When is cursing appropriate to use in writing? I'd imagine that in creative writing it would be okay, and possibly in certain types of essays to get the pathos across if used sparingly, if there was really no better way to convey that feeling. Scientific/research type papers I would have to say that such use of language would never be appropriate in any case however, as there would always be a better, more precise way to say something, and precision is what counts in these types of papers which really have not much room (none really) for emotional appeal or subjectivity anyway as they tend to be purely objective (logic and credibility are what really counts here). Thoughts on this?
I'd concur with your assertions on which types of writing have room for cursing. In creative writing, the narrative doesn't have much - if any - allotment for it unless the story is being told from first person and the Voice used frequently curses as a part of their vernacular. For instance, my journals which are told from my perspective include a fuckton of cursing as applicable for the topic I'm journaling. However, even if writing from the perspective of a character with a sailor's mouth, i leave the trigger words for their dialogue rather than have them as a constant in the narrative. I'd also posit that the word "damn" in academic papers as much as verbal exchange for the better part of written history was commonly used as an adjective, all be it a negative one of the highest order, rather than a full blown curse word.
in dialog, when it is in character, and expresses how a character feels, if its a character that feels like it needs to.
Good question. I wondered the same thing when I was writing teen books. I decided that I'd only use profanity if it would be the only thing that would be believable in a conversation. And, instead of hard-core profanity, I opted for softer words. For example, instead of "oh fuck", I'd use "shit". Sometime 'darn it' or 'dang it' just don't seem believable. When my wife talked me into writing for a teen audience, I went to the library and read a few by other, well known, authors. And a lot of those, well known, authors did use, in my opinion, too much hard profanity and even teen porn. I just didn't feel it, not only appropriate but, necessary. After my first book was published, I was asked to speak to a middle school class who had read the book as an assignment. At the suggestion of my wife, it had been written on a middle school interest level but on a lower grade reading level. This was an 8th grade reading class. And, these kids were, not only poor readers, they were also a bit rough in their conversation skills. OK, yes, the F-bomb was frequent. One of the things I was most interested in was if they had found the conversation in the book to be realistic. And they all said they had. In my opinion, using the F-bomb or other profanities is glaringly obvious to a kid who has been raised not to use that kind of language. But it seems the absence of that kind of language isn't noticed by kids who use it in everyday life.
Growing up my grandmother would say.. You have a good education, and you speak a beautiful language spoken all over the world. Remember, if you use swear words it only makes you look like you dont have enough words in your brain.. To reply calm and with wise words is more effective in an argument. Women have had to fight to get to now... use your intelligence and dont let them down.
In most situations, I would not recommend it. People are often easily offended and although some may like it, others likely won't. You risk alienating a portion of your demographic, when if you're a good writer, there are much better ways to portray your intended sentiments.
It's appropriate to use whenever you want to use it. You are the writer. It's your story and your decision. It's supposed to be something you enjoy, and if you feel like saying "Fuck fuckity fuck fuck fuck" then you should. You can question whether or not it makes for great literature, but that's what taking risks is all about.
Especially when writing fiction...you have to stay true to your character. If your character just wants to say fuck it, let him/her say fuck it
I don't agree with that popular anti curse word sentiment. I can see the issue if every other word out of your mouth is a swear, and that you aren't able to censor yourself in different settings. But I love when people can properly use a good fuck you. Sometimes, it just captures your message so fucking perfectly.
think character....Oscar would curse hard....big bird would use substitute curse words like ''poo'' and ''darn''...….bert likely but ernie probably not….the count is filthy...cookie monster lets a few f bombs slip...elmo no....like that think character
Here's how: The doctor opened the door slowly and smiled as he walked in. He stood at the sink counter looking down at the questionnaire that Janet had filled out in the waiting room. "So, you say here that you have unexplained pain in various parts of your body. Tell me about it." "Well," she said, looking him right in the eye, "there's this pain I sometimes get that's about six inches below my left nipple, and about four inches to the right." After a brief hesitation, the doctor nodded slowly and said, "You mean your . . . abdomen?" "Sure," she replied with a slight grin. "we could call it that, if you want." The doctor hesitated again for a second before averting his eyes, pretending to have suddenly discovered something of greater interest to him than Janet's explicit directions to the site of her pain. "I see, and what other pains do you have, Miss. . . ." He continued looking down, pretending to be concerned about her last name. "Janet," she said, "Just call me Janet." "Ok, Janet. What about your other pain?" "Well, there's one pain about eighteen inches below and just to the right of my pussy," she said, placing undue emphasis on the first syllable of the word, and letting the second syllable drag out and fade to a whisper on the Y sound. All the cards were on the table now, but the doctor continued playing. "You mean your right knee?"
I don't swear that often, but I still feel it's totally up to the author. Writing should be fun, and if you're having fun swearing, I say go for it.
I'm not a fan of ''curse'' words in most stories. Some authors can pull it off really well, but most can't. It dumbs down the story, imo.
