Slang

 Whenever I speak at conferences or writers workshops, I tell new writers to avoid dated slang. "Okay" and "cool" have been used for so long, people forget they're slang, so those are okay. But anything else? Not a great idea. You date the book, and there's a big chance that the slang will be outdated by the time the book comes out anyway. Also, if you make even a small mistake with the usage, your target audience will drop you. Teenagers are notoriously unforgiving of adults who use "their" slang. I don't use my students' slang in class ever. I'm well aware it doesn't make me the cool teacher. Teens see it as cringe-y and intrusive, even if adults use it right, which they almost never do.

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