Support for Indie Authors discussion

Thoughts please! Should I use the acronym GPA or write it out? The setting is the US. The speaker is a fifteen-year-old girl.

Here's the sentence: "I told myself the campus was finally big enough for Abigail and Janelle to co-exist peacefully. Now I could focus all my attention on school, my GPA, and playing volleyball."

Definitely go with the acronym. The context is more than sufficient to make the reader understand the acronym, and it wouldn't be very believable for a fifteen year old to say "grade-point average" over "GPA".

I agree with Peter, GPA sounds much more natural for the character to say.

If your concern is the acronym not being understood outside of the US, I'm English and I know what a GPA is, even though we don't use that term/system here. It's used often enough in US TV and films that I feel like most people here would know :)

Since it is the character speaking, GPA is probably better as most people use the acronym instead of saying "grade point average". It really depends on your character. I suppose if you're really concerned about readers being confused, you could say "...on school, on my grades, and..."

I would have GPA spoken, but you can write it out as a thought, if you're concerned. Best of both worlds.

Thanks everyone, this is helpful. I'd been going for what is natural and have had it as 'GPA' but thought I'd better check. It's good to know it would work in England. :)

If you remain concerned, you could always add it (spelled out) in context at some earlier point, but in dialogue "GPA" is natural. In fact, it would be unnatural to spell it out, in dialogue. Unless...

15 y/o girl says, "...focus all my attention on school, my GPA, and playing volleyball."
Her (distracted) friend asks, "GP-what?"

Then the explanation can flow naturally.

I agree with Brian. Personally I didn't know what GPA means, but I and there'll be others who won't either. Jeffrey Deaver is very good with things like that. He'll use the acronyn in dialogue and then explain it indirectly in a very natural way. 'I should focus on my GPA,' she said, and her tone made it obvious that she was indeed worried about her grades' - something like that.

Whenever I use an acronym, I also squeeze in somewhere what it means - if it's useful or essential to know.

I'm British and I'd no idea what GPA meant, but it wouldn't really have mattered, I get the gist.

Definitely more natural for your character to say GPA.

In such a case, when a present-time acronym is used by a present-time character in it's 'natural habitat', I think it helps with immersion. Teens use acronyms a lot (at least I believe they still do, I did it a lot).

Squeezing the meaning somewhere is a possibility - in a printed book, you can use a footnote. Kindle can look stuff up (as long as the user is connected to the internet) which might be a way for Kindle e-books.

Now, I am not American and I did not know what exactly 'GPA' meant until it was said in this thread but I suspected it's something with grades - and it might be enough. Thus another way is to let the context give a hint.

Having read a few books set in Canada, England, and Germany lately (I'm in the USA), I don't think it's necessary to worry that other readers won't get everything. If they're truly curious, they'll look it up - just like I did. But it's natural for an American student to say, so go with it.

I was also going to suggest you could alternatively say "grades," but I think that has a slightly different connotation - at least for me. If someone says they're focusing on their "grades," I wonder if they're a poor student. On the other hand, if someone says they're focusing on their "GPA," I think of the motivated kids who are trying to get into the more exclusive universities. Just my 2¢.

This is great thanks! It's contextual, so in place it's as suggested above: "My priorities hadn't changed: grades, volleyball, driver's license."

But when the focus is school-only it's different: "If there's one thing that could mess up my GPA, it's . . ."

The grades are good; she really wants a driver's license.

Other acronyms like DARE: "Officer Brown was my dad's DARE officer in high school."

It's more specific, a US nationwide drug awareness program and still active, but not in the particular high school. I added a comment but not a lot.

Another acronym is ADHD. I didn't explain that one. UCLA, BMW, same thing. If you think I should, let me know! Appreciate it.

I am wondering if a fifteen-year-old, who is probably just in early high school, would be using the term "campus" in referring to her school when it is usually used in speaking about college or university. Also, would she use GPA instead of saying, "focusing my attention on school, getting good marks, and playing volleyball."
I think using ADHD and other acronyms could slow down the reading since they would have to be researched.
My opinion, obviously.

I removed 'playing' and it now says 'volleyball.' The story is set in Southern California. The school is a CIF contender and has won the title. She's on the JV team and wants to make varsity next year. She would say GPA. I think 'marks' would work in a different setting: 'he gets good marks for trying,' (A for effort), at least that's how I think of it.

