# Curses in fantasy novels



## Mesafalcon (Jul 13, 2015)

[FONT=ＭＳ Ｐゴシック][/FONT]So, I am onewho likes things on the more nitty-gritty adult side for medieval fantasy.Because, well, those times were pretty damn harsh. 

When I read Game of Thrones, I noticed that GRRM used the F word, and at first,I suppose I was a bit thrown back, but after a while, it helped the feel of the"adult" world he was building. If I recall correctly, he mainly (oronly) uses it to refer to sex, so, he uses it as the verb form. But,nonetheless, since he uses the word, he establishes it exists in his world...

I decided to put "basic" curses (not modern things a rapper wouldsay, of course) in my novel.

I just wanted to get a consensus on how everyone feels about it. I have heardhere and there it can pull some people out of the story...

Any comments, thoughts, welcome. Thanks.
[FONT=ＭＳ Ｐゴシック][/FONT]


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## Gamer_2k4 (Jul 13, 2015)

I hate curses, and I consider them a lazy shortcut for writers who can't be bothered to properly convey emotion or "grit."

People say "Well, there's swearing in the real world, so I wouldn't be true to my work if I didn't include it in my writing."  Of course, you never hear that excuse for why there aren't any bathroom scenes, or truly realistic dialogue (um, uh, like...you know...er), or any other negative thing that nonetheless exists in real life.

Don't get me wrong; swearing isn't the only time people take shortcuts in real life.  We call the guy who cuts in front of us an idiot, though it's more accurate to say that while he probably has at least average intelligence, he wasn't as alert as he should have been.  But hey, "idiot" is shorter and lets you make a knee-jerk reaction without actually having to think.

Shortcuts in general and profanity in particular are both crutches and should be avoided.  The latter has the additional issue of being offensive as well, so why include it at all?


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## Skodt (Jul 13, 2015)

I don't mind profanity in works at all. I wouldn't consider them lazy, as most people use them to convey emotion in reality, why not books? People feel real emotions and to try to describe all of them is not going to work, sometimes people explain how they feel with stronger vocabulary. When someone calls the guy who cut them off in traffic an idiot, it isn't to portray some deep sentimental conviction towards that person, it is more so an act of anger and aggression. The curse words as they are so called, are just more words in the human language center and therefore should be used in accordance to their place. Real life people use them, fake people wouldn't be any more polite than real life people in my opinion.


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## Sc0pe (Jul 13, 2015)

It really comes down to the peoples tests and your implementation of them, your characters, there reason for swearing... just a list of reasons. Ok so swearing can be used to be a lazy way to apply grit and show sings of anger. Writing may not follow real life talking but it is a part of our way of conveying feelings into words.

I am not really one to use swear words in my writing but the few times i did it was to make a character out to be a particular person whilst keeping his introduction short since he was not that important. I think it's just how you go about using it, and just be aware that it may not suits everyone teats. but as long as it express your characters in the way you like then more power to you. It's all just expression when boiled down to it;s core. 

Happy writhing.


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## AtleanWordsmith (Jul 13, 2015)

I'm not adverse to swearing at all (I have this thing in real life where I unintentionally drop _le Bombe d'Effe_ every two or three words--I don't recommend it, it is actually not that great and I'm still not allowed back at the library), but I find that, in certain settings, it can take me out of a scene quicker than a punch to the face.

Without a better sense of the setting, I couldn't give you a 100% accurate opinion for your particular case... but you could easily compromise either by inventing your own swear words or using existing, appropriately medieval-y swear words in place of more modern-sounding ones.


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## Cato (Jul 13, 2015)

It's a word; it's forms an image and sends a message, if you as the writer want to form that image and send that message, definitely use whatever words you want to. Now on the side of whether or not it is the best way to build and that image or to express that message is another argument entirely. It is a tool that you as a writer must decide how and when to use.


