Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers
To Curse or Not To Curse
I'm venturing into YA fiction and with today's lean toward all reality all the time, how do we as writers approach this subject. I struggle with this question: If I allow my characters to curse, am I encouragiing my readers to use bad language? My current writing takes place in an urban setting and when I hear my characters speak, they want to use all the language of the street. Rather than struggle with the dilema of real vs profane, I chastise my characters and keep them on the straight and narrow. What are your thoughts?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Callie Leah on
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Well, no. She's not strict. She's just looking out for me, and frankly, I agree with her on all of those things, except the supernatural stuff, but I'm not criticizing. I mean my best friend cusses, it's just that I don't.
Betty Damil said:wow, ur mom sounds strict.
my parents are bikers, so our every moment is freewilled.
pretty much can do and say whatever the heck we want.
to tell u the truth, my life is seriously whack, im surprised im still alive.
Callie Leah said:Yeah, my mom is way different. She opposes cursing, drinking, smoking, or underage sex, she doesn't really like any supernatural books either, but she lets my get away with the supernatural stuff though. But the others, I'd be dead if she caught me doing them. (But to be honest, I don't want to anyway.)
Betty Damil said:hahaha, a bit?
lol u dont know my mother.
Shes a alcholoic physcopath.
Callie Leah said:Yeah, my mom is a bit different. :)
Betty Damil said:haha, yeah...Curse words run in my blood line.
lol My parents taught me every cuss word i know.
Callie Leah said:Well, I know what Betty means. I've had a lot of scenes in my books that I just couldn't express right because I didn't swear, but no matter how bad I need to, I just can't bring myself to type them. I was raised to believe those were terrible, horrible, aweful words (even though my best friend EVER says them) and I don't mind reading them in books, but I just can't write them down. And besides, my mom likes to read my stories and she'd KILL me if I did!
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Permalink Reply by scribbler on
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I can relate to you both here. My mom would have fainted if she'd heard me cussing and my dad swears like a sailor. I still get a disapproving look if I let one slip in front of her and I'm a grown adult now. :)
Aaron, don't worry. Your agent or editor would soon yank any unsuitable words long before it hit publication anyway. Vivian gave you good advice there: think about what else is already considered acceptable in the genre and work within those rough guidelines.
Betty Damil said:haha, yeah...Curse words run in my blood line.
lol My parents taught me every cuss word i know.
Callie Leah said:Well, I know what Betty means. I've had a lot of scenes in my books that I just couldn't express right because I didn't swear, but no matter how bad I need to, I just can't bring myself to type them. I was raised to believe those were terrible, horrible, aweful words (even though my best friend EVER says them) and I don't mind reading them in books, but I just can't write them down. And besides, my mom likes to read my stories and she'd KILL me if I did!
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Permalink Reply by Betzy Crypt on
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hell, i wish my mom was looking out for me...
i go to my sister and bro , for that kind of love. ;)
Callie Leah said:Well, no. She's not strict. She's just looking out for me, and frankly, I agree with her on all of those things, except the supernatural stuff, but I'm not criticizing. I mean my best friend cusses, it's just that I don't.
Betty Damil said:wow, ur mom sounds strict.
my parents are bikers, so our every moment is freewilled.
pretty much can do and say whatever the heck we want.
to tell u the truth, my life is seriously whack, im surprised im still alive.
Callie Leah said:Yeah, my mom is way different. She opposes cursing, drinking, , or underage sex, she doesn't really like any supernatural books either, but she lets my get away with the supernatural stuff though. But the others, I'd be dead if she caught me doing them. (But to be honest, I don't want to anyway.)
Betty Damil said:hahaha, a bit?
lol u dont know my mother.
Shes a alcholoic physcopath.
Callie Leah said:Yeah, my mom is a bit different. :)
Betty Damil said:haha, yeah...Curse words run in my blood line.
lol My parents taught me every cuss word i know.
Callie Leah said:Well, I know what Betty means. I've had a lot of scenes in my books that I just couldn't express right because I didn't swear, but no matter how bad I need to, I just can't bring myself to type them. I was raised to believe those were terrible, horrible, aweful words (even though my best friend EVER says them) and I don't mind reading them in books, but I just can't write them down. And besides, my mom likes to read my stories and she'd KILL me if I did!
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Permalink Reply by Viviana Arteaga on
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My mother and I cuss at each other, but in a joking matter!
