they’re describing, to walk the streets and feel the grit underfoot, or on their face,” Wortham says. “Go where you plan to set your novel…At the very worst, you can write off a vacation, and at best, your characters and descriptions will come alive.”