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## Mesafalcon (Jul 14, 2015)

I agree with these comments that are for swearing, and yes, I am one of those who say because it is in real life I feel it is okay to have in books. I am not very well read, but I have a feeling Steven King and GRRM are not lazy writers...

As far as no bathroon scenes, actually, there are here and there. _Ever read Dany's last chapter in a Dance with Dragons? _And as far as truly real dialouge, that is there to I am sure. That all depends on how well the author can execute it and how big your sample size is to make such a statement.

But- my question was more, do you consider cursing more of a "modern" thing, therefore pulling you out of a fantasy setting?


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## AtleanWordsmith (Jul 14, 2015)

As long as there have been men, they have uttered oaths. The biggest offenders as far as pulling _me_ out of a fantasy setting are le Bombe d'Effe and the excrement word.  Other words should be fine.

Just don't go overboard with it.  Too much will pull anyone out of any story.


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## JustRob (Jul 14, 2015)

I think that I have mentioned elsewhere in these forums that I once read _Boozimacoo, _a history and compendium of swear words and phrases. In it the author mourned the passing of the great era of oaths. It is quite true that swearing is now reduced to a few words considered to be the most expressive but they are now so overused that they have lost their significance and there is nowhere new for the swearers to search.

The title of the book was an oath used by Saxons against their Norman masters and was pretty well a hanging offence, being a Saxon corruption of the French "_Baisez mon cul!" _(Pardon my French, as the saying goes!), that being the native language of the Normans. This may in itself be one direction to go in a fantasy if an oath is directed by members of one faction against another.

The book divided oaths into three main categories, blasphemous, sexual and scatological. Blasphemous oaths are easy to reproduce in fantasies if the people there have gods. The oath in the fabulous film _Galaxy Quest  _"By Grabthar's hammer!" comes to mind although that was satirising the genre, but no doubt you get my point. It is no more ridiculous than the old English "Gadzooks!" being a corruption of "By God's hooks!" a reference to the nails that held Christ on the cross. "Odds bodikins!" has the same origin, being "God's bodkins!" In most cases the distortion of the words is meant to ameliorate the blasphemy to avoid God's anger. Any oath involving the initials JC of Christ, such as "Jeepers creepers!", is also veiled blasphemy, again the concealment being an attempt to deflect God's wrath. Complete fantasy worlds no doubt have their gods, prophets and miracles and a smattering of these and the associated oaths can add a dimension to the story. One does wonder just who Grabthar was.

I have read that the style of swearing varies with national culture, so in America scatological and sexual oaths may be tolerated more than blasphemous ones while in Britain veiled blasphemy has been the preferred style of the genteel classes and even the lower classes. The cockney's "Gor blimey!" is of course "God blind me!" an oath of conviction, again easily paralleled in a fantasy scenario.

Oaths are used in various situations such as against others, affirmation of one's conviction or despair. Whatever oaths are chosen or invented should match their context although "By Grabthar's hammer!" seems pretty adaptable to all situations. It is a rich aspect of language for the inventive mind to explore and I agree with the author of that book that it may be a dying art, so why not resurrect it?

I must of course mention my novel although oaths in it are very mild and generally acceptable parts of common conversation in Britain. The odd "My god!" or "Good lord!" is unlikely to offend anyone and the mildness of the oaths in extreme situations actually emphasises the comic English tendency towards polite understatement. No, the aspect to mention is bathroom visits. In a later chapter the girl from the first chapter is still confused over whether she is dreaming or not and after a long drinking session she has an urgent need to visit the bathroom. It is only as she is leaving the bathroom that she realises that people very seldom urinate in their dreams, possibly the consequence of deep seated potty training, and she is appalled by the implications. If this is a dream it may not be the wet dream that she was hoping for. A writer can find situations to exploit in the unlikeliest places.


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## Gavrushka (Jul 14, 2015)

I use whatever seems appropriate, and try not to drag any of my real-world beliefs into anything I write.