Acronyms could slow things down. Listing them in one place it looks like a lot but they're spread out and not used much. I do what G. S. mentioned, when I'm reading I tend to look things up and that definitely takes time. One I looked up last year was 'Teletubbies.' Somehow I missed out on that. :)

It's very helpful getting different perspectives. Thanks!

I have researched and written extensively on this subject in my own (factual) books which are written from the English side of the water (remember - it's OUR language which you, on the American side of the Pond, have borrowed and adapted - generally for the good).

GPA and DARE are not generally understood here though ADHD, UCLA and BMW are. CIF is a cleaner made in France.

Write it out. Acronyms are usually so specialized that only a select audience might recognize it.

Some stuff I'm writing out. I'm doing a bit of refining at the moment.

@Felix, that's funny about CIF. It stands for California Interscholastic Federation. It's not in the story, I was using it as an example. No one ever says the whole title, just CIF finalist, CIF division 1, etc.

Cif as a cleaner. I googled it (it's something I do; also read a lot of nonfiction), it sounds pretty good. They sell it on Amazon too! If you would like to share the title of your book that would be great. If not that's fine too, but I think it's an interesting topic. At our company someone wrote a blog using acronyms. Everyone knew what it was about, which in a way was kind of scary. I mean, like what happened to real language?! :)

Only time I use them is Military related, and I often add the meaning.

Robert wrote: "Only time I use them is Military related, and I often add the meaning."

If you DON'T use acronyms with military characters, you're doing it wrong. We always speak in acronyms. In fact, some of them I don't even know what the literal full phrase it.

Cif as a cleaner. I googled it (it's something I do; also read a lot of nonfiction), it sounds pretty good. They sell it on Amazon too! If you would like to share the title of your book that would be great.

At the risk of having my butt kicked by Dwayn - it's called The Power of Words (1) and has a quite comprehensive appended list of abbreviations though, I have to admit, somewhat British oriented.

Only time I use them is Military related, and I often add the meaning.

When you write on a military theme, acronyms are expected to be a big part of the dialogue and would not normally have explanations. The reader is expected to work it out and, if they can't, then "Hey Google".

Nine times out of ten just go with an acronym. Unless you have characters that are just odd or trying to be different it is best to use an acronym but in general it is a good habit to at least define what the full name of the word is and then follow it up with the acronym that way a reader will at least know what it means just in case they don't know. Granted it is rare, as I would think 99% of us here know what GPA is but maybe there are people out there who don't.

To give a working example, a line in my books reads:

As the sergeant left the building the sounds of annoyance echoed throughout the room. Part of Aryia felt bad for getting Mari mixed up in her selfish desires. Within a few minutes everyone changed out of their MSUs — Military School Uniforms — geared up in their BDUs — Battle Dress Uniforms — and headed out the door.

I only ever put the full name of the acronym once and the reader will know that anytime they see BDU, they will know exactly what it means... unless they happen to forget which is another matter completely.

And while on the whole military theme (being as I wrote a whole series of military light novels) I agree that acronyms are expected.

M.L. wrote: @Felix, that's funny about CIF. It stands for California Interscholastic Federation. It's not in the story, I was using it as..." Though being used simply as an example, it brings up a point that may be worth mentioning.

I can't speak for the other military services, but in the US Army, CIF stands for Central Issue Facility. Every Army soldier knows this - It's where they go to get their BDU's, ACU's, MCU's and such.

Continuing with that, I'd suggest that for any acronym where a part of it has a localized aspect ("C" meaning California, in M.L.'s example) that the acronym be spelled out somewhere. Point of fact, if anyone Googled "CIF" they'd likely have M.L.'s definition right up top, but I'd certainly get pulled out of the story if it wasn't explained somewhere.

@Felix - thanks! I added it to my to-reads. It's got anagrams too which I find really interesting.

@Wolfy - I like it when writers explain it directly. I'm not sure which book I read that put the English translation right after the word, but I was like, thank you (!) for doing that.

@Brian - hmm, there is a place where I say 405 Freeway. It's not an acronym but the freeway is specific to a region. I don't know how else to say it so I hope it makes sense. :) I've read a number of Tom Clancy novels and he references lots of places, things. He probably used acronyms but I can't remember them now. Anyway, I know they fit.

If an acronym is in common parlance, e.g. "FBI," use it verbatim. If it is something more obscure, write it out at least once before shortening it to an acronym.