The Bomb. And I don’t mean E or G.
By Therese Walsh | January 25, 2011 |
There are sixteen F-bombs in my work-in-progress. There was one in The Last Will of Moira Leahy.
I know an author who’s been criticized for effery. Too much, say that author’s critics, couldn’t finish the book, etc… I know a reviewer who regularly pans books for language. I have kids. And though they assure me they hear plenty of eff in school and I shouldn’t worry about it, neither do I want to be a bad role model.
But there they are. Sixteen. Kablang!
There’s variation, at least. In one scene, the bomb is dropped out of sheer fear for a loved one: “Don’t you hurt her you (effers)!” In another, it’s used out of exasperation and anger with another person: “(Effing) brilliant, Fender. Nine weeks of having your back and it comes to this?” Once, it’s used almost endearingly. “(Eff) you,” I said. And as I walked by him, on my way back to the log with blanket in hand, I heard him say, “(Eff) you, too, and sweet dreams.”
The characters made me do it; that’s the only explanation I can offer for this surge of effery. When I told them it might be too much, that they could scale back a little, they–a train-hopping scamp and a frustrated young woman at the breaking point–pretty much gave me the finger, reminded me who was boss.
I’ve come to terms with this and the wider issue, too. Writing on eggshells as you worry what others–readers, reviewers, neighbors, your mother or your kids–are going to think about your work is wrong. (This applies to more than a handful of curse words.) You must write boldly, fearlessly, and you must write for the characters. Write to make them as authentic, as full of technicolor as possible. Write for yourself, until you know you’ve best served the work.
Eff the eggshells.
How do you feel about F-bombs in fiction? Bother you? Don’t care? Do you use them or avoid them as a writer? The floor is yours. Me, I have to see if maybe I can take that number down to fifteen. I only hope the train hopper doesn’t hurt me.
Write on!
Photo courtesy Flickr’s phunkstarr
Therese Walsh (she/her) co-founded Writer Unboxed in 2006 and is the site’s editorial director. She was the editor of WU’s only book, Author in Progress, and runs the Writer Unboxed UnConference.
Her second novel, The Moon Sisters, received starred reviews and was named one of the best books of the year by Library Journal and Book Riot.
Learn more about Therese on her website, and sign up for her newsletter to be among the first to hear about any new projects.
Great post!
Personally, I feel that if it fits the character and it’s appropriate for the context, then by all means, use it.
The only thing I can’t stand is a self-conscious eff (I’m talking about literature, honest.)
The effs should flow and add humor and kick, but somehow the moment there are too many it just ruins the whole effect.
Personally, I LOVE the “eff you, too, and good night” line from your WIP.
If you need to reason with your characters, maybe you could sit them down and ask politely if there are other turns of phrase that appeal to them. They sound like they’ll have plenty to say!
I agree with both Therese and Lydia – if your *characters* would use these words, then they need to be in the book.
Frankly, I think profanity enriches the language rather than defiling it. It’s a set of spices that can add flavor to the language in a unique way. Those spices may not be for everybody, just as wasabi or scotch bonnets may not be for everybody, but I’m sure glad to have access to them.
And let’s face it: profanity can add wonderful color and personality to your work. The opening pages of Bridget Jones’s Diary hooked me with “fuckwittage.” I knew I was in for a good read once I saw that word!
Just as writing isn’t an exact replication of life and dialogue (like how we exclude the ums, uhs, and pauses) I’d rather see another way to show a character’s ire or other emotion than that.
It’s like cliches–they are often the shortest, easiest, most succint way of getting a point across. But all the pros beat you over the head with the rule about not using cliches–find another way to get the point across.
Same applies to bad language.
But you can’t win/win in this situation. Some buyers, like me, will be turned off by a book with this content. Others won’t buy it without.
Guess once again it’s about knowing your core readers.
Love this post!
Thanks for a refreshing post on this, sometimes, taboo topic.
There’s swearing everywhere we go nowadays. My kids were hearing these words at school in grade one. It’s in the movies we watch and now we see it on Facebook status updates and on Twitter.
It’s really not a big deal in my opinion. It’s an expression of many things like anger, frustration, bewilderment and happiness. If used well it can pack a subtle or solid punch.
Yet, it’s just a sound.
When I was in Europe, I traveled through Hungary and swearing was part of their culture. In Denmark, they use the F-bomb (in English) constantly. Actually, as much as I use it, I was still taken aback by their frequency.
So, get over it and enjoy this versatile word. Use it more often.