Am I offended by an author's use of profanity? Hell no! Am I offended by third-rate tripe written by pretentious gibberlings? You better buggering well believe it!


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## Mesafalcon (Jul 14, 2015)

AtleanWordsmith said:


> Just don't go overboard with it.  Too much will pull anyone out of any story.



I think this is key advice, and how I have been writting. I mean certain characters swear more than others, but my general way of thinking has been, if I don't overdo it - it should be fine.


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## EmmaSohan (Jul 14, 2015)

In your fantasy, someone could say "I'm laughing my ass off." And depending on how you do it, that could work, but it could also pull your reader out of the fantasy world.

_If_ you try to avoid idioms and cliches and common phrases, you might want to make up your own swear words.


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## JustRob (Jul 15, 2015)

My previous comments were broadly given because your OP wasn't clear. Is your writing set in historically accurate medieval times with fantasy elements added or is it a fictional world similar to the medieval period? Also were you referring to curses directed at others, curses directed at one's own misfortunes, insults, oaths of commitment and conviction or what? Nowadays people just use universal strong words to add effect without regard to context, which is why the art is said to have been lost. Monty Python revived the art with their brilliant insult "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" In a completely fictional world expletives ought to be based on objects or events seen as significant there. The expletive "Shards" in Anne McCaffrey's dragon books is a reference to the broken dragon eggshells, effectively almost religious relics, being the origins of the revered dragons. This is equivalent to making reference to the virgin Mary in our Christian society but does not offend the reader because the cultural background is different.

I suspect that there are few records of the strong language used in historical medieval times, so historical accuracy there might be difficult. No doubt many were relatively straightforward, e.g. comparisons to animals and subhumans as insults. Nowadays the plaintiff insult "You dirty rotten swine!" uttered by Bluebottle in the old Goon Show is remembered as amusing but no doubt in the past it could have started a fight considering the status of swine since biblical times. Equally a simple curse like "The devil take you!" said with conviction would have been a serious thing in a time when God and the devil were considered closer than in the present. Hence curses can be quite literal and relatively mild to modern eyes. On the other hand sexual references might well have been ineffective in a time when there was less prudery about sex, so modern sexual terms could actually be inappropriate because they lack impact within the era. 

I hope that adds some extra dimensions to the complex subject of strong language. Now I'll furgle elsewhere.


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## John Galt (Jul 15, 2015)

Earth profanity, in my opinion, is useful at times for making something seem more intense to the reader (provided that it's only used a few times through the entire work). Profanity specific to the created world can be used much more often because it should seem like just another word. 
I believe profanities in English are most commonly related to sex, the sacred, or the damned/damnation/Hell/your personal flavour of the bad place. So that's an option to bring the religious and cultural worldbuilding into the way the character conduct themselves. It also serves to have the same function as Earth profanity, but I think reading the F word all the time can feel bland and be very irritating for even the most sailor-mouthed readers.    

Interesting note on profanity in other languages: Many languages don't swear by the same things we do (by which I mean sex, the sacred, or the bad place). Many languages have words with no actual syntax (can't be translated into English) but are rather words words with the sole function of cursing.  Japanese, I believe, is an example of that.


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## Mesafalcon (Jul 15, 2015)

JustRob said:


> My previous comments were broadly given because your OP wasn't clear. Is your writing set in historically accurate medieval times with fantasy elements added or is it a fictional world similar to the medieval period?




Thanks. True.

Okay, it is a medieval fantasy - but not Earth. So, I can technically usewhatever. 

Also, of you think about it, these characters in our unique fantasy worlds arenot supposed to be speaking "English." An easy to understand exampleof this is Star Wars, it's a long time ago in a galaxy far away. So, althoughthey speak "English" for ease of telling the story, the wordsaren't actually supposed to be "English" logically. 

