Sunday, March 1, 2015

Bit 'o Jam and Victorian Slang #sol15

My wife is away on a mini-vacation with her daughter. I miss my bit o' jam and can't wait to see her when she gets home.

My WIP (work-in-progress) is an adult historical fiction set in Manchester, England in the 19th century. While researching--looking at maps, reading books such as The Gangs of Manchester, and pouring through photographs--I found a Dictionary of Victorian Slang published in 1909.

While this will be perfect to help me craft dialogue, I am looking forward to the joy in resurrecting some of the slang in my personal and professional life. I know of a colleague or two will have fun with this and I know some of the kids in my classes will get a kick out of it too.

So, my plan is twofold:

  1. I want to try and incorporate a different piece of Victorian slang in each of my Slice of Life blog posts--to help me get better at learning the slang while I continue with my WIP.
  2. On my white board at school, I'll post a new term of Victorian slang each day during the month of March. Like other teachers, I usually post famous quotes or gentle reminders ("What are you reading this weekend?") but I think the change will be good. And fun. Sometimes we have to plan for fun, right?

My first piece of Victorian slang on Monday might be "bit o' jam" which means a pretty girl. 

As in: He always hugs me and calls me his "bit o' jam"...

I am hoping that the Victorian slang experiment can inspire a few fun stories to share on my Slice of Life Challenge blog posts throughout March.



6 comments:

  1. I love this idea of moving slang into your slice. (Slang in Your Slice -- that sounds like a song title, eh?) I'm glad you are in the mix, my friend.
    Kevin

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  2. My bit'o jam. I love that! I am excited to hear more victorian slang this month. What a fun idea to share with your class too!

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  3. What a great idea, Brian. Fun and your writing - both your novel and Slices - are sure to profit.

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  4. What fun. I had never heard a bit of jam. Looking forward to hearing more.

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  5. Love it! What a neat find in your research for the WIP. I look forward to more of your voice this month.

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  6. Very cool! I'm looking forward to learning a bit of old time slang with you this month, as well as hearing more about your writing!

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