In real life, I've noticed the ever increasing usage of curse words in teenagers vocabulary. Is it okay to do the same in a book to make conversations more realistic? Please answer ASAP.
Hi Writerdog,
I have a feeling that people are going to be all over the place on this one. All kinds of arguments have been made both against and in defense of profanity in YA. My own idea on the subject is that moderation is important. What I mean is, I wouldn't have my characters using obscenities quite as fluently as teenagers do in real life, but I would definitely use them in heightened situations, altercations, etc., because to me, that reads authentically. I grew up in a blue-collar family, in a blue-collar neighborhood, and no one worried too much about the tender ears of the children, if you know what it mean, but in writing, I think too much profanity can lose its power and start to seem redundant. You want your dialogue to be able to carry a lot of weight. I would say, use profanity within reason, so it doesn't start to weaken the lines instead of shore them up.
I don't know if that helps, but I'm sure others will weigh in.
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therefore no teenager is going to learn new dirty words from a well-peppered novel.
Thanks. It is refreshing to have someone back me.I totally agree with this. It's a shame, but I think anymore, teens would almost expect to find swearing in their novels--seeing as how it's everywhere else and all.
I would think about whether or not your book is YA and the marketability of it being in schools...just something to consider when using a lot of profanity.
My 2cents and hugs Writer
I would think about whether or not your book is YA and the marketability of it being in schools...just something to consider when using a lot of profanity.
My 2cents and hugs Writer
ps - glad to see the swearing filter has been taken off this site. We are, after all, writers, so we should be allowed to use all the tools in our kit.