So, if my character says "F-You" they are actually saying an equivalentof the F word.[FONT=ＭＳ Ｐゴシック]

My main fear is a reader will go "oh, that sounds like slang," that doesn't work. I never considered curses in fantasy untill I read ASOIAF. I no longer have my copies, but I know GRRM uses the F word (and others), which is why I decided it was OK to use. Afterall, it sold millions and millions of copies, so this show A) readers didn't mind or find it distracting (and even if they did, it didn't bother them much cause the story was so good B) with the success of this series somewhat breaking fantasy in the mainstream, cursing might now be more accepted in fantasy[/FONT]


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## AtleanWordsmith (Jul 16, 2015)

Mesafalcon said:


> Also, of you think about it, these characters in our unique fantasy worlds arenot supposed to be speaking "English." An easy to understand exampleof this is Star Wars, it's a long time ago in a galaxy far away. So, althoughthey speak "English" for ease of telling the story, the wordsaren't actually supposed to be "English" logically.
> 
> So, if my character says "F-You" they are actually saying an equivalentof the F word.



Sounds a bit like cop out logic, haha.

I personally think you'd be better served making something up. It would be like the Vyorians from my own work invoking God instead of Deyn--it may technically translate the same way, but it doesn't feel authentic to the reader.


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## bazz cargo (Jul 16, 2015)

F-you will pull anyone out. Whole hog or die.

The one aspect of swearing that no-one has mentioned is that it is an act of violence. To swear is to elicit a response. A way of intimidating your opponent. 

Good luck, Measfalcon
BC


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## Mesafalcon (Jul 16, 2015)

AtleanWordsmith said:


> Soundsa bit like cop out logic, haha.
> 
> I personally think you'd be better served making something up. It would be like the Vyorians from my own work invoking God instead of Deyn--it may technicallytranslate the same way, but it doesn't feel authentic to the reader.



 Well, whether you think this is "cop out" logic or not, It's true.

 These characters are not supposed to be speaking "English" in fantasyworlds. Luke Skywalker, does not speak "English," nor does"Gandolf" for example. These are not worlds connected to our Earth and history (maybe you got agree with that part, I am not sure). 

 And, deities are a different subject than language usage as far as verbs and adjectives. _Different ballgame._ I think most good writers create their own gods and have the understanding not to use "God." I would never say "God". 
_
Asoiaf April 2015, the books have sold more than 60 million copies worldwide[SUP][4][/SUP]and have been translated into at least 45 languages (Wikipedia)

_Which has the F word, C word and quite a few others... So, why weren't readers turned off by it and pulled out of the story?

Now, I am not saying I want to write like GRRM, I am simply saying, the immense success of these books must have had some effect on how readers view curses in fantasy? No?

60 million is well over the population of some countries. Granted, these werenot all sold in English, but like I am trying to explain, _it is not the actual sound of the word_, it is the function and reactionit stirs up in people. So, we can safely assume German, Spanish or whatever else has an equivalent word for the F word or C word that causes controversy when said a the wrong time or place.




bazzcargo said:


> F-you will pull anyone out.




Ya, it will. That's not the best example. My mistake. That one does sound too modern and I would never use it.

How about:

"You're just a f**king commoner." 
"Where the f**k were you?"


Something to that extent?


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## bazz cargo (Jul 17, 2015)

Nope, f*** y** is even worse. 

If ya gonna play you have to go all the way.


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## Schrody (Jul 17, 2015)

I never write f*** like this in my novels. If you want to make believable characters, you'll need to stop doing that. We don't have censorship buttons in real life, so either you write them right, or don't use them at all


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## ShadowEyes (Jul 17, 2015)

I'm always entertained by Brandon Sanderson's use of fake curse-words. They're all appropriate to his novels, usually tying to a type of magic or god. For instance in the Stormlight Archives, we get "Storm it!" In Mistborn, we get "Rust and ruin!" In Warbreaker, we get "Colors!" In Rithmatist, we get nothing because it's a pre/teen book.  :cookie:

He does it because he's a Mormon, I guess.


