Using profanity in writing – is it necessary, or even missed?
I woke up this morning (but unlike Jim Morrison, did not get myself a beer) to a very complimentary 5 star review on Amazon for Gabriel’s Journey, the trilogy collection:
“The reviews for it were fantastic, but you know how that could go. I’m in between reads so I bought it. What a pleasant surprise! Well written, with the right amount of humor as well as a distinct lack of profanity. Enjoyable in all aspects. Just what I needed, another good author on my watch list. Highly recommend this one!!”
Something in there really stood out to me, something I struggled with early on, but something I’ve stuck with, and I’m glad I did. It’s the phrase “distinct lack of profanity.”
The Gabriel stories are military stories at their heart. The lead character is a Navy Commander who has been through a lot, continues to go through a lot, and is surrounded by military throughout the trilogy. The general consensus is that many members of the military can rival truck drivers (or vice versa) for their florid language skills. However, I took a slightly different tack with my stories, and I’ve heard feedback in both directions.
A brief background: I wrote my first book, Gabriel’s Redemption, not with the intent to publish, but more as a challenge to myself (National Novel Writing Month) to finally finish a story, and perhaps even more so as something I wanted my kids to read (two boys, 10 & 13 at the time). Therefore, I went light on the violence, extremely slim on the profanity, and absolutely zero on the sex.
After it ended up being published, I did get some feedback about the language (or lack thereof) used by hardcore military guys and gals, and after (only after) my kids both read the story, I did go back and add in a little color. But I still kept it light, on purpose. I’ve read a lot of books where the F-bomb is used liberally, far more than is necessary, and it pulls me out of the story a bit. I’ve always told my kids that using profanity is a sign of an uneducated vocabulary, that the speaker is using swear words to get a rise out of another when a different word would be just as effective, and perhaps even more effective. Stand-up comedians would be a good example. Eddie Murphy and George Carlin can use profanity well, but many others just use it for the sake of getting a laugh, unnecessarily.
I rarely use profanity myself; never in casual conversation (even with ‘the guys’), and usually only when the hammer misses the nail, or the pot boils over, or the computer crashes. And that leaks into my writing. I want my stories to be accessible to a wide range of readers, and wouldn’t want anyone pulled out of the story because of unnecessary profane language. Is that a 100% accurate portrayal of military life? Probably not, but hopefully (a) the rest of my military portrayal is spot-on, and (b) it doesn’t take away from the realism of the dialogue in the overall story.
What are your thoughts on seeing profanity in what you read?
I personally don’t like to read a lot of profanity when it can be said a better way. I’ll also say that when used in the right context– as in humor– I will laugh and enjoy it.
I think as a writer it depends on your target readers. If you’re writing an actual combat piece then there shouldn’t be a lot of talking at all but when there is- it’s not going to be nice, touchy feely kind of dialog.
Great post, Steve! I love your Gabriel series!
When I read a book with lots of, or what I consider unnecessary profanity, it’s taken down a notch on my respectability list. Profanity is just another way of telling, not showing. This character’s angry, “cuss.” This character’s mad, “cuss.” This character’s frustrated, “cuss.” C’mon.
I’m not a cusser myself when, as you say, the hammer misses the nail. However, there are a couple of moments in my novel (finishing final draft) when a cuss word really does capture the moment (I have one, maybe two). But that’s only when every dang-blasted thing comes crashing down all at once in a super-stressful moment of conflict, and well, a cuss word says it all.
I mean, what would you call a person who threatens your life and those of your innocent indigenous workers, then blows up the archaeological dig of a lifetime without any regard for your proximity to the blast, and gloats while flying away in his helicopter? That was an a-hole moment.
And I’m considering removing that too.
In the right context, swearing is okay. I’ve never been in the military, but if it’s rife with it, then it should be in there. But everyday folks f’ing this and that all the time, just gets monotonous and sounds lazy.
What do you think? Where does context fit in?
For me it depends on how the profanity is used. I don’t generally read books that you’d expect to find profanity in. Epic fantasy may have “foul-mouthed” characters, but with that world’s curse words, not ours. ex: ‘Shells and shards, Joe, why the cracked egg did you do that?’
I didn’t use much profanity in Fighting Gravity. What little is there was done on purpose because they were intense, highly emotions, combative moments when even people who don’t curse might let slip a bad word.
That said, I’ve built up a tolerance for language over time as it’s trickled more and more into the popular prose.
Recently I have read some books that were absolutely filled with profanity and I found it a bit offputting. I honestly don’t know if I would have finished one of the books if I wasn’t doing it for a review.