If we really start arguing and I call her something and mean it, oh my gosh I wouldn't even be alive!!!
She'd slap me around the house!
With my Dad I can say some bad words as long its not the f word and name callings for "free willing women" (giggle) we have to innuendo it! Which are a lot of my dad and mine's jokes. (Did I say that properly?) Heehee and when my mom and siblings catch on they start giggling like mad and calling us gross!! Mwahahaha!! Sometimes they slip out in places I know they shouldn't. I try to control it lol I am getting older and I think I should learn how to hold my tongue of foul language in a situation that needs more wit then actual up front F bombs and mother effers.
And with my stories oh gosh no!!! I don't let my parents read anything!!
Like the only one I did let them read was the soda one I posted here and a few poems!
I dare not because they have lots more bad words and my dad for some reason takes more offense if I write them down! I don't know why!
My dad is a not an ex Jehovah witness, he just doesn't attend the bible studies for personnel reasons but they believe nothing in spirits or demon supernatural things. And I mostly read and write those kind of stories! ( He ripped and destroyed my sister's Annie Rice Books) So he'd have a cow! I've researched other religions for stories and saved a lot of that info and if he read that he'd kick me out again!! lol
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cussing is flung all across my home, nothing, absoultly NOTHING is censored. lol
I dont think my parents will ever read my writing, bearly glance at it.
lol i rather them not, though im sure, they wouldnt mind all the cuss words i put into it, i would feel kinda...well. awkward, lol around some of the sex scenes. hahaha
Viviana Arteaga said:My mother and I cuss at each other, but in a joking matter!
If we really start arguing and I call her something and mean it, oh my gosh I wouldn't even be alive!!!
She'd slap me around the house!
With my Dad I can say some bad words as long its not the f word and name callings for "free willing women" (giggle) we have to innuendo it! Which are a lot of my dad and mine's jokes. (Did I say that properly?) Heehee and when my mom and siblings catch on they start giggling like mad and calling us gross!! Mwahahaha!! Sometimes they slip out in places I know they shouldn't. I try to control it lol I am getting older and I think I should learn how to hold my tongue of foul language in a situation that needs more wit then actual up front F bombs and mother effers.
And with my stories oh gosh no!!! I don't let my parents read anything!!
Like the only one I did let them read was the soda one I posted here and a few poems!
I dare not because they have lots more bad words and my dad for some reason takes more offense if I write them down! I don't know why!
My dad is a not an ex Jehovah witness, he just doesn't attend the bible studies for personnel reasons but they believe nothing in spirits or demon supernatural things. And I mostly read and write those kind of stories! ( He ripped and destroyed my sister's Annie Rice Books) So he'd have a cow! I've researched other religions for stories and saved a lot of that info and if he read that he'd kick me out again!! lol
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Another reason why I wont let them read some of my things! hahaha Sex scenes! Mwahaha! My parents don't reallly want to read my things unless they suspect bad things of me! Thats why when They have the urge to I lock things away in a locked mini filing cabinet!
Betty Damil said:cussing is flung all across my home, nothing, absoultly NOTHING is censored. lol
I dont think my parents will ever read my writing, bearly glance at it.
lol i rather them not, though im sure, they wouldnt mind all the cuss words i put into it, i would feel kinda...well. awkward, lol around some of the sex scenes. hahaha
Viviana Arteaga said:My mother and I cuss at each other, but in a joking matter!
If we really start arguing and I call her something and mean it, oh my gosh I wouldn't even be alive!!!
She'd slap me around the house!
With my Dad I can say some bad words as long its not the f word and name callings for "free willing women" (giggle) we have to innuendo it! Which are a lot of my dad and mine's jokes. (Did I say that properly?) Heehee and when my mom and siblings catch on they start giggling like mad and calling us gross!! Mwahahaha!! Sometimes they slip out in places I know they shouldn't. I try to control it lol I am getting older and I think I should learn how to hold my tongue of foul language in a situation that needs more wit then actual up front F bombs and mother effers.
And with my stories oh gosh no!!! I don't let my parents read anything!!
Like the only one I did let them read was the soda one I posted here and a few poems!
I dare not because they have lots more bad words and my dad for some reason takes more offense if I write them down! I don't know why!