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## JustRob (Jul 17, 2015)

On reflection I don't even see the logic of the F-word being used in the way it is now and I've no idea why it should be used in GoT, having never watched any of it. It just seems to be such an idiosyncratic expletive for our era and there's no reason I can see for it to be used in the same way in an alternative reality. It would be like someone in GoT using the British two-finger salute when the related Anglo-French history that originated it never applied. Swearing is so unique even to specific countries on this planet that it is easy for a foreigner not to know that they have been insulted. I'm sure that if I wrote this type of fantasy the swearing would be quite incompatible with anything in our reality. Offhand the most expressive and ambiguous curse that I can think of is "Eat your thumbs!" Given some thought this may have had several origins and meanings and may sound almost comical to us, but the implications are far more serious than the incredibly mild suggestion "Go f*** yourself!" when you think about it. Hence I see no reason why curses in fantasies should bear any resemblance to our stupidly used ones, not unless you're seriously into parallel societies.

Perhaps we could make this thread a location to dump all our pent-up anger and frustration by suggesting fantasy curses, oaths and insults which mean nothing offensive in our own society. Well I've already made my contribution. Actually if one puts both thumbs in one's mouth it is pretty impossible to talk, so maybe this particular expression has a whole range of interpretations from a simple order to be quiet to seriously consequential self-mutilation.


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## Mesafalcon (Jul 17, 2015)

Just Rob, your point about curses being unique has merit but...

Most of the civilized countries in this world, know the F word in English. English speakers dont know every unique swear word. The point is, the English ones are know by both. 

Unique races, like the Dathrakis in GoT dont say the F word. That word is only used in the civilized parts of Westeros. You could say the same about that now for us. 

Sure, small countries in Africa have there own curse words, but the US, Japan, Britain and pretty much every other major nation has common curse words. 

Yes, in Japan the F word is a curse.


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## JustRob (Jul 17, 2015)

Mesafalcon. 

I think that's the whole point in the end, that the original purpose and meaning of the word, which may even be in a foreign language, becomes subordinate to its function as an indicator of extremism, any sort of extremism. If I were a serious user of bad language I would say that that is extremely pointless, if you see what I mean. There is no scale of extremes, just extremis itself, which is why eventually one word suffices and it doesn't matter what it is in any realm.


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## AoA (Jul 17, 2015)

I think swearing in novels is a very gray issue depending on how it's used. I don't curse much compared to most people my age, but cursing never bothered me. It's all just words, another way of expressing emotion.
For instance, in a story of mine, because the people worship the old Egyptian gods, the saying of "Oh my God" is changed into a variety of sayings like "Holy Ma'at" (Egyptian Goddess of Truth). The F-off saying gets used on occasion by people, an example would be "May Sobek drown thee!". It all is in the balance of when and how it is used. To say people ever avoided cursing in real life is honestly a joke in my eyes.
Another example is in one of my stories, a character swears heavily when a "monster" is standing atop him and he is terrified beyond belief. If you don't curse and swear when you fully believe you are about to die by the hands of a 7-foot tall monster, I commend you for your dedication to your ideals.

It is all about believably using the cursing. Random cursing for no real reason other than to have cursing just kills the immersion.


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## Mesafalcon (Jul 20, 2015)

AoA said:


> I think swearing in novels is a very gray issue depending on how it's used.
> 
> It is all about believably using the cursing. Random cursing for no real reason other than to have cursing just kills the immersion.



I agree with these statements. 

Keep in mind, I am not judging curses, but, judging if they pheasably were used in mideval times, or could have been. In other dramas, I am with the sound logic,some characters curse and others dont. 

Just like us.


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## KellInkston (Jul 20, 2015)

Cursing is a heightened emotive response, and as such should be delivered either when high emotions are about, or the character is in a high-emotive state (which could be all the time, depending).

