Writing Wrongs

February 22, 2005

So I�m reading Romancing the Blog, and wow! An entry on one of my favorite topics: swearing.

A lot of times when this topic comes up, especially on romance boards, the bias is toward not swearing in stories, not even in dialogue. Someone usually cites a sainted, well-educated, and generally dearly departed relative as saying only a small mind resorts to swearing.

To which I�ve always wanted to respond with a variation of �screw you.�

But I�m convinced the irony would be lost.

Even writing guru Jack Bickham takes the no-swearing stand in The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes: (And How to Avoid Them). He goes as far as to say that when he was in the military neither he nor any of his compatriots swore.

Um. Sure, Jack. Whatever you say.

Stories come from characters, and some characters swear. I do know when I go back and look at The Boys� Club on paper, I�ll probably take out some of the swearing. I like the comment someone made about it being organic to the characters. I�ve read stories where substitute swearing has made me roll my eyes as well as books where swearing didn�t fit the tone, style, and voice of the prose or the image I had of the characters.

Like any other writing �rule,� it�s all in the execution.

Writing Progress: I�m convinced that writers everywhere, whether they believe in a higher power or not, need a serenity prayer. As soon as I think one up, I�ll post it here. I�m pleased to report that I�m writing again, kind of, on The Boys� Club (by �kind of� I mean completely out of order) and I even prepared a submission yesterday.

Charity Tahmaseb wrote at 11:48 a.m.

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