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 |  This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. If it falls this year (2024), then I may stop the whole blogging thing, but that's all a "wait and see" scenario. An index of topics can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. |
| Profanity Following my last post, a question from a reader! ”When is it okay to use profanity? I would say never.” Okay, right off the bat, I fuckin’ disagree. Good, glad I got that out the way. Jesus H Christ! So, first, let’s have a definition. What is profanity? Interestingly, it differs from country to country. In Australia, three words make up profanity: the F-word, the C-word, and the N-word. In the USA, the list of words considered profanity makes kids here laugh. Words on the list of profanity in the USA appear in our kids programming. The USA – kids killing kids with automatic weapons and institutionalised racism and corruption are all fine and dandy; language and natural bodies are horrible and terrible. I will never understand the mentality. Anyway, there are three forms of profanity: 1) bad words, mostly based around sex and bodily functions or body parts (shit, fuck, c***, bloody, bugger, arse, etc.) 2) blasphemy (Jesus, God, holy cow, Christ almighty, OMG, etc.) 3) insults based on race or impairment (n****, r*t*rd, ch*nk, g**k, etc.) The first is based on old elitist mentality, the second on religious superiority, the third on belittling abuse. There are also words like “bastard” and “wanker.” These words I am not sure how they translate across cultures, but can be both terms of endearment and terms of abuse in Australia. We’re weird like that. So, when can we use them? There is no hard and fast rule. It is entirely up to the writer and how comfortable they feel about using the words. And, really, that is all it is: the comfort level of the writer. However, if you are putting the writing out into the public, then it becomes tricky. The insults, especially those based on race, are generally not acceptable in modern society. The only time – and I mean only time – a writer can use such words is in dialogue in context. Even then, it may still be rejected. Quentin Tarantino is a shocker for this in the dialogue he writes. Blasphemy in the USA is considered as bad as anything else; in Australia, it is in kids’ TV; in the UK, young adult. Then we have bad words. Again, in the USA, not allowed at all. Even WdC is stick-up-the-arse about them, and even a word like “damn” can get you in trouble. In the UK, “bloody” is fine, “shit” at a pinch, “bugger” and “fuck” are adults only. However, all of these words can be on broadcast TV after the watershed. In Australia “bloody” and “bugger” are fine in kids programming, “shit” and “fuck” for older demographics. Generally, the word “fuck” can’t be broadcast until after 7pm. Generally. Notice no C-word? This is not acceptable anywhere, except in impolite society. Yes, I hear it all the time in the real world, but in Australia it is the only word that will get you arrested if used against a cop, and that without a second chance (calling a cop a “fuckwit” will be allowed to slide once, generally, for example…). When it comes to writing and publication, most publishers are fine with bad words and blasphemy, but the insults can be a really hard sell. However, all publishers are different. Many will state, “No swearing, no blasphemy.” That means they are not the publisher for me and I will not submit to them. Then again, one submission I had was rejected because I didn’t “go hard enough” with the language. I have used swearing in the narrative, even if not in first person PoV; I find there are circumstances where it makes my writing a little more real. I use very, very few of the insults of profanity, especially based on race, but have a couple of times in dialogue. However, I do not use a lot of profanity. There are better words, except in dialogue, when you want it to be true to life. As an aside, know which professions are the worst for swearing in real life? Police, doctors/nurses and lawyers. Maybe it’s a release. One final thing, I cannot stand it when I get a review that harps on my one use of the word “fuck” in an 18+ rated story. It is just a word. Grow the fuck up. |
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