I'm largely on the fence with cursing, as it seems many writers have been able to effectively make use of it (or the lack thereof) in many books I've read. Realistic dialogue is my personal preference, so between all the "um"s and "erm"s and "Character muttered to himself for a moment"s, I do think a well-placed swear can tell the reader a good amount about the characters. The "non-curseyness" of one character can only be brought completely to light in the midst of the "curseyness" of another. Like most dialogue, cursing is simply a way to tell the reader what's going on with a character, so in that way there's nothing wrong with cursing realistically.

That said, if it's for a younger audience, I might just use asterisks (Oh F***!), "Curse speech" (Oh %$#^!), or just say "Then he said a very nasty sort of word and turned on his way home."

As to the actual topic at hand... :tongue:

I believe curses could certainly be used in a medieval setting. Humans cursed in that time period, so I don't really see why it's so strange to have that. Now, "Fuck" might be a bit of a push, but remember these fantasy characters probably aren't speaking English, so presumably you as the writer are just  using the closest word to the one they're using. No problem at all when it comes to continuity.


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## Pidgeon84 (Jul 20, 2015)

I'm all for it, if it's used in a smart way. I've used it sparsely, as to convey a certain emotion. I've used it A LOT for character build, see my LM entry for The Space in Between. It had its issues lol, but I don't think the cursing was one of them (at least I would like think). It's something I used to portray the character as I see in my head or as see them in life. It's something I use to get the reader into that characters mind set. That said, if it's not conveying something important, I'm going to minimize it as much as I can. Because it will be jarring and will take you out of the story.


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## Bishop (Jul 20, 2015)

Teenagers all curse, and they seem pretty on-the-ball... I'd go for it!

In reality, people curse. In fantasy, people would curse. They might not be the same curses, but if you want it to relate well to an audience, you need to make it clear to them in some equivalent or just use the standard. GRR uses the F-bomb often enough, and many others, and we get it and it colors the characters well. Firefly used creative cursing and emotional outbursts in Chinese to get around television censors; the effect is the same, but in a clean way! However you do it, we need to understand the how and why of the cursing and it needs to match the character. Sailors curse. For them not to removes an element of realism. 

We are adults (most of us anyway) and these are words that adults use to express anger, frustration, rage... all kinds of high emotions. To ignore them is to ignore a part of the human experience.


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## Mesafalcon (Jul 21, 2015)

KellInkston said:


> Now, "Fuck" might be a bit of a push, but remember these fantasy characters probably aren't speaking English, so presumably you as the writer are just  using the closest word to the one they're using. No problem at all when it comes to continuity.




Yes. That is what I said. The word "f**k," in YOUR novel (if it is a fantasy that is not on planet Earth - if your novel is a fantasy set on plantet Earth, this thread is not for you), is not the word "f**k."

This is something that doesn't have to be said, because it goes without saying that we need to use English to tell the stories - BUT - they are not actually English.

Thanks, Kell. I am glad someone acknowledges this. And, it is not something to agree or disagree with. It is a logical fact.

_Looks like the opinions are pretty mixed. Thanks for all responses so far all._


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## TJ1985 (Jul 21, 2015)

For me it is a question of who is speaking, and every character is going to have his/her own twist on the language just like real people do. I've found few instances where nobody turned the air a pretty shade of blue. There are some who see profanity as being inappropriate, something they don't do. There are others who are not so restricted. I attended welding school and then took a course in automotive repair... I have an extensive vocabulary of verbs, nouns, adjectives, and pronouns which is second to none. 

Some of my characters do too. I will never tolerate it from a narrator under any circumstance. Well, except in cliche form "It was around that time that hell came to visit. It was using the name Sam Cole." Something like that. It has to fit the character, it must. You're not going to find too many New York dock supervisor who would say "I say, Jack, would you care to stroll to the end of the pier and unload the three boxes I requested you unload earlier this morning, please? I would be ever so grateful." It would be equally out of place for a nun to bellow "********* you stupid **********! How the **** can you not know that the ******' hymn starts with a ******' B-flat? For ***** sake, if we swap your brain with a mentally deranged jackass, the stupid ************ *********** would starve to death standin' in a ******' barn full of grain!" 

