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I'm hoping that I can find some folks here willing to help me to get all the little details right in a series of novels I am writing that set in rural North Carolina... specifically, Nash County. These novels will focus on the specific challenges faced by Christian teenagers today. I can't say exactly why the stories are set in Nash County, since I live in Georgia, other than that I feel the Lord led me there.
Anyway, if my characters were real, they would be living in or around the town of Bailey and would be attending Southern Nash High School. However, I have changed all the names of the towns, the school, even local restaurants and businesses, out of respect for the residents there. Bailey is Bentley... Nashville is Clarksville... and in the first of the novels the characters live in a tiny residential area called Sandy Fork.
In the first novel one of the side issues is an argument about prayer before sporting events. As I have as yet been unable to find any specific information about whether this argument has ever come up in that area of North Carolina, I have based the events in the novel on a case out of Texas (Sante Fe v. Doe). But I would be VERY interested in finding out if this issue has ever actually been debated in North Carolina -- especially Nash County -- and perhaps get some specifics about what happened. (I know there was a huge rally in 2000 in Asheville in response to the Supreme Court ruling in that Texas case, but my novel takes place in the year 2001.)
Additionally, for the sake of "getting it right," I'd love to find out about any local slang, dialect, quirky sayings, etc, that one might hear in rural N.C.
Also, what kinds of activities do the high school kids engage in during the summer months and weekends? (I have already made my best guesses, but would love to have specifics.) The main character in the first novel plays baseball, and I have already found out about summer league play for teens, but I need more info for the other novels.
Finally, if there is anyone who would be willing to read a chapter or two of the novel for me, to double check me, I would be hugely appreciative! I can't really post anything online since that could jeapardize my selling first publishing rights, but I'll be happy to communicate by e-mail.
I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions later! Thanks for any info you can give!!!
Well, and I am assuming that all North Carolinans do this since I have heard it all my life, we tend to compare things like:
It is hotter than hell outside.
He was madder than a wet setting hen.
He was madder than a wasp.
The fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
He is dumber than mud, sack of hammers, etc.
He is a few french fries shy of a happy meal.
He doesn't have both oars in the water.
She was as nervous as a ***** in church.
She was as nervous as cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
It smells like a pole cat. (this is a skunk)
The lights are on but none one is home (referring to someone that is dense)
Start with this and them kinda tell me what you are looking. I live not too far from Nash County and Bailey.
There is a camp in North Carolina that a lot of teens attend, through Young Life, a non denominational Christian group that is huge here.
The camp is called Windy Gap, and two of my teens have been there for weekends. That would fit the mold of a typical Christian teen in NC.
As far as the prayer, I can tell you that schools here have something called "Meet Me at the Pole" or something like that, where they gather at the flagpole for prayer in the am on a set day. It is early in the morning before schools.
Our local board of education opens its board meetings with prayer each month. I live in Union County.
Good luck,
Peggy
Bethanytedder... thanks so much for those! I can think of one or two places where I can insert something like that. So cool that you live close to the area I'm writing about! I might just have some specific questions for you from time to time. LOL
pegmomof4... that is AWESOME!!! I'm going to google "Windy Gap" and see if I can find out anything... you might have just given me something I can use in the second novel (since I was thinking the female character in that book might go on some kind of short term mission trip over the summer... this might work even better). Wow... the Lord is amazing!
"Meet me at the Pole" is a national movement. I know I've heard it talked about on Jay Sekulow's radio program. Thanks for reminding me of it! I bet I can find a place to stick that into the novels too, depending on what day of the year it takes place and when it began.
Haven't seen you in a coon's age (long time)
I ain't...I am not
I ain't got none...I don't have any
Ya'll come back now, ya hear (invitation to visit again)
Ya'll come back now, hear (same)
Ya'll come back (same)
Ya'll come on back (same or please follow me)
See ya...goodbye
Hey...hello
She's been around the block a few times (promiscuous)
I'm gonna bust open a can of whoopass on you (beat you up)
I'm fixin to...(getting ready to)
cut the rug...dance
dumb as a doorknob...dense
can't complain...response to How are you? versus saying fine
you youngins (or younguns) need to hush...children, please be quiet
hush up... be quiet
shush..be quiet
She's hot...she's mad
He's fired up..he's mad
tan your behind...spanking
corn sticks...cornbread muffins shaped in little corn shape molds.