My dad is a not an ex Jehovah witness, he just doesn't attend the bible studies for personnel reasons but they believe nothing in spirits or demon supernatural things. And I mostly read and write those kind of stories! ( He ripped and destroyed my sister's Annie Rice Books) So he'd have a cow! I've researched other religions for stories and saved a lot of that info and if he read that he'd kick me out again!! lol
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Lol, gee, your house sounds fun! *Note the sarcastic nature* lol, jk, your dad sounds like a real hothead.
Viviana Arteaga said:My mother and I cuss at each other, but in a joking matter!
If we really start arguing and I call her something and mean it, oh my gosh I wouldn't even be alive!!!
She'd slap me around the house!
With my Dad I can say some bad words as long its not the f word and name callings for "free willing women" (giggle) we have to innuendo it! Which are a lot of my dad and mine's jokes. (Did I say that properly?) Heehee and when my mom and siblings catch on they start giggling like mad and calling us gross!! Mwahahaha!! Sometimes they slip out in places I know they shouldn't. I try to control it lol I am getting older and I think I should learn how to hold my tongue of foul language in a situation that needs more wit then actual up front F bombs and mother effers.
And with my stories oh gosh no!!! I don't let my parents read anything!!
Like the only one I did let them read was the soda one I posted here and a few poems!
I dare not because they have lots more bad words and my dad for some reason takes more offense if I write them down! I don't know why!
My dad is a not an ex Jehovah witness, he just doesn't attend the bible studies for personnel reasons but they believe nothing in spirits or demon supernatural things. And I mostly read and write those kind of stories! ( He ripped and destroyed my sister's Annie Rice Books) So he'd have a cow! I've researched other religions for stories and saved a lot of that info and if he read that he'd kick me out again!! lol
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He has his good points, dont think Im completely bashing my dad I care for him deeply!
But it annoys me sometimes because we had a cousin stay over and he said he couldnt sleep because he heard kids giggling in the house! ( we had went out of town so it was just him and my dad)
Ok one before we moved to the property the "family witch" left all her things in that house before she died, where a bed ridden great great aunt lived in. So when we got there my dad went crazy when he saw all the black magic stuff and cleaned out that place in a day in a half. After words my sister lived there with just her and the aunt. My sister would hear stuff. But that was in the old house on the property. What he heard was in the new house and the guy is a coke head ok, you know his head is not alright. And I highly disprove of him bringing family over who do that stuff. But its his house and its family and we should help family......Heh. So the next day we came home he started looking through my stuff and wanted me to throw my Buddha Head candle, my cross shaped candle holders, and anything else he said was not what he believed in. I understand its his house and all but I did not have those things because I believed in it, it was because I liked how they looked. I ended up hiding them!
Callie Leah said:Lol, gee, your house sounds fun! *Note the sarcastic nature* lol, jk, your dad sounds like a real hothead.
Viviana Arteaga said:My mother and I cuss at each other, but in a joking matter!
If we really start arguing and I call her something and mean it, oh my gosh I wouldn't even be alive!!!
She'd slap me around the house!
With my Dad I can say some bad words as long its not the f word and name callings for "free willing women" (giggle) we have to innuendo it! Which are a lot of my dad and mine's jokes. (Did I say that properly?) Heehee and when my mom and siblings catch on they start giggling like mad and calling us gross!! Mwahahaha!! Sometimes they slip out in places I know they shouldn't. I try to control it lol I am getting older and I think I should learn how to hold my tongue of foul language in a situation that needs more wit then actual up front F bombs and mother effers.
And with my stories oh gosh no!!! I don't let my parents read anything!!
Like the only one I did let them read was the soda one I posted here and a few poems!
I dare not because they have lots more bad words and my dad for some reason takes more offense if I write them down! I don't know why!
My dad is a not an ex Jehovah witness, he just doesn't attend the bible studies for personnel reasons but they believe nothing in spirits or demon supernatural things. And I mostly read and write those kind of stories! ( He ripped and destroyed my sister's Annie Rice Books) So he'd have a cow! I've researched other religions for stories and saved a lot of that info and if he read that he'd kick me out again!! lol
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sex scenes are VERY entertaining. lol
Especially when writing them..
I love writing with detail. ;)
Viviana Arteaga said:Another reason why I wont let them read some of my things! hahaha Sex scenes! Mwahaha! My parents don't reallly want to read my things unless they suspect bad things of me! Thats why when They have the urge to I lock things away in a locked mini filing cabinet!