I do not have a problem with well placed profanity and occasionally use it myself in my writing. I see it as an emphasis, or a window into a character’s nature, but at a certain point it becomes distracting. From a litterary standpoint I think that it can be very over done if you’re not careful. As my highschool Literature teacher once told me, “profanity is for people with poor vocabularies.”
As far as the argument that hardcore military people use a lot of profanity…I don’t know how much of that is reality versus a holly construct. I have to imagine that it is not as prevelant in the presence of officers as it might be in the barracks proper.
I have always thought that profanity hindered true communication. I spent 20 years in the military and did not pick up the habit. To me, the use of profanity is like using the word “fart” in that the majority of people who really enjoy it in a conversation are boys about 14 years old and they have not really developed the gift of language to use other words.
I’m fine with profanity. Agreed that there can be too much of it, where it’s just bad writing. But to me it’s less about the profanity then and more about the bad writing. Good Will Hunting doesn’t really bother me because of all the good writing. The language is part of its vibe. Makes it unique.
I do write profanity. Not tons, but I find in order for the dramatic moment swearings to be effective you need some lighter moment swearings. Or else during the dramatic moment swearings you’re like, “The writer used a swear word!” and that snaps you out. That’s my theory anyway.
It really depends on the character who is speaking. Where I grew up, certain words of profanity were used in everyday conversation in lieu of what ‘proper’ English might use (people who Eric noted above have “poor vocabularies). But those people can be characters; not every character can have refined education. If using profanity is part of the character’s way of speaking, then to produce more realistic dialogue, a certain amount of profanity is necessary for the atmosphere.
That said, once the writer has established that way of speaking, a writer doesn’t need to belabor the point, because if it doesn’t feel natural it just gets in the way).
I rarely use it in my novels (though I sometimes tend to swear like crazy when stupid drivers piss me of). Since I write scifi/fantasy, I use different words as their profane language. I mean, let’s face it, another planet isn’t going to use our profanity
And I tend to use it in dialog during very heated moments, not every other word.
One of my readers complained that the Marines in my story didn’t swear enough. He spent two decades in the Corps and felt that I was unfairly downplaying the profanity.
As a reader, I think it shows me something of the character. I know people in real life who swear a lot. I know people who rarely swear, and people in between. I’m not a big cusser, but I do use it for effect sometimes (shock or humor). A character’s use of profanity can let me relate him/her to someone I know in real life, and sometimes to something in myself. I would find it distracting if every character cussed up a storm constantly. But with certain types of characters, as with certain types of people, I sort of expect it, and their non-use of it either tells me something important about the character, or can pull me out of the story a bit.
That said, in your books, I did not miss cursing at all. It may have seemed inappropriate for most of the characters, including Gabriel.
I write and read a lot of middle reader books and stories, so for those, profanity is typically not included at all. But I’m also planning on a YA novella, and I think that one will include some profanity here and there, for emphasis. There are a lot of good reasons why I already anticipate that this will be the case.
However, I do disagree with the earlier comment that profanity is more telling than showing. A well placed curse word can do a lot to illustrate a character’s frame of mind that might not otherwise be as apparent through dialogue. Excessive profanity may go beyond that, but sometimes, a person has no other words that make sense other than an obscenity.
I’m not crazy about overuse of the F-bomb, but it also disturbs me when the book is about people who would normally curse a lot and nobody does. Not every person in the military curses, but for some, it becomes a habit that has nothing to do with their ability to use language or express themselves. If a book written about an environment where you would expect cursing has none, I wonder what else has been left out as a sop to readers’ sensitivities. My general attitude is that if you don’t want to see cursing, then don’t select books where it’s to be expected.
Some fantastic comments, on both sides – thanks guys, very much appreciated.
@Leah: ‘Shells and shards, Joe, why the cracked egg did you do that?’
Best comment of the week…I’m going to start saying that around the house.
~Steve
I’m glad, and not at all surprised, you got high marks for not using unpleasant words. It gets so overdone that the lack of it can be refreshing.
If you don’t mind the self-link, I wrote a little about this at my blog last year, referencing Ursula K. LeGuin’s take on the subject. http://catsignal.com/2011/10/24/pen-to-paper-do-you-swear/
I write the way people talk. And for better or worse, many people use colorful language. It’s in my ear. So if it’s what comes naturally out of my character’s mouth organically and feels right for the moment, I keep it in. But I would never use it just for the sake of using it.