mad as fire
it ain't gonna happen...it's not probable
there ain't no sense in this...there's no reason for this
naw, nope...no
yep, yeah...yes
purdy...pretty
"weren't" that nice...wasn't that nice
half-ass...poor job
cool beans...very cool
hissy fit...throw a big childish tantrum
thank you kindly
you're alright..you're a nice person
put up the groceries...put away the groceries
supper (pm meal)
cut on/off the lights...turn on/off the lights
washing powder...laundry detergent
buggy...grocery cart
boot...trunk of car
tired as a hog
mess of collards...pot of collards
pocketbook...purse, handbag
cattin' out...going on on sat night, or cheating on spouse
running around on...cheating on spouse
tellin' tales, telling stories...lying
spoutin' off...running their mouth
talking **** about...talking about someone negatively/telling lies, behind their back
they're "good folks"...they come from a very nice family
those folks in Greenville...the people that live in Greenville
watching my stories...watching my soap operas
ugly as sin...really ugly
touched in the head...off mentally
not the sharpest knife in the drawer...dense
that's foolish...silly
those folks are foolish...they are crazy, particular, eccentric
don't sass me/your momma...don't talk back to me/your mother (said to children)
wild as a buck...very wild young man
he's wide open...he's ready to party
he's crazy as hell...he is saying something totally untrue
not a saying or slang, but...Texas Pete is an acceptable sauce on absolutely any food item.
also...anyone older than you is addressed as Mr. or Mrs., or Miss, out of respect. All children are expected to do so, but at any age, this is true. If you use the last name, it's Mrs. Johnson (Mr. Johnson). Using the last name is the highest form of respect. If you use the first, it's Miss Susan (Mr. Jimmy). This typically reserved for those you know quite well/family friends. It's used even if the woman is married, & you should grammatically use Mrs. However, you never use Miss Johnson to refer to her in this case. How's that for confusing???
As you can tell above, we have a "saying" for about everything. I also wanted to tell you about North Carolina names. A lot of people have double names like Billy Ray, Billy Joe, Billy Wayne. You don't have to go too far to run into a Ray, Wayne or Joe in the bunch. As for women/girls, you can almost tell how someone in by their name. That is unless they have this horrible family name on their birth certificate or have a name like Elizabeth. That has survived for centuries as has Mary and Katherine.
When I was born in 1951, most of the girls were named Patricia, Linda, Kathy, Deborah, an occasional Gail or Gayle, Susan, Joan, Jane, Jean and the like.
Girls born today have names like Brooklynn, Brianna, Amber, Kaylee is getting really popular and that is really funny. I kinda though I had made up the name when Kaylee was born out of the letters in Gayla and Kathleen. Gayla is my first name and Kaylee's mother's middle name is Kathleen. Now you hear and see Kaylee or Kayleigh all the time. But when I was in school, the classrooms were over run with Patricia's and Susan's and Kathy's. We also had a lot of Debbie's whose name probably was Deborah.
So if you have a particular character in mind, let me know the age of the character and I will help you decide on a name. The over 80's group sport names like Walter, Arthur, Warren, and a lot were named for the president that was in office at the time they were born like Warren Harding _________ and whatever his middle name was.
Bibical names are popular in North Carolina. All my children have bibical names or were named after a family member that again had a bibical name. My last child's name was Benjamin Glenn. And he was named after my great grandfather whose name was Benjamin Franklin Creech and my grandmother whose name was Lucy Glenn Creech. Last names seem to be concentrated in certain areas. Prevailing names here are Sugg or Suggs, Exum, Taylor, Edwards, Joyner, Albritton, Creech, Hill, etc. My husband wasn't from Greene county and as a result of us moving back here, we are the only two Tedder's in the county while in Johnston County were he was born and raised, it is fairly common. Ann, Sue, Jo, Lee or Leigh, Lou, are by far the most overused middle names in the world down here. And I avoided them like a passion when I named my children. Also for some unknown reason, there seems to be a trend for girls to be named after a male relative or a female one that has the name previously no matter how horrible the name is. Hence I had a cousin named Mary Glenn, I was born with the name Gail Henry (I was the third girl and his name was Amos Henry) and I went to school with a Virginia Mark. I know a girl also that is named Marklyn and no doubt her father's name was Mark. I changed my legal name in 1986 because I hated it so much and it caused me so much grief because when I was in school, unless they knew already, no one knew if I was male or female. I would be willing to say there are at least 3 Henry's in my family for at least 11 generations in every generation. But I kept my father's name but I added my great grandmother's name to my name leaving me with Gayla-Henri Elizabeth. The Bethany came later as a nickname.
I almost felt sorry for my two older sisters. They were practically "forced" into using the family names for their children. By the time I came along to having children, all the family names had been used and I happily got to use my own names. Well, except for Benjamin maybe. But I would have named him that anyway since I didn't even know that my great grandfather's name was Benjamin until I had decided to use it.
But let me know if you are having trouble with a character's name. Oh and there are a lot of Junior, Initial names, Shorty, and other equally stupid sounding nicknames around here as well.
Awesome stuff, folks! Man, I should have come here first!
The first novel is finished, but I haven't sent it to an agent yet, so I can make some changes still. The main characters in that novel are: Randall Jacob (Randy) and Martin Joseph. So there you've got the Biblical names as middle names. Their father is Richard, and their mother is Silvia. (She came from Texas, however.) I'm not keen on changing their names at this point, but I can sure use this info for all their classmates and neighbors.
A lot of what I'm seeing here is not much different from what I've seen in rural Georgia (although I live near Atlanta, so all bets are off here!) I knew about saying Miss, Mrs., and Mr. and then the first or last name. I grew up in Chicago... we would only say the last names, never something like "Miss Susan." But I've lived in Georgia for over 20 years now, so it sounds quite natural and my daughter addresses her elders that way all the time.
