Kerr's literary strength lies in her ability to construct a unique and often hilarious cast of characters situated in a realistic, moving plot. In Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack, she accomplishes this through convincing dialogue and illuminating symbolism. In creating the dialogue between Tucker and his peers, Kerr captures the tone and subject matter of typical adolescent conversation.

More significantly, she depicts the characters' use of alternative, indirect methods of communication. Tucker, Natalia, Dinky, and P. John often are not sure what they feel or how they wish to express themselves; they frequently say what they do not really mean in order to hide their insecurities and anxieties.

Tucker, for example, usually remains quiet but learns to express his most personal thoughts through writing and literature: he writes poems that only he reads, which help him understand his own feelings; he sends Dinky a clip from Science...