Weighing in late as usual...
I can only speak for myself, but I really think
self-censoring is a bogus thing to do. You're a writer - you
create lots of characters and make them talk. Being a writer,
you're omnipotent, so you get to say "Hey, none of you
characters can curse. No bad language at all. I'll consider
"fug yeah", and maybe "short, gutteral verb, followed by
'you'". But nothing else. Got that? And if I find any of you
swearing behind my back, I'll kick your short, gutteral
asses!"
So you've created these fictional people, and now you're
imposing your own sense of modesty on them. How true are your
characters now? How real can they be, with that constraint?
If you're writing about a vicar's tea party, you'd probably
get away with it. But even a vicar has a capacity for
swearing. Doesn't he? What's he going to want to say, after
slopping hot tea down his pants for the fifth time? You don't
know. You're holding him back.
And getting sideways of the issue a bit... We're crime
readers and writers, right? We read and write about people
who kill, steal, torture, maim, defraud, assault, rape, jay
walk, etc... Pardon me for being controversial, but I think
those guys and gals may well indulge in ripe lingo at times.
Bad actions, bad language - which is more acceptable? Is
"I'll cut your balls off" more acceptable than "I'll cut your
fucking balls off"?
Charlie Williams.
www.charliewilliams.net
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