Potty Mouths

[Thorn Wilde]

you can hardly take this as average though bro, because we did start our convo about Jacob and Marcus calling it the Sweary Series before it became the F*cking Trilogy.

 

on the other hand, bloody well done.

 

True. On the other hand, I don't think I have any main character in any story who doesn't swear at all. I should count how many times Dave and Nick or Mark and Ben say fuck, too.

[Thorn Wilde]

Okay, so Nemesis is a little kinder. Fuck is used 46 times, while shit appears 24 times. Cock is used 8 times (that's not counting cocked eyebrows and heads), while c*** makes only 2 appearances. Twat appears 6 times. Nemesis is 59,000 words long. 

 

In the 38,000 words written of Lavender and Gold so far, fuck appears 49 times, shit 21 times, cock 7 times, and twat 2 times. Most of this swearing comes from Mark, with more and more being uttered by Ben as the story progresses.

Edited October 22, 2013 by Thorn Wilde

[Zombie]

I really think it has got to be a function of the character speaking.  You would not expect the Sunday school teacher who just got run off the road to say "God damn fucking son of a bitch ran me off the road." 

 

Actually, for me, that would be bloody good writing!

 

Continual use of "potty" words in fiction quickly becomes tiresome. It matters not a jot that in real life such a character might swear like that. Because this is fiction, not real life - the reader's interest must be maintained and overuse of any words and phrases, whether it's "fuck" "twat" or "smiled shyly", soon becomes tiresome. It's certainly not a measure of quality writing. The constant challenge for good writers is always to find new and interesting ways to say the same thing, whether in dialogue or narrative, because life is all about the same thing happening again and again and again, and good writing is all about saying those things in new and interesting ways.

 

So, yeah, a Sunday school teacher who just got run off the road and saying "God damn fucking son of a bitch ran me off the road" would a new and interesting way of handling their reaction - because it would be so unexpected. And damn fucking funny!

 

 

 

 

 

.

Edited October 22, 2013 by Zombie

[Thorn Wilde]

Actually, for me, that would be bloody good writing!

 

Continual use of "potty" words in fiction quickly becomes tiresome. It matters not a jot that in real life such a character might swear like that. Because this is fiction, not real life - the reader's interest must be maintained and overuse of any words and phrases, whether it's "fuck" "twat" or "smiled shyly", soon becomes tiresome. It's certainly not a measure of quality writing. The constant challenge for good writers is always to find new and interesting ways to say the same thing, whether in dialogue or narrative, because life is all about the same thing happening again and again and again, and good writing is all about saying those things in new and interesting ways.

 

So, yeah, a Sunday school teacher who just got run off the road and saying "God damn fucking son of a bitch ran me off the road" would a new and interesting way of handling their reaction - because it would be so unexpected. And damn fucking funny!

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

I don't think it's so simple as to say that using the same word many times automatically becomes boring. I used fuck nearly 600 times in the Jacob and Marcus Stories and was complimented by several of my readers for my creative and versatile use of it.

[Timothy M.]

I rarely get offended by swearing, whether in real life or in fiction. But what really pisses me off is when people use swear words or other derogatory terms as offensive name calling towards other people. I'm sorry to say that the lack of discipline and manners in Danish schools and society in general has made such behaviour rather common here. However, that does not mean that I won't read stories with name calling - and obviously there is a lot of that when you read gay fiction, since many of the stories are about the prejudice that gay people are faced with. So if it is appropiate for your characters to swear, then let them do so and don't bother with silly disguises like sh*t or f*uck. However, it also makes sense that writing is much less profanity filled than reality - after all even dialogue is never written the exact way it would really be, with all the ehms and broken sentences and muddled phrases. But avoiding swearing deliberately for fear of offending prudish readers seems a bit strange on a site where sex is a part of many stories. 

Oh, and about the cross language swearing: I think non-native English speakers are more likely to use bad English swear words like fuck and shit than the equivalent in their own language (which in Danish would be knep and lort, of which only the latter is used for swearing). Simply because they are just words / sounds and even if you do know their meaning, the impact is somehow less than words in your own language. I don't know if this makes sense to you, but next time you come across a European (apart from Brits and Irish guys) who says fuck without embarrassment, this could be part of the reason.

[Uplifted Spirit]

It's ironic because I cuss very little in my real life.  But my characters, who are mostly teenagers, talk like teenagers.  It's pretty spicy and hot.  I'll have to admit I'm not sure if it's necessary, but characters have to seem real.  I've heard that there are a lot of women who read stories at gay authors, and I'm not sure how they feel about language.  I figure that if they're reading here, they may not care.  But everyone has their preferences. 

[Thorn Wilde]

It's ironic because I cuss very little in my real life.  But my characters, who are mostly teenagers, talk like teenagers.  It's pretty spicy and hot.  I'll have to admit I'm not sure if it's necessary, but characters have to seem real.  I've heard that there are a lot of women who read stories at gay authors, and I'm not sure how they feel about language.  I figure that if they're reading here, they may not care.  But everyone has their preferences. 