It's fun, but it doesn't fit. The characters need to fit the story, and the story needs to fit the genre if it's to be hopefully published. I despise books that are marketed to an adult market, but that contain dialogue acceptable only to preschoolers. I'm an adult, I've heard every good profane term, and some of them are really specific. I don't need to be coddled. That said, I don't want to be reading a story that, if someone I respect glances over my shoulder, I close the book in shame. 

At the end of the day, my general idea is a simple one. I imagine the intended audience that this piece is for, and I imagine myself standing before them. I imagine I've fired down a pair of shots of bourbon to stave off the stage fright. If I would not in any way be ashamed or bothered to read it aloud to that group, then I'll write it. I won't put my name on a piece I'm ashamed of having written, or having others read. Sometimes, I'll get a little blue if my character would use those words. A prospective publisher may find that offensive.... well.... **** 'em.

ETA: For fantasy pieces set on other worlds, I have two mindsets. 1. If they've got all the other words in our language, it's not a stretch to think they'd also have the words that'd make your grandmother blush. 2. If it bothers you, then why not get off your lazy schmorga and splookin' earn your bloddin' keep by making up a few new words? It isn't so splookin' hard that a writer couldn't do it. If a writer can't come up with one splookin' word to replace another word... eh, creative writing may be a stretch.


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## Mesafalcon (Jul 22, 2015)

TJ1985 said:


> ETA: For fantasy pieces set on other worlds, I have two mindsets. 1. If they've got all the other words in our language, it's not a stretch to think they'd also have the words that'd make your grandmother blush. 2. If it bothers you, then why not get off your lazy schmorga and splookin' earn your bloddin' keep by making up a few new words? It isn't so splookin' hard that a writer couldn't do it. If a writer can't come up with one splookin' word to replace another word... eh, creative writing may be a stretch.



I do make up some of my own words. But nothing has that _smack _in the face like the ones that have been so taboo our whole life.

It's really just an expression of anger or strong desire. 

Great post though. Lots of good thoughts in there!


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## bdcharles (Jul 22, 2015)

In my fantasy WIP, one of the things I have tried to do - and, yes, maybe there's GRRM influence here hehe - is to try and normalise, or make accessible and relatable, the fantasy world. And part of that is swearing as we do in this world. I have worried that it will pull readers out. It's a balancing act, for sure.


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## Mesafalcon (Jul 22, 2015)

bdcharles said:


> In my fantasy WIP, one of the things I have tried to do - and, yes, maybe there's GRRM influence here hehe - is to try and normalise, or make accessible and relatable, the fantasy world. And part of that is swearing as we do in this world. I have worried that it will pull readers out. It's a balancing act, for sure.





[FONT=ＭＳ Ｐゴシック][/FONT]Ya, looks likethere are pretty mixed feelings.

I think the best advice was, don't overdo it. 

And, I would add to that, don't have it happen early on. Maybe 10 or morechapters in when if the reader is still reading, they will not drop the book atthe look of a well placed swear, and they might even like it.

If I recall, the F word does not appear in Game of Thrones for quite some time.So, when it does, you are already invested with the situation with Jamie andBran, curious about the prologue with the White Walkers, the Starks andeverything else that is going on. 

It would be a shame to be a reader who gets pulled out immediately by a curse -especially if it is used with good timing.

IF you are pulled out because it is misused, or overused and it builds up andfinally makes you put down the book that's different. 

My assumption is I am not misusing it, because I am using them sparingly and amvery conscious minded of it.
[FONT=ＭＳ Ｐゴシック][/FONT]


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