“I write about life experiences–hard times in school, family problems, stuff like that. I just put all my ideas down on paper, then arrange them in paragraphs. Then I get lots of editing help.”
–Jakita Walter, 15, of Chicago talks to Q about her writing technique. A story Walter wrote on kids’ “secret languages” recently was published in New Moon: The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams (www.newmoon.org).
In New Moon, Walter revealed the latest lingo:
– “Off the chains” or “off the hook” means something is cool.
– “Holla back” or “much love” subs for “goodbye.”
“Teens change their language a lot, because their parents are trying to catch on to what they’re saying. It’s like Morse code,” she told Q.
Her favorite word at the moment: “Wankster,” she said. “That means a thug, a wannabe gangster.”
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Walter aims to keep writing but also wants to go to law school. With a toddler son, she knows she has her work cut out for her.
“You just have to stay focused,” she said, adding, “My mom, she helps me out a lot.”