Young Writers Society

Hmm... Swearing in stories.

I'm generally opposed to swearing because it's incredibly uncreative. There are more interesting ways to say things, whether that's in real life or in writing.

If one must swear, it should be with reason. Maybe for sudden impact, humour, or like other people have said, in dialogue (preferably as a trait for only one character)

Actually, I just wrote a story with three main characters. Two never swore. One did 11 times.

I agree; it's all about the character and where you put it in. Also, I used to not like it in narrative, but I'm doing that sometimes now. As long as it's needed, I don't think it's too annoying.

Just as long as it's not 'Beep, beeeeep, beep, beep-beep.' That would be a very...odd story.

~JFW1415

Summerless wrote:My friend who is a decent writer uses swear words, but only for three characters in her ongoing story.
I role-play with a different real-life friend and one of my characters swear because that distinguishes him from the other five characters I control. But when he swears, I keep it limited. I only use "damn" because it seems not as harsh (my opinion). And my character is somewhat of a thug/rebel so it adds to character.

I entirely agree with you, though, about the random swearing part. I see it happen a lot, but maybe it's just for me.

Really? I only use sh*t. I think the others are a little harsh. Oh...and I used h*ll once...

Of course, that's the only swear I say in real life. *Shrug*

~JFW1415

JFW:

Sometimes harsh words are the best fit for harsh situations, no? Perhaps you have not merely encountered a situation that you deem it necessary to use anything else.

Another question is such: who is to say which words are more harsh than the others? If I'm not mistaken, you can't say "the S word" on network television, though "the D word" is perfectly fine.

Food for thought.

--King

SuicideKing wrote:JFW:

Sometimes harsh words are the best fit for harsh situations, no? Perhaps you have not merely encountered a situation that you deem it necessary to use anything else.

Another question is such: who is to say which words are more harsh than the others? If I'm not mistaken, you can't say "the S word" on network television, though "the D word" is perfectly fine.

Food for thought.

--King

*Sigh* Everyone seems to think I'm against this. I'm not - I have swears in my stories, when needed. I was ranting about people who use them way too much, and wanted to hear other's opinions.

Anyway, that's interesting about TV. To me, d*mn just seems...worse somehow.

~JFW1415

Swearing is dependent on the story and the characters in it. Otherwise you shouldn't do it.

I rarely use swear words - that refers to both the real world and my stories, unless it is particularly inventive. T’would depend on the circumstances. If the character says: ‘Esme, let me swear’, then I will let him or her swear. Me opposing swearing only goes so far, haha...

Oh, come on now, people swear. Sometimes people tell me that I've used swearwords just to use swearwords, and hell, they may be right. Sometimes they just make a frase sound better, sometimes they pack more emotion than a dozen other words would. I like to believe that my characters talk like people talk, whether they're dialoguing or narrating. Many of my stories are filthy. And hell, it's a filthy world. Sure, I won't make a baby swear, I won't make a polite old woman swear, but if I'm writing a seventeen year old guy, or a fifty year old truck driver then yes, goddamnit, they'll swear.

cursing in stories is a huge red flag for emotion, and should't be taken lightly.

when a character swears, it reveals one of two things
-personality
- or extreme emotion

i personally find it destracting because after a good sh*** or d***, im too busy thinking " holy Sh***! someone just swore!" and i lose track of what's happening immediatly after.

my opinion. keep the cussing for the horse that stepped on your foot or the stubbed toe

For the record, David Mamet completely disagrees with me.

But, from a theatrical perspective, swearing should always be kept to a minimum. When you're writing something that people will hear, swearing sticks out like a sore thumb. If your characters swear too much (EVEN if their character would in real life, tone it down) it's incredibly distracting to the audience. Some people in the audience will be offended, others will be bothered, but no matter the person, that's very very hard to ignore. Nobody ever notices a lack of swearing. You'll never hear an audience come out of a theater saying "gee, it could have used a bit more obscene language". But it you use it too much, it'll be noticed.

So what is a good time to swear? When a character swears, it's a (gasp) moment. I've said people will remember it, and so, if during a period of heightened drama, one character curses the other out, then it's an effective use.

I don't think there is anything wrong with incorporating minimal swear words into your writing as long as you are aware of a few things such as your target audience. I tend to write more for kids or teens so you won't find much swearing in my stories. I have used it though in dialogue and I think a lot of that has to do with the type of character you have doing the swearing. If it is out of character for your character to swear (if that makes sense ) then let them only when it is appropriate and relevant to the situation.

I find that those who use too much swearing in their stories tend to not be taken seriously. I feel the same way about movies that over use swearing. Most of the time it's unnecessary and takes away from the important parts of the story.

smorgishborg wrote:Nobody ever notices a lack of swearing.

Aha. I was hoping someone would say this.

I actually do, on occasion, notice a lack of swearing. I've probably read too many sub-par YA books in my day, but I could/can easily tell when the author refuses to make any of their characters swear. To me, it's distracting when a character, especially your average teenager or something, exclaims something doopy as opposed to dropping a curse.

So. As mentioned earlier by probably more than one person, the trick is to use swearing when the situation calls for it.

It's funny a lot of people consider words like 'damn' and 'hell' to be swearwords. They're just so mild.

I don't even think about where I'm putting swearwords in; I just put them in wherever it feels right, and I don't purposefully try and avoid using them. Swearwords really can convey a lot of emotion more effectively than a whole load of description might.

One of the characters in my recent novel casually swears all the time (very fond of the 'F' word) and I would never change it; it can convey an awful lot about your character with the way they speak. For my character, it's the best way of getting across his defensive nature and how emotionally stunted he is in a way I couldn't do otherwise.

Swearing in stories? I'm going to have to go with the majority here and say that I don't unless it's in dialogue or it's a first person narrative. And even then I like to keep it to a minimum. I do so because of something I see happen in comedy a lot. The comedian will swear in his routine, and everybody laughs. But take away the swear words, and there's nothing funny about what he says. I want my stories to be able to stand alone and not rely on a f*** or a d*** to move them along.