 

I have to admit that I don't understand why women should mind more about swearing than men... Some of the sweariest people I know (and know about) are women. I find the idea that women are more sensitive to swearing than men somewhat archaic.

[joann414]

I have to admit that I don't understand why women should mind more about swearing than men... Some of the sweariest people I know (and know about) are women. I find the idea that women are more sensitive to swearing than men somewhat archaic.

Ummm, I think I'd have to agree with you here Thorn.  Give even the ones that say they don't swear a third glass of wine and it somehow teaches them how to swear  .  Then, they can blame it on the alcohol  .  Seen it many times.  Myself, according to the hubby, I don't need alcohol

[JamesSavik]

Foul language in writing is a lot like garlic in cooking: used in moderation and appropriately, it contributes emphasis and flavor.

 

Over-used, it's overpowering.

[Daddydavek]

I think many women are still more sensitive about swearing in front of children under the age of 12.   And I think most fathers are also less than thrilled when someone spouts a mouthful in front of their young children as well.   Children grow up fast enough without them having the vocabulary of an army drill instructor.  Children who hear swear words all the time will use them, much to their parent's chagrin when they get a note from their children's teachers about unacceptable language. 

[Thorn Wilde]

I think many women are still more sensitive about swearing in front of children under the age of 12.   And I think most fathers are also less than thrilled when someone spouts a mouthful in front of their young children as well.   Children grow up fast enough without them having the vocabulary of an army drill instructor.  Children who hear swear words all the time will use them, much to their parent's chagrin when they get a note from their children's teachers about unacceptable language. 

 

I grew up surrounded by a lot of adults. My siblings were way older than me, so in family gatherings I was often the only child, and my parents brought me along to all kinds of functions, parties and festivals, where most of the participants were grown-ups. I was exposed to quite a bit of swearing, but I knew that these weren't words I was supposed to use. They weren't meant for me, they weren't used when people spoke to me, and so I never used them either. I learnt to swear in school, from other children, and there was always a sort of natural generational divide. I didn't use the words that I used with other children in front of adults. It didn't become a problem until I was in my teens and my mum had to gently and calmly remind me that things that it was okay for me to say in front of my peers weren't necessarily okay in front of adults. Now this is no longer an issue. I know that I can swear when I talk to my mum, but that I should probably avoid it when talking to my grandmother. 

 

Anyway, my point is that children are far more aware than you'd think, and their language is more likely to be coloured by their family and friends than by random people they hear swearing.

[Adam Phillips]

I just encountered this thread, and I want to say "yep" to the people in this thread who made at least indirect reference to one particular point: Though we often call obscene speech "adult language," you can hardly find a crew of people more into obscene talk than 11-to-13-year-old-boys. And in common speech, that obscenity continues in guy-circles into guys' twenties and, really, well beyond that, albeit in greater moderation than in 13-year-olds.

 

What I'm saying is that obscene talk is so much a part of "guy-culture" in most casual contexts that to excise it entirely from your writing, or even to limit it out of a sense of propriety, isn't necessarily a good decision. Guys talk dirty. It's a fact. You don't need to throw it out there just for the sake of throwing it out there, but if you're going to reproduce the speech/dialogue patterns of American males interacting with each other, it's going to be difficult to exclude.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Adam Phillips

[Thorn Wilde]

if you're going to reproduce the speech/dialogue patterns of American males interacting with each other, it's going to be difficult to exclude.

 

Even more so if you're going to reproduce the speech/dialogue patterns of Brits of any gender, to be honest.

[WestcliffWriter]

I think any word is acceptable apart from the C word lol.

[metajinx]

Holy matrimony, batman! Best use of "foul" language ever. (Funny tid-bit: "foul" translated to German can also mean "lazy")

[Kitt]

I guess the bottom line is if it F******G fits - use it!

[Ron]

I guess the bottom line is if it F******G fits - use it!

Now see, Kitt, there was an instance where it fit... and you didn't use it.

[Kitt]

LOL true, but I am not a teenage or early 20-something male either.

[scotty94]

My characters tend to swear occasionally mostly when I can't think of an other word to use, or maybe because there mostly teenagers and teenagers tend to swear,

[Thorn Wilde]

I think any word is acceptable apart from the C word lol.

 

Don't read my stories.

[KaninZ]

 I was a Sergeant in the Infantry and even served as a DI for a while. I soon realized that the Drill Instructors I most looked up to and felt were most effective trainers had one thing in common, they rarely cursed. They would hold that as their "Nuclear" option and when they used it you could almost hear the scrotal tightening effect on every poor recruit in the blast area.

 

  If you have a character in your story who you want to portray as "common" or paint in a bad light, giving them a serious case of potty mouth is one way to go about that. Doing it to come of as "cool" or "gritty" as a writer? No...just, no.