~~OUCH! OH! S*!# D#*%
What do you say when you hit your finger with a hammer? Does it matter? New research says that cursing actually helps reduce the pain. Don't believe me? Try this ARTICLE for the latest news on pain and cursing. Will that give you permission to say a few four-letter words the next time you hurt yourself? What about your characters?
~~I've been thinking about this as I write lately. The main character in FRIENDLY FIRE is a church-going, widowed, retired teacher. In rough draft scenes Laura Grace has said shit and damn, but I find that in editing, she finds some other way to express her pain. On the other hand, my murdering sex abuser, Craig Ellis, is more likely to find more cuss words to say in the rewrites. It's all about the character's voice and how they relate to the world.
~~For what it's worth, I've never had a character to say the F-word. Especially not Laura Grace. I think Cherry Hill would explode if she did. ; )
Keep watching the Shade for the upcoming Celebration Blogfest.
Nearly there, Zan. My characters don't swear. There are so much more interesting ways of expressing themselve. I'm so old fashioned.
ReplyDeleteDeborah,
ReplyDeleteYou're right--there are better ways to express your ideas, but I find some characters to be a bit inarticulate. I'm a bit old fashioned myself, but some of the meanies...; )
My characters swear now and then, but I don't usually let them speak their minds. I kinda do the cowardly thing and just say they curse.
ReplyDeleteJ. L.,
ReplyDeleteI do that sometimes. My sweet Laura Grace has been known to have "black thoughts".
Swearing suit certain characters, not all types. I woulldn't like to read a church going character start swearing like a fishwife all the time.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of this. Actually, I did stick a damn or two in there, in Rosa's pov (mainly when she's falling down the mountain), but always in square brackets as I'd have to find the Renaissance Spanish equivalent anyway. So no swear words yet as, though I know where to go to look up old English slang, I have no idea how to research Spanish slang!
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting to 200 followers! :D And post 99, ooh that's awesome!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool milestone! Can't wait to see what you do for your celebration :)
ReplyDeleteI have no problems with swearing in manuscripts, though I think it needs to fit your character's voice. My first drafts usually have a lot more swearing than later drafts :)
Hugs,
Rach
Nas,
ReplyDeleteI do agree that swearing is a character issue. Laura Grace is quick to take those inadvertant words back.
Deniz,
I have no clue where you would find Spanish slang either. At least I get to create my swearing from scratch in my SF wip...or not. ; )
Thanks, Trisha
Rach,
I'm a novice at blogfests, so don't expect too much. Of course, I've got to get 5 more followers first. I am proud of my celebration badge. I created it all by myself. ; )
My characters do swear. Of course they are mainly antags which nobody is going to particularly like anyhow.
ReplyDeleteJo,
ReplyDeleteLOL! My antags do swear--a lot.
I didn't realise you'd posted this. Our minds must be in sync. I'm not a fan of swearing, as you know. It's interesting it's supposed to reduce the pain, though. Hahahaha.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, isn't it, Lynda? And we are thinking alike. ; )
ReplyDeleteNow look at that ! Have to go do some exploring :)
ReplyDeleteOh My Goodness! I have the magic number!!!! I'll have to get busy and post the blogfest! Celebration, here I come! Thank, Siv. ; )
ReplyDeleteHi Zan...thanks for the follow and the comment on my blog. I am your 200th follower. Congrats on that wonderful achievement.
ReplyDeleteYou and Lynda are on the same wavelength. Her post too is about Cuss words.
Thank you! Rachna, I'm going to launch this afternoon. Come back and see. ; )
ReplyDelete