Betty Damil said:cussing is flung all across my home, nothing, absoultly NOTHING is censored. lol
I dont think my parents will ever read my writing, bearly glance at it.
lol i rather them not, though im sure, they wouldnt mind all the cuss words i put into it, i would feel kinda...well. awkward, lol around some of the sex scenes. hahaha
Viviana Arteaga said:My mother and I cuss at each other, but in a joking matter!
If we really start arguing and I call her something and mean it, oh my gosh I wouldn't even be alive!!!
She'd slap me around the house!
With my Dad I can say some bad words as long its not the f word and name callings for "free willing women" (giggle) we have to innuendo it! Which are a lot of my dad and mine's jokes. (Did I say that properly?) Heehee and when my mom and siblings catch on they start giggling like mad and calling us gross!! Mwahahaha!! Sometimes they slip out in places I know they shouldn't. I try to control it lol I am getting older and I think I should learn how to hold my tongue of foul language in a situation that needs more wit then actual up front F bombs and mother effers.
And with my stories oh gosh no!!! I don't let my parents read anything!!
Like the only one I did let them read was the soda one I posted here and a few poems!
I dare not because they have lots more bad words and my dad for some reason takes more offense if I write them down! I don't know why!
My dad is a not an ex Jehovah witness, he just doesn't attend the bible studies for personnel reasons but they believe nothing in spirits or demon supernatural things. And I mostly read and write those kind of stories! ( He ripped and destroyed my sister's Annie Rice Books) So he'd have a cow! I've researched other religions for stories and saved a lot of that info and if he read that he'd kick me out again!! lol
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Haha! I had written an implied scene and my friend loved it and wanted me to write a detailed one I laughed and made an exclusive rewritten version for her because it was a story with her as the main character and her crush as the guy! I thought it was so funny the way she reacted!!
Betty Damil said:sex scenes are VERY entertaining. lol
Especially when writing them..
I love writing with detail. ;)
Viviana Arteaga said:Another reason why I wont let them read some of my things! hahaha Sex scenes! Mwahaha! My parents don't reallly want to read my things unless they suspect bad things of me! Thats why when They have the urge to I lock things away in a locked mini filing cabinet!
Betty Damil said:cussing is flung all across my home, nothing, absoultly NOTHING is censored. lol
I dont think my parents will ever read my writing, bearly glance at it.
lol i rather them not, though im sure, they wouldnt mind all the cuss words i put into it, i would feel kinda...well. awkward, lol around some of the sex scenes. hahaha
Viviana Arteaga said:My mother and I cuss at each other, but in a joking matter!
If we really start arguing and I call her something and mean it, oh my gosh I wouldn't even be alive!!!
She'd slap me around the house!
With my Dad I can say some bad words as long its not the f word and name callings for "free willing women" (giggle) we have to innuendo it! Which are a lot of my dad and mine's jokes. (Did I say that properly?) Heehee and when my mom and siblings catch on they start giggling like mad and calling us gross!! Mwahahaha!! Sometimes they slip out in places I know they shouldn't. I try to control it lol I am getting older and I think I should learn how to hold my tongue of foul language in a situation that needs more wit then actual up front F bombs and mother effers.
And with my stories oh gosh no!!! I don't let my parents read anything!!
Like the only one I did let them read was the soda one I posted here and a few poems!
I dare not because they have lots more bad words and my dad for some reason takes more offense if I write them down! I don't know why!
My dad is a not an ex Jehovah witness, he just doesn't attend the bible studies for personnel reasons but they believe nothing in spirits or demon supernatural things. And I mostly read and write those kind of stories! ( He ripped and destroyed my sister's Annie Rice Books) So he'd have a cow! I've researched other religions for stories and saved a lot of that info and if he read that he'd kick me out again!! lol
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hahahaha
thats what i did with my best friend,
i write her sex scenes with her and her crush. lol
i think i wrote like 5o in all. lol not only sex scenes though.
cute flirtoutous stuff.
funny stuff, too.
made her crush beat up this one guy we dont like. lol gory detail.
the longest was like 60 pages.
was fun to write!
Viviana Arteaga said:Haha! I had written an implied scene and my friend loved it and wanted me to write a detailed one I laughed and made an exclusive rewritten version for her because it was a story with her as the main character and her crush as the guy! I thought it was so funny the way she reacted!!
Betty Damil said:sex scenes are VERY entertaining. lol
Especially when writing them..