Luckydog... you brightened my morning! Some of that stuff is priceless! I especially liked the bit about Texas Pete sauce. I wonder... my main character, Randy, has an amazing sweet tooth. Can you think of something unique to the region that he would crave? Also, can you think of any special dish that would be served on Thanksgiving? I've got the usual turkey, candied yams, and green beans -- oh, are they called something else? Yikes! How about soft drinks? Soda? Cola? Pop? Coke-Cola? Something else?
Just a thought... this information could be useful as a primer for people thinking about moving to the area. LOL
Here's a little scene I'll share with you folks... just a funny little bit from that Thanksgiving..... the family has invited Randy's girlfriend and her mother over for the day, and while dinner is being prepared and the guys are watching football.....
*****
During a commercial, Randy got up, motioned for Leesa to follow him, and went into the kitchen. He guided her to the table, where her mother was sitting cutting up some green beans and chatting, and then he whispered “Watch this!”
Randy went to the refrigerator and pulled out a drink, conscious of his own mother eyeing his every move. He closed the refrigerator door and turned to face her.
“What do you want?” she said suspiciously. She had her back to the counter, guarding precious edibles.
Randy shrugged and said, “Just getting a drink.”
“Uh huh. You have your drink, so why are you still standing there?”
“Can’t I spend a little time in the company of my lovely, sweet mother?” he said, grinning at her.
“Ah! Then would my darling, sweet son like to wash some dishes for me?”
“Maybe after I finish my drink,” he said, pulling the tab as a demonstration of his intent.
Martin came in and opened the refrigerator. Tag team. Randy made a casual move toward the counter to his mother’s right, diverting her attention. Martin did not grab another can of soda, but went straight for the canister of whipped cream. Randy saw him quickly pop off the top and upend the canister an inch above his wide open mouth. His mother saw it too, and as the foamy sweet cream flowed into Martin’s mouth, she lunged in that direction to stop it. Randy seized the opportunity to grab a marshmallow from atop the candied yams ready to go into the oven. His mother expected this, however, and with the can of whipped cream in her hand, she turned to confront him. He hid the contraband behind his back.
“What have you got?” she said, waving the can as if to threaten him.
“Can of soda?” he said, holding it up for her to see.
“No, behind your back!”
He spun around, flipped the marshmallow into his mouth, held out his empty hand, and shrugged innocently.
“Oh! Oh! Every year!” she cried, exasperated but grinning.
Randy’s father came into the room, and she turned on him and said, “Out! Don’t even come in here!”
“What did I do?” his father asked.
Randy took the opportunity to flee. Leesa, giggling, followed him to the living room.
“Score?” Martin asked.
“Yep. 2-0 so far. Wait for Dad.”
A moment later Randy heard his mother reduced to half syllable utterances. “Wha – yu – gi – ou!” Then Dad came quickly out of the kitchen, still chewing something.
“3-0” Martin said.
“Ya’ll are too funny!” Leesa said. “But, can you get a marshmallow for me too?”
“Hmmm…” Randy said, and he got up to try, got caught, got whipped with a dish towel, came back to sit down, and said, “3-1.”
*****
Snap beans for green beans would be good. And we don't use Breakfast, lunch and dinner. We use Breakfast, dinner and supper. I doubt that that we would say candied yams but rather just plain out and out yams. And on that happy note, anyone that eats those things, should go by Wilson, NC's Bruce Foods and get a smell of those things in production. As well as the potato chip factory in Raleigh. Your names and nicknames sound well and probable. Even Silvie would be a good nickname for Silvia so it would work for her if she was born here or not. I can't wait to see the finished product. Oh for the Thanksgiving dinner, egg gravy. It is a staple here. Basically what it is, is gravy with sliced boiled eggs in it. It is served over the stuffing and turkey. We eat a lot of potato salad on the holidays. That is boiled potatoes with mayo, boiled eggs, relish, and onions in it. I prefer it chilled although a lot of people don't.
As for Randy's sweets, go for pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie or really any kind of pie like apple, lemon merginue or cherry for Thanksgiving or other holidays. Now when he is on the move and with his school buddies, something like"Randy and Jake stopped at the old store where old man Ray had built when he was 25. One of the pleasures of the day was to listen to Ray go on and on about how the new fangled convenience stores were terrible. No personal contact at all, he would complain. Heck they didn't even have a checker board. They probably had no idea what checkers were. And of course there was the good 'ole days when he was barning tobacco as a youth. At 75 now, he had the look of cured tobacco and if you let your imagination run wild, you could almost smell it on him. Then again, maybe it was the redman that was in his mouth that cause the odor. They headed straight to the canned drink aisle where Randy got himself a coke and Jake got a pepsi leading them to dispute which one was the best. Then is familiar form, Randy headed to the sweet cake rack and got one of the biggest cinnamon rolls (or honey buns) he could find."
Last edited by Bethanytedder; 04-20-2006 at 07:54 AM..
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