I really don’t have an opinion on profanity that’s pro or con. What I believe is that a writer needs to be true to him or herself and true to his or her characters.
For instance, one should not have a character sitting in a formal dining room cursing “like a sailor” unless, of course, the writer wants to show that character as terribly unrefined and out of place.
I tend to keep that sort of color out of my real life language because I’m constantly around children, but you’ll definitely see it come out online, usually when I’m extremely frustrated or angry.
Hi Steve,
I feel that when I use profanity in my writing, I keep it in dialogue, or internal monologue. I’m Irish, and though I don’t walk the streets swearing (usually) I have found that, conversationally, swearing happens an awful lot. So I use that to make my characters more realistic in terms of my interpretation. There seems to be a time and a place for a well placed curse, and if not used excessively (unless that’s the point), I think it’s ok to swear in writing.
I do agree that subject matter can limit the writings accessibility though. I put a warning on my site that anyone may read adult themes.
I hope you’re well,
Sean
I’ve found that if I see the F-word 3-4 times in the first 5 pages, it instantly tells me that the taste level of the book is not something I’m going to like. Unfortunately, some writers use it because they can, not because the book needs it. I don’t use it at all, because, frankly, I don’t need it for the story. If I had to use any, it would likely be one or two, and would be dictated by the emotional impact of the scene.
Is it realistic, military-wise? Having been in the military, it depends. I was in a military unit where no one used it — older crowd and a lot more officers. I was in another unit where it was used more often, but they did limit themselves because women were around. The Rangers had more of a problem with it because the units were all male.
I think, like everything else, it depends. If the book is about or for kids, a lot of things are off the table. But the truth is that in certain segments of the population, not swearing would be completely out of character.
When i wrote my first book, I struggled with the sex and the swearing. However, being the book was about demons and gangsters, both had to be there. Otherwise, the characters wouldn’t feel right.
Currently, I am working on an Epic Fantasy. As stated above, the swear words are made up ones in relation to the world.
I guess it just depends on where you are standing.
I understand that cursing is part of everyday vernacular, but I agree with Steve that it is used too frequently as a substitute for a more meaningful word or idea and normally denotes a lack of understanding, creativity and sometimes intelligence on the part of the user. Do curse words have a place in literature? Surely. “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg wouldn’t carry half the punch without the raw language. And it certainly belongs in dialogue when the character speaking cries out in emotion or perhaps demonstrates a lack of wit.
In books, I rarely find expletives to be functional in prose. There are rare authors that can use expletives in prose to powerful effect, without pulling readers out of the story. I recently read a book where the author used the term “monkeyshit” in the prose. It was not a direct thought of a character, nor was it dialogue. It was completely out-of-place. “Monkeyshit” quite adequately sums up my description of the quality of that book.
If it’s called for… ‘kept to a minimum’, I don’t usually mind. When it seems to be the fact that I’m skimming and skipping entire paragraph’s, as it becomes monotonous I would literally give up on the book entirely. I prefer non profanity, mostly.
Nicely put, Steve: in both ‘your life’, and your writing…
Sasha
I don’t need profanity in writing and if it is plentiful and gratuitous I’m more likely to move on to a better book. But I do bleive there are times when it’s use can enrich a story. You yourself have pointed out probably the most appropriate time it is used:
“the speaker is using swear words to get a rise out of another”
….because essentially, that’s why people swear in the first place – to strike some resonating chord with a listener. Most often profanity is used to “get a rise” out of someone, altho I have encountered ocassions when someone swore to gain resonance with someone else who swears – sort of a common language thing.
So, if you understand this usage of swearing and your writing reflects this, then I say go ahead and use it, but in all cases scrutinize your writing to ensure the use is justified. I would be just as upset to hear a priest tell a parishioner to “go fuck himself” as I would be of a Marine Sergeant politely asking his men to “kindly form a line”.
On the other hand, vocaulary building is a wonderful art and finding a way to say it without swearing is just as worthy as having a character in, um, character!
Steve…In my first novel, the subject matter, the characters, and my own preference allowed me to write without more than a handful of lightly profane words (no “F-bombs”). Since it was set in the 26th century, I felt language and societal norms might have raised the bar on everyday speech a bit. (Of course we haven’t progressed at all since Shakespeare to the present, so maybe that was just wishful thinking!)
But my next novel will feature a high school girl as the protagonist living in a realistic world of teens and a dysfunctional family full of troubled adults. This story will feature real and sometimes raw language, as the characters and situations demand. It will also deal with some very dark themes and present them in stark terms. But I will put a warning in the book description on all outlets so that my readers know what to expect.
