Do you curse?I do. I admit it.
My mom (hi, Mom! And sorry!) was firmly against that kind of language in the house or in her presence but it crept in anyway especially after I hit high school age. I clearly remember the first time I used "pissed" in her presence. Boy, was she pissed! Poor woman. It was all downhill from there.
But because most of my friends cursed and everyone in my band--filled with guy-guys and blue collar workers and carpenters and other professionals from all walks of life--cursed, it just became part of my lexicon. Until I became a teacher.
I've cursed exactly once in front of my kids in my teaching career (so far, anyway. I've come *really* close this year...). I had an undiagnosed ADHD kid named Da'Shon who couldn't/wouldn't sit down. Ever. So I was constantly saying, "Da'Shon, sit down!" Except once, I didn't. It slurred together to, "Da-SHIT!" I was horrified. The kids thought it was absolutely hilarious but didn't think much more about it...or tell their parents about it. (I told my administrator to CYA--cover my arse--and he burst out laughing. He knew me and Da'Shon well.)
To me, it can be warranted but I've been turned off by stories that are filled with too much cursing, even if it fits the characters or situation. In real life, people might curse a lot (holy cow, you'd think my students were sailors of old by the amount of cursing they do in the hallways, especially when they think there aren't teachers around) but, in a book, I think it needs to be used sparingly and appropriately, for emphasis, mostly. I don't mind it in YA, either, as long as it's used in the right place by the right person. Cursing in a book just to curse really turns me off.
It also depends on the genre. With my YA adventure, there are a few well-chosen and carefully placed curse words, mostly to emphasis the terrible situations the characters find themselves in. But I recently started a romance and my female main character is really mad at the beginning of the story (she found her fiancee banging another woman on their wedding day) and she's got a pretty dirty mouth right now. I'm not fussing with it too much right now, since I just started writing it and she might end up with a much cleaner vocabulary on the rewrite but, right now, it suits.
So. What do you think about foul language?
Good question. I feel pretty much the same way (no surprise there). I don't mind it as long as it's not too much/too often/too vulgar. Hell and damn don't bother me much at all. Beyond that I prefer it to be used sparingly. My male MC drops the f-bomb once in the current version of my ms. I THINK it will make the cut into the next round of revisions, but I'm not sure :)
ReplyDeleteIts a bad thing to do bad, I did :(
ReplyDeletedo check out my F at GAC a-z
I'm constantly surprised that people are as offended by cursing as they are. It is part of our language - a rich part of it, in my opinion. I regret that we've lost some of our old, Shakespearean-style capacities for cursing. Keep your cursing protagonist, I say!
ReplyDeleteYou can tell a lot about a culture by its curses. In French, curses are religious in nature (Sacre bleu!) In English, it's sex and poop.
A-Z @ Elizabeth Twist
I try not to, but if I get angry, it will slip.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind cursing if it fits the characters. I don't put it in my own books though. (Other than an occasional 'damn.')
I don't need much of it in a book. A little for emphasis goes a long way. I'm trying to visit all the A-Z Challenge Blogs this month.
ReplyDelete*blushes* I do swear sometimes--but I also feel guilty afterward. Mostly though I try to say other less offensive words like"fudge" or "sheet" instead of saying the actual word itself:)
ReplyDeleteGreat A-Z post!
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
I think if you're going to swear, swear. None of this "Dang it!" weak battle cry stuff.
ReplyDeleteThere used to be a time when swearing seemed to actually mean something, but now it's become so jaded I hardly notice it in conversation.
I do feel strongly that writers should avoid it. In print, swearing shows the author's lack of vocabulary or insight into the character's emotions more than expressing their natural demeanor.