Swearing - Censor, allude, or include?
I was reading this thread, but it didn't quite the answer a question I had about creative writing and whether profanity should be used or not, in a way that is best for creative storytelling.
Here's what I mean:
James swore under his breath, his hands rummaging through the suitcase - where was the USB drive?
Here, the reader is allowed to imagine what the character might be saying. For the last twenty chapters, you've made your own image of 'James', and you might think he'd say things differently to how someone else might.
Versus:
"Shit!" James cursed, his hands rummaging through the suitcase - where was the USB drive?
Here, I've used the actual curse. Sure, there might be a bit of shock value (and we could scale up the profanity if we need to), but the reader is being told exactly what type of profanity James is using.
I know that books and movies are fundamentally different, but movies having been using the Precision F-Strike for years, to deliver impact just to escape an unfavorable rating. Books don't have ratings, but some might argue about 'target audience'.
For the sake of this argument, let's say that the target audience doesn't mind a bit of swearing (they're not children), but they're not oil-rig workers either.
So, my main questions is: Is it better to use actual swearing, or use 'creative' methods like above?
As a side note, should profanity in conversation be included?
"I've had enough of your bullshit," Andrew snarled, throwing down his badge onto the desk.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/8428. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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I think you need to consider the context. Is the swearing important or decorative?
"James swore under his breath" is not the important part of that scene; the important part is that he can't find the USB stick. But Anthony snarling, "I've had enough of your bullshit" actually is the point of that line of dialogue, so using the profanity makes sense.
This could go either way with the description of the young lady who makes construction workers blush. If the book is meant for a more delicate (read: younger) audience, then we don't need to hear the actual obscenities; the reader knows she's angry enough to act out of character, and we move on. If the book is for grownups, then drop the colorful metaphor and just have her spew a string of swear words. If the character has been written correctly, it will be sufficiently shocking.
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In my current story, a character just came into a room and saw our protagonist standing among a room full of dead bodies. In utter shock and fear (as he had no expectation of this) he proclaimed "What the fuck did you do?"
I don't think without the included profanity, the scene works. He hardly is a character to throw around profanity in regular conversation, but he isn't a priest either and if something shocks him, there is every likely it will come forth.
Anthony
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/8435. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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