Tag: #Swearing

Writing to the Edge #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
 
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

October 6 question – In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

The awesome co-hosts for the October 6 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pitt, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Mary Aalgaard!

This question is eerily similar to Monday’s topic, but not by any grand plan. Coincidences happen.  I’ll see what I can do to add something new. (You can see that post below.)

On Monday, I wrote about my decision to not write sex scenes. (Because frankly, I don’t think I’d be any good at it., not because I have a personal objection to them.) I also don’t write horror, because I don’t enjoy it. I don’t read it, I don’t watch horror movies, I don’t write horror stories. There are enough bad things in this world without adding to them. (But if you enjoy them, go for it.) Interestingly, I have written scenes with mild violence. It fits in a different category.

Language isn’t a show stopper. (I wrote about that a few weeks ago!)  I believe in using language appropriate to the character and the setting. And if that means throwing in a few swear words, I’ll do it. The reader has heard them all before. (I don’t write children’s books.)

I also tackle controversial subjects in my books, but in ways that maybe you don’t realize what I did until later. I’ve mentioned the women’s movement, LGBTQ rights, law enforcement issues, the politics around marijuana and drugs, and other social issues.

There’s lots of things I haven’t tackled, but I still have time and ideas. I guess I’ll figure out what else I won’t write when it stares me in the face and my characters and I argue about it!

Don’t forget to check out other writers in this hop. There’s a whole list below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

 

I Fr*gg$n Swear #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Sept 13, 2021
How do you feel about the use of profanity, either in your stories or in what you read?

Profanity is such an old-fashioned, polite term. Let’s call it like it is. Swearing. Cussing. Using bad language.

I was probably ten the first time I heard my father swear. Rightfully so. A car ran a stop sign and almost hit our station wagon, with the entire family in it. Even then, only one word slipped out and my mother didn’t even correct him.

That may have been the only time I was shocked by a curse word, and I don’t remember what word he used. I read well above my age level, so soon I was running into improper language in print and it wasn’t a big deal. (Okay, the words might have made me giggle when no one else was around.) By the time I graduated from high school, even the nightly news occasionally let a bad word slip through their filters.

The point is: ages and ages later, when I began writing fiction, I understood that the use of swear words was part of life. Realistic dialogue can create a character better than anything else. If I was creating a twenty-something male in who was a mechanic, or a plumber, or in IT, the use of swear words was important in fashioning the setting and the personality. I wasn’t writing sweet romances so, I made the decision to include curse words. But, in limited numbers, only. I didn’t have a point to prove. No paragraphs filled with long strings of harsh language. And, for the most part, only the milder swear words. 

I’ll confess, I broke that mold in The Baron’s Cufflinks, when a character’s continual use of profanities become a plot point. Some of the harsher words, too. I cringed as I typed them, but they were true to the character, Annabelle LeRoix. 

This is where I normally give you a clip of a story as an example. Not this time. Use your imagination. Or go pull the book up your kindle or off your bookshelf. (Is this a good time to mention that The Baron’s Cufflinks ebook is on sale for 99¢ at all retailers?) 

For Detective Horace in The Ranger’s Dog Tags, I went a different direction. A detective on the Orlando Police force might be expected to drop a few cuss words here and there, but he’s a church-going man. True to his faith, he doesn’t swear at all in the book.

I’ve lost a few potential sales to people staying true to their beliefs, and I’m okay with that. They’ll ask if my books have adult scenes or bad language, and I’ll answer honestly. If they want to stick with Christian fiction, that’s their choice and I’ll support it. (But I can’t imagine writing it.)

So, all of you who read this blog but never comment, here’s your chance. Talk to me. Tell me how you feel about the use of swear words in the books you read, including mine. While you are thinking about it, I’m going to check out what the other authors in this blog hop think.

As always, until next time, please  stay safe.

Sept 13, 2021
How do you feel about the use of profanity, either in your stories or in what you read?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

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