In my current story, there is alot of swear words in it from a few characters. i have never really done a story that swear words are used so much and i was wondering, if i should have the words in the actual dialogs or should i just write that he swore and if so how would i do that?
Anyway. It's your call. It depends on the audience you're trying to reach. Are you writing for a younger audience, then put "he swore." If you're writing for a bit of an older audience, you can use the actual word, but it's your call.
And there's a lot of ways to say "he swore" or whatnot. For example:
"But you can't go there with dogs!" He swore. "They'll just kick them out and not even care!"
Yes, it's a totally nonsensical example, but it gets the point across.
-:pirate3:
"2-4-6-8! I like to delegate!" -Meshugenah "Teague: Stomping on your dreams since 1992." -Sachiko "So I'm looking at FLT and am reminded of a sandwich." -Jabber
"he swore loudly" or "he swore violently" is a good substitute, and it doesn't get old. i have the same problem. sometimes i need to spell out my swearwords, but not always. so just use both in moderation. too many swearwords are stupid and distracting, just like too much "he swore, she swore" is annoying.
“We’re still here,” he says, his voice cold, his hands shaking. “We know how to be invisible, how to play dead. But at the end of the day, we are still here.” ~Dax
Teacher: "What do we do with adjectives in Spanish?"
S: "We eat them!"
I swear liberally in my recent novel, and I wouldn't change a thing.
It's impossible to get away with saying 'he swore' all the time when half the novel is set in a prison, where they're not too polite.
I'd say I agree with everyone else, it's your call. If there's swearing every other sentence in the dialogue, then maybe that's a bit over the top, and you could look carefully to see if the swearing is asolutley necessary.
Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher. ~Flannery O'Connor
It depends on the novel and the characters. Who is the target audience? Remember that kids know swear words from a very early age (even in prep people knew the swear words).
So it really depends what's going on and who you want to read the book.
*Don't expect to see me around much in the next couple of weeks. School has started again, and it'll be a couple of weeks before I've settled in. If you've asked me for a critique, you will get it, but not for a little while. Sorry*
Also, I would suggest only using expletives when ABSOLUTELY justified. Do not throw them around randomly or this will show a lack of imagination; the reader will think the author has failed to convey the character in a more subtle or nuanced way.
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