I love writing with detail. ;)
Viviana Arteaga said:Another reason why I wont let them read some of my things! hahaha Sex scenes! Mwahaha! My parents don't reallly want to read my things unless they suspect bad things of me! Thats why when They have the urge to I lock things away in a locked mini filing cabinet!
Betty Damil said:cussing is flung all across my home, nothing, absoultly NOTHING is censored. lol
I dont think my parents will ever read my writing, bearly glance at it.
lol i rather them not, though im sure, they wouldnt mind all the cuss words i put into it, i would feel kinda...well. awkward, lol around some of the sex scenes. hahaha
Viviana Arteaga said:My mother and I cuss at each other, but in a joking matter!
If we really start arguing and I call her something and mean it, oh my gosh I wouldn't even be alive!!!
She'd slap me around the house!
With my Dad I can say some bad words as long its not the f word and name callings for "free willing women" (giggle) we have to innuendo it! Which are a lot of my dad and mine's jokes. (Did I say that properly?) Heehee and when my mom and siblings catch on they start giggling like mad and calling us gross!! Mwahahaha!! Sometimes they slip out in places I know they shouldn't. I try to control it lol I am getting older and I think I should learn how to hold my tongue of foul language in a situation that needs more wit then actual up front F bombs and mother effers.
And with my stories oh gosh no!!! I don't let my parents read anything!!
Like the only one I did let them read was the soda one I posted here and a few poems!
I dare not because they have lots more bad words and my dad for some reason takes more offense if I write them down! I don't know why!
My dad is a not an ex Jehovah witness, he just doesn't attend the bible studies for personnel reasons but they believe nothing in spirits or demon supernatural things. And I mostly read and write those kind of stories! ( He ripped and destroyed my sister's Annie Rice Books) So he'd have a cow! I've researched other religions for stories and saved a lot of that info and if he read that he'd kick me out again!! lol
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Lol! Well, we all have to deal with out parents and 'Their Rules.'
Viviana Arteaga said:He has his good points, dont think Im completely bashing my dad I care for him deeply!
But it annoys me sometimes because we had a cousin stay over and he said he couldnt sleep because he heard kids giggling in the house! ( we had went out of town so it was just him and my dad)
Ok one before we moved to the property the "family witch" left all her things in that house before she died, where a bed ridden great great aunt lived in. So when we got there my dad went crazy when he saw all the black magic stuff and cleaned out that place in a day in a half. After words my sister lived there with just her and the aunt. My sister would hear stuff. But that was in the old house on the property. What he heard was in the new house and the guy is a coke head ok, you know his head is not alright. And I highly disprove of him bringing family over who do that stuff. But its his house and its family and we should help family......Heh. So the next day we came home he started looking through my stuff and wanted me to throw my Buddha Head candle, my cross shaped candle holders, and anything else he said was not what he believed in. I understand its his house and all but I did not have those things because I believed in it, it was because I liked how they looked. I ended up hiding them!
Callie Leah said:Lol, gee, your house sounds fun! *Note the sarcastic nature* lol, jk, your dad sounds like a real hothead.
Viviana Arteaga said:My mother and I cuss at each other, but in a joking matter!
If we really start arguing and I call her something and mean it, oh my gosh I wouldn't even be alive!!!
She'd slap me around the house!
With my Dad I can say some bad words as long its not the f word and name callings for "free willing women" (giggle) we have to innuendo it! Which are a lot of my dad and mine's jokes. (Did I say that properly?) Heehee and when my mom and siblings catch on they start giggling like mad and calling us gross!! Mwahahaha!! Sometimes they slip out in places I know they shouldn't. I try to control it lol I am getting older and I think I should learn how to hold my tongue of foul language in a situation that needs more wit then actual up front F bombs and mother effers.
And with my stories oh gosh no!!! I don't let my parents read anything!!
Like the only one I did let them read was the soda one I posted here and a few poems!
I dare not because they have lots more bad words and my dad for some reason takes more offense if I write them down! I don't know why!
My dad is a not an ex Jehovah witness, he just doesn't attend the bible studies for personnel reasons but they believe nothing in spirits or demon supernatural things. And I mostly read and write those kind of stories! ( He ripped and destroyed my sister's Annie Rice Books) So he'd have a cow! I've researched other religions for stories and saved a lot of that info and if he read that he'd kick me out again!! lol
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