tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164137142811869136.post3768300366380600133..comments2024-03-15T00:15:04.424-07:00Comments on Marilyn's Musings: Swearing: The Lazy Writer's ChoiceMarilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04179984154939161530noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164137142811869136.post-4550726240685824262011-01-19T13:34:19.163-08:002011-01-19T13:34:19.163-08:00Moderation is the key. A little swearing, the rig...Moderation is the key. A little swearing, the right words in the right places, can be effective. Lacing the dialogue with continuous f-bombs accomplishes nothing. MHOLinda Leszczukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15117080878321152684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164137142811869136.post-49519240576424131602011-01-19T07:34:54.265-08:002011-01-19T07:34:54.265-08:00I met a writer at Love is Murder who didn't wa...I met a writer at Love is Murder who didn't want to include swearing. She would write "John looked at the corpse and swore." I like that idea.<br /><br />And I do know that people swear. Even Agatha Christie used "bitch". However, she used it so infrequently that you sat up and took notice. I want my character's swearing to be so infrequent that it's noticeable and means something.<br /><br />I went through my manuscript and took out the swearing. The substitutions I came up with really said something about the characters, and in some cases was much funnier or more revealing! It was actually fun!<br /><br />Good for you, Ariella, for starting your writing career at such a young age AND for being aware of what you put on the page. Making a creative choice is different than just being lazy about it.Jackie Vickhttp://www.jacquelinevick.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164137142811869136.post-91656874561448927452011-01-19T06:23:06.432-08:002011-01-19T06:23:06.432-08:00Great post!
This is a difficult one for me becaus...Great post!<br /><br />This is a difficult one for me because, in my real life, I don't really swear. Most of the time when I buy rock or rap music, I opt for the clean versions, both because I don't feel like inundating myself with the language and because I find that the extra creativity exercised in coming up with other ways of saying things often results in stronger lyrics.<br /><br />That said, when I'm writing, sometimes swearing is an important part of a person's character, for either personality or authenticity reasons.<br /><br />But I do tend to think twice, or thrice, or even four times or more about every swear word I use. If I remain convinced that it the best choice for that moment, I leave it in. If I'm even on the edge, I rewrite it another way.<br /><br />Even so, I have a few salty characters.C. N. Nevetshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00375714948653196993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164137142811869136.post-90701808437213674662011-01-19T05:45:43.935-08:002011-01-19T05:45:43.935-08:00Hi, Ariella,
I certainly wish teens didn't sw...Hi, Ariella,<br /><br />I certainly wish teens didn't swear so much. There are so many wonderful words we can use to express ourselves. So glad you visited today and left a comment.<br /><br />MarilynMarilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04179984154939161530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164137142811869136.post-22501600521633851222011-01-19T05:03:50.384-08:002011-01-19T05:03:50.384-08:00That was a really interesting article. When I writ...That was a really interesting article. When I write, I try not to swear too much, but since the majority of my characters are in their teens, as am I, swearing is a fairly large part of their (our) vocabulary.<br />But I have found other ways to work around. Only a few characters swear a lot.Ariellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17256123373326887470noreply@blogger.com