tip #8 : stay off those. they make your characters sound like they're on crack.
spoken language metaphors! i dunno for sure what are they called but i was talking with somebody on tumblr (who also happens to be a beach for grammar), and they sent me this which was super effective:
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pretty easy, eh? just keep yourself updated with common phrases, other than "what's up" or "im down for it", although the fact you know these already makes you a good writer. you can also use the 8 spoken language metaphors that i mentioned above (src google), and have a little party of your own.
