"Pissed off" in Upper MG?

TereLiz

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The title pretty much says it all.

Can I have a 12 yr old protag use the term or is it one parents don't want kids to say? I remember my mom getting really pissed when we kids used it, but I don't know if that's the norm. I can't remember reading it in anything MG, so I thought I'd ask.

Thanks!
 

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I didn't say "pissed off" as a kid, but I was pretty belated on swear words compared to others.. I would say "ticked off" instead.
 

Olga

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My 12 y.o. uses it. I would say it depends on the parents. As to reading it in books, she is not sure.
 

TereLiz

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For some reason I hadn't even thought about subbing "ticked off", but I think that'll do nicely. Pissed just looks so vulgar to me on the page, even though everyone uses it, so I'd rather not.

Thanks for the input, everyone! I appreciate the feedback.
 

Jamesaritchie

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No chance would 98% of the parents I know buy a book with that phrase in it, or allow their twelve year old to use it, thank God. I also know I can't use it in any of the MG I write.
 

KarmaPolice

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What is this, North Korea? Tell me, how many parents pre-read every book that their 10-13 year-old reads? Unless it somehow gets into 'the conciousness' of parents groups etc, barely anyone will know. And most of them frankly will not care.

If 'pissed off' is naturally a word that char would use in that situation, use it! Frankly, with the world how it is, I'm more worried about the actual *meaning* of the book than the occasional 'bad language'! And it's so tame a phrase anyway. Even when I was a kid, a 12-year old who never swore at all came over rather prudish Famous Five-esque who was either to be laughed at and/or picked on. And kids have suprisingly well-tuned 'bullshit' detectors...

The only exception to this is if you're aiming to get your WIP into schools. They *do* proofread each book for such things, I believe.
 

Samsonet

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The most annoying thing about writing is that reality is unrealistic, especially when it comes to voice.

My thirteen-year-old brother used to swear a lot when our mom wasn't around... but if I wrote his dialogue word-for-word he'd sound a lot older than he is. Replacing swears with softer words (fudge darn, etc.) makes him sound younger. So I tend to cut those kinds of words completely and use actions instead. But even then there are times when a character has to say something... It goes on.