When You Start Using British Terminology

I hate my characters. I'm way behind, my novel is set in Boston, I'm from America and yet my characters keep using British terminology! It's an elevator, people, not a lift. And why is 'bloody' everyone's insult of choice?

I have a completely different story.
My FMC is British. WHY IS SHE SPEAKING LIKE AN AMERICAN? Sure, she's lived in America for fours years, but STILL. I've only had her say 'bloody' and 'wanker' a few times. She says 'thanks' as 'thanks'. It's supposed to be 'cheers'!

I am resigned to my characters turning British at random moments. I am helpless to prevent it.

I struggle with this as well. Especially the use of "bloody" . I don't know what it is about it. It's just my go to insult/curse. ^_^

It seems like in every story, one character of the other says "Bloody 'ell!"
Even this random dragon. Like seriously. She's a DRAGON.
Fortunately, no random British words have found their way into my current NaNoWriMo. xD

I keep refraining from typing down my British terminology, I'm trying to save it all when I actually have a British character in my book. She won't be showing up for a while, but I have the strongest urge to make my MC talk completely in British terms.

Lol, I thought I was the only American who did this. I blame it on having British friends and reading a whole lot of British books.

Instead of cookie my main character said "biscuit." I wanted to tell him, "Use all the fancy words you want. That doesn't change the fact you're a worthless piece of debris in a trashy town."

With his biscuits, he shall rule the world.

The first three chapters of my American novel set in the 1920s read like everyone teleported there immediately following the war of 1812. I am going to have some serious editing problems when this is over.

I feel your pain. As a Brit who's been living in America for 8 years, I keep finding Americanisms slipping into British characters and Britishisms sneaking into American characters. It's going to become a pain as I have a German character I've explicitly identified as being undercover as an American, a New Yorker in fact, and I have to work hard not to fall into British speech patterns.

Fortunately, he seems like he'll be more of a minor character and the other characters reacting to him and the actions he's covertly taking will be the meat of my interactions...

I actually AM british, but I found myself writing diaglogue yesterday using the words 'sheesh' and 'jeez'. I've never even MET an American (exception of Vic Mignogna), so how the heck have I picked up phrases?!

I am English, and I don't use stuff like "bloody" ever, only probably said it a few times in my life and I'm sure once was a satire ;)
Although my last novel was very... British. Not like real English,Scottish,Irish or Welsh characters but that exaggerated view of it. Reminds me of Lily Allen's song LDN lol.

Anyway, I am starting to write with American spellings- color etc and it's doing my head in. It's probably because on my new laptop you cant' change the spellchecker language and I hate all the little red squiggly lines :P

My novel is set in America in 1812, but for some reason the carriage driver and his wife speak in cockney English accents. Maybe they're immigrants.

My MMC is based on David Tennant, who is a British actor most famous for his portrayal of the lead in the quintessential English television program Doctor Who. So I've got at least one character who is intentionally using recognizably British phrases and slang, such as bloody and bloke and blimey and such.

The MMC's romantic interest has picked up a Cockney accent somewhere along the way.

My FMC has decided she wants to look and act like Karen Gillan.

My villain just informed me that he's a John Simm doppelganger.

I have another character who reminds me somewhat of Benedict Cumberbatch.

So I've got more or less a fully British/Whovian cast.

This is going to be so much fun to write. >8D

I actually have a reason for my American MMC to sound British - my story's set in the early 19th century, when the American accent was still, for all intents and purposes, English. HA-HA! *cackle of triumph*

Happens to me a lot. So... so much.
I'm currently blaming it on the fact that I watched three seasons of Doctor Who in two weeks or less. And the fact that I watch Torchwood before bed... and Sherlock... *faceplant*

I don't think my british character is british enough, screw you america and your lack of education on british slang!

I had a dream one night that some woman at work was talking in Cockney rhyming slang... I'm American, never been to England, and never heard anyone actually talking like that except to make fun of the dialect. Completely forgot about it until right now. XD

I'm British and I use a lot of colloquialisms and obscure words in everyday conversation. My book is set in Britain too and I'm deliberately going to use my kind of fun language. At least a couple of my characters are going to be as weird as me when it comes to unusual words and phrases. Some examples of weird stuff I say:

chuffed
brill!
gutted!
bugger
eejit/gormless/twit/twerp
skew-wiff/wonky/squiffy
sorted!
blimey
yon/yonder
'twixt/twain
thy/thee/si'thee/tara and other yorkshire-isms
ain't/fink/you're 'avin' a larf, and other cockney-isms I've picked up off my partner
I also occasionally use Welsh words I've learnt off my Dad, like - pechod/bach/cariad

I have the opposite problem. I'm English but write fanfiction (yes, I admit it...) in a US fandom, so find that odd words creep in every now and then.