tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post1540281079222761967..comments2024-03-19T07:02:30.923-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: Writing a Blue StreakJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-30544866359138191502013-11-10T22:09:56.263-05:002013-11-10T22:09:56.263-05:00I'm a little late here, Sarah, but I just got ...I'm a little late here, Sarah, but I just got home from being gone most of the day. Because I write cozies I don't use a lot of cuss words and only the milder ones like shit, damn and hell, and only for characters who would cuss - at least on occasion. Although I don't care to hear the F word, I can read a book where it's used sometimes without it being a problem for me if it's necessary for the character.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-3923420314639290202013-11-10T21:35:54.862-05:002013-11-10T21:35:54.862-05:00Thanks for all the comments, folks! Thanks for sto...Thanks for all the comments, folks! Thanks for stopping by.Sarah Henninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06822639126179367121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-7662902191367565942013-11-10T19:54:38.921-05:002013-11-10T19:54:38.921-05:00Good blog topic, Sarah. I don't know if you wa...Good blog topic, Sarah. I don't know if you watched the TV show, Deadwood, when it was on cable but the characters regularly used profanity. I heard this was historically accurate. Some people liked that, but not everyone who watched thought it was a good idea. I suppose the decision whether to use swearing to excess depends on your audience.Kara Cerisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16484336785514235707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-71340371202591849822013-11-10T15:22:24.987-05:002013-11-10T15:22:24.987-05:00Great post. I blogged something similar about the ...Great post. I blogged something similar about the characters in my WIP. ( http://www.abbygeiger.com/cussing-characters ) Some cuss, some don't, and some can but won't. I think if it's used wisely, it adds spice and realism to the story.Abby Geigerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441087905992788813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-49381415822288415892013-11-10T13:57:36.608-05:002013-11-10T13:57:36.608-05:00Great post! I'd like to add chef's to the ...Great post! I'd like to add chef's to the list of people-most-likely-to-swear-worse-than-a-sailor, though. If the f-bomb isn't dropped at least once every five minutes, the kitchen might explode.<br /><br />As someone who writes mostly weird/high fantasy, I don't usually swear because it doesn't fit the theme or world. However, I have a novella with a main character who cusses nearly every other sentence, and I think that adding that little bit of reality to the urban fantasy environment really drives it home. So, if it fits the story and setting, I'd actually prefer to see swearing than not. It's kind of irritating when a full-grown man -- or even a teenager -- will only say "crud" instead of the alternatives! Kazulhttp://kkazulwolf.weebly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-5314109210988275892013-11-10T11:46:10.632-05:002013-11-10T11:46:10.632-05:00Interesting commentary. I don't use profanity ...Interesting commentary. I don't use profanity much, nor do my characters. I have worked places where you'd think there would be a lot of profanity, but with the exception of teenagers trying to impress people with how "bad" they are, I can't say as I've heard a lot. My knee-jerk reaction to people I care about who use profanity on a regular basis is usually, "You have a better vocabulary than that. Find a way to say what you really mean." Habitual profanity strikes me as a poverty of both spirit and language, not to mention disrespectful of anyone within earshot. And getting in the habit of using casual profanity is an invitation to say something inappropriate when you're stressed, whether you mean to or not. Like to a sentencing judge. Not a good idea.<br /><br />That said, I know there are people who curse all the time, and if you're going to portray them in fiction, I guess if you're going to be true to the the character, you'll have to use it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-80399278073841556072013-11-10T11:38:17.520-05:002013-11-10T11:38:17.520-05:00Sarah, I like what you,say about using expletives ...Sarah, I like what you,say about using expletives like seasoning with salt. As Jim, E.B., and Warren say, the best used expletives are those that seem so natural in use that the don't stand out or call attention to themselves. Most of my writing does not include expletives, but I once wrote a character who was very potty mouthed. I have to admit, it was fun!Paula Gail Bensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08843350597811462936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-2202525818098617862013-11-10T09:25:45.694-05:002013-11-10T09:25:45.694-05:00I use cuss words when the character and the situat...I use cuss words when the character and the situation call for it. It is easy to over-use profanity. I want the reader to be drawn into the story so much that the narrator is forgotten. Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-67815195679605219632013-11-10T07:49:30.251-05:002013-11-10T07:49:30.251-05:00I only include an expletive to escape my character...I only include an expletive to escape my character's lips when it seems natural, something most people would utter given the situation. Usually, I don't use the "F" word since it is probably the most offensive to readers. <br /><br />Other than those situations, I feel that they are words you could highlight and delete without changing the scene. They are like extraneous words that don't add to the scene and may detract from it. I'd rather use body language, internal dialogue, or some other technique to show the ire of my characters reactions.<br /><br />Personally, I'm not offended by them. If someone needs to get rid of rage, pent up frustration or injustice, I can understand that cursing a blue streak is better than picking up a baseball bat and hitting. But if someone gets stuck on a curse word, without an emotional trigger, I find it annoying.E. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-91433057176525894682013-11-10T07:09:17.774-05:002013-11-10T07:09:17.774-05:00When I first started writing, I used a lot of curs...When I first started writing, I used a lot of cursing – for the same reason you stated – the characters would. But sometime in the midst of writing what became my first published novel, I realized that I did not have a need for more than an occasional curse, unless potty mouth was a necessary characteristic of some individual. If everyone was swearing, it was like no one was swearing—except I risked offending some people for no reason.<br /><br />So now, my characters do still utter oaths, sometimes under their breath and at other times yelling for all to hear, but most of the characters are more circumspect than in my earlier writing.<br /><br />~ Jim<br />Jim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.com