I really don’t see the point in profanity as a general rule.
I really don’t have a problem with profanity as a general rule but sometimes it does seem like authors are getting paid by the word and use profanity to add to the word count.
At other times it seems to be some peoples way of showing that they are an adult or that their writing is of an adult nature, but the use of profanity to say, “I am an adult and I am writing adult material” seems more to show the speakers/authors insecurity at being able to appropriately communicate in a mature fashion without the profanity to point out that maturity.
Occasionally using profanity can underline the tension, pain, loss, etc. of the moment, but using it repeatedly is as monotonous as any other redundancy.
Profanity can be a slippery slope. Just like the comedians you mentioned, sometimes you become known more for how you say something that for what is actually said. The same can be true in writing. As a horror writer I tend to write about darker topics with plenty of bad things happening to good people. My stories contain profanity but never at a level that i would consider unrealistic within normal conversation. I think that’s the key point: author know thyself – and they characters! I’ve read and enjoyed your stuff Steve and never really thought about the lack of profanity – I was too engrossed in the storytelling to be pulled from the action by the specific use or non-use of a word or phrase.
Liked this post! I don’t mind a little profanity in certain books. Idk, I get really into characters and if the character seems like they would curse then I go with it. However, using curse words as every other word in a sentence is distracting.
one of my characters swears a lot, not when she is angry, just in casual conversztion. she is 17, so it may just be her age. I have tried hard to cut it out of her speech(in part to open my novel up to a younger audience), but it just didnt flow properly without it (it is just part of her personality perhaps?).After reading this maybe I’ll have a word with her, see if she can’t tone it down
I grew up in an environment where cussing was very common, and not because my dad was a marine. It was just common. That said, I cuss a lot, but have learned to cut back around kids. I don’t really think profanity is necessary in writing, at least not the words George Carlin talks about. I use some in some of my writing, but it’s purely situational and environmental. If you’re arguing with a street Thug, it’s not out of place for the Thug to say a cuss word in attempt to scare the outsider in his face. That said, I’d never use our profanities in sci-fi or fantasy because it wouldn’t make sense. Our modern list of profanities weren’t always profane and some used in their proper context still aren’t bad. Ever been to a dog show?
I feel that if it’s the character’s vernacular, then so be it. I wouldn’t expect a rough character to not use harsh language; that wouldn’t seem real to me unless it’s explained somewhere in some way why the character chooses not to cuss.
I’ve two novels out. One has one very mild curse word; the MC has this jaded sort of innocence where she doesn’t need to cuss. The other is full of them, (probably at least one a page); that MC is a street kid. However, the secondary main character doesn’t cuss at all. I feel it’s unfair of readers to judge a story poorly just because of language, especially if that language is an integral part of the character/s. (I’m not referring to gratuitous cussing, like a poster mentioned above. Using f*** every other word would be annoying. Although, I do know some people like that. O.O)
Note: I personally don’t cuss too terribly much – only when hurt or extremely annoyed. My husband, (who is a truck driver), cusses too much, imo.
I use swearing in my books because people swear in real life. Even if we don’t prefer profanity on a personal level, it would be unrealistic to pretend it doesn’t exist. However, I only use profanity as a way of demonstrating a character flaw. If my character is rude, brash, and generally unlikable, he probably would swear. My only rule of thumb is that under NO CIRCUMSTANCE should the narrator cuss in a third-person narrative. To go along with the point several others have made, that is a product of bad writing.
As a reader, I don’t mind occasional profanity — if it fits the character, if not every character uses it, and if the writer is using it effectively. By “effectively,” I mean: using it in a way that develops character and lets me hear that character’s voice.
If the profanity is constant, and/or if every character uses it, I leave the story with the impression that the writer is using it for shock value, without having put much thought into his/her style, vocabulary, and voice. To me, that’s sloppy writing, and it’s insulting to the reader’s intelligence.
As a writer of fantasy, I have the pleasure — and challenge! — of making up my own profanity to go with whatever world I’m building. What’s profane in one culture will be perfectly acceptable in another. (I grew up in Germany, where most people won’t blink an eye at certain words that would curl the toes of the average American.) Every culture is different, and every culture is inextricably intertwined with its language. If I get the world and its culture down right, the colorful metaphors will naturally follow. Add a saucy heroine who isn’t supposed to be saying “muck the Prophet’s bleeding arm!” and you can be sure I’m doing my job — and having fun to boot. ; )