Surely there are more important things to have to deal with in life…
Inappropiateness is, er, inappropriate. And the reality of life is that when unpleasant things happen, and they do, controlled inappropriateness is a stress reliever. Yes, we could all benefit from more civility and courtesy, but when the choice is to curse, to hit, or to repress, perhaps cursing is the least damaging option. Bottom line, listen to your characters, if they need to curse, then they need to curse. It probably kept them (and you) from violence, ulcers, or the loonybin.
We’re not writing for the most delicate readers sensibilites, are we? We’re writing to grab the reader – to set them back on their heels, saying, “Whoa.”
If the character dictates it to you, you have to write it. I got panned in my last novel, because the hero swore too much. The fact that he’s a cowboy, living isolated in the mountains with other men didn’t matter. I dropped the bomb frequently.
My current novel? Not a one. Depends on the character, and the story they tell!
Totally agree that the character is the thing. For one of the characters in my WIP, it would seem false for him NOT to use the F word, along with a few other choice profane exclamations. Another character uses it only once, when she’s absolutely on the verge. And, yes, it is extremely difficult not to self-censor. My husband is one of those rare individuals who never utters a single profane word. Never. I, on the other hand…well, at least when he’s not around. I’m thankful he never reads my work. If I ever get published, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
16 words in a 400 page manuscript is once every 27 pages or so. As a reader, I wouldn’t blink an eye at that usage, as long as it works with the character.
I stopped reading Stephen King for a couple of decades because it seemed there were 27 f words on every page. Either he’s mellowed or I have, because his latest story collection impressed and inspired me. Times have changed, for sure.
You have to write what you hear them say.
The F-word is often a replacement for cleverness. The reader asks, “Is that all you’ve got?” Where’s the invention and originality when using one of George Carlin’s seven words? We all learned those words in seventh grade, and they long ago ceased to shock or entertain us. Mario Puzo’s The Godfather–about brutal gangsters in the 1930s and 1940s–doesn’t contain a single F-word, and nobody misses them.
They are a part of our everyday language and they are an integral part of my pitiful vocabulary. So I like them. I’m trying not to scatter them around though. Less F bombs give them better strength. Sixteen is an amazing number to have. I’m pretty sure people recoil when they read this.
Well played Ma’am. You granted the bomb it’s full power. You made it literary (which is cool).
Therese – A post I was waiting for! Thanks a ton.
My thoughts: What everyone else said. Seriously, people cuss. If you want to make your story real, with real people, you’ve got to drop the occasional F bomb, use the Lord’s name in vain, etc etc. We’re not all writing Christian fiction, for goodness sake. I’ve had reviewers say they were “unable to finish” my book on account of the cursing. Well, their loss. *Shrugs*
I haven’t used them in my own writing but that’s because it doesn’t fit the characters. It’s when cursing sounds forced (like if it’s a YA novel and the author is erroneously thinking, okay I have to use curse words because all teens curse) that it makes the novel seem ridiculous. But if the firetruck word pertains to the character’s personality and the overall tone of the scene/story, then it doesn’t bother me.
First, of all I need to be up front and say I do find that kind of language offensive in a novel, and probably wouldn’t finish a book that contained that much profanity. Not that I believe in censorship, writers should create whatever they wish, I just won’t read it.
However, beyond moral considerations I think there are other reasons to be leery of it.
I once had a writing professor (who was a very good author as well), who, while happy to have us put whatever we wanted in a story, cautioned us that foul language reads much louder on the page than in real life.
In addition, my experience with that word (and a few others) is that they stand out so much that they become the focal point of whatever conversation they are in. That’s fine in some cases, but in others I think it’s unnecessarily distracting
I hope you’ll forgive me for being Pollyanna, but I thought the other point-of-view needed some comment time.
If it fits the character and the story, I don’t think a writer should shy away from them. Context is everything. I can’t see streetwise thugs talking in the king’s english any more than I can see regency misses dropping the bomb.
Great post, Therese!
Effs don’t bother me, so long as they’re not gratuitous. Ditto sex and violence.
My YA manuscript has a couple effs in there, and I’m sure someone will ask me to take them out. In my case, I probably can without compromising the scene. But if you can’t, then leave ’em, and more power to ya!
The f-count is up in my second novel, too. In fact, the language in general is rougher because my characters are rougher. If I’m lucky enough to have readings in the future, the effs will be a problem. Even after extensive coaching from an old chum, I find the word hard to say.
I agree with JenelC’s professor that profanity can read louder on the page. But we all have loud characters, or, at least, loud moments for softer-spoken ones. I believe that every tool lies at our disposal as writers. We have but to utilize them appropriately, beholden only to the work itself.
There is also the issue for those of us who write historic fiction or fantasy, as to the distraction of profanity. Did these words even exist in your chosen era? Joe Abercrombie uses quite a bit of colorful language in his quasi-medieval settings, and defends it with something to the effect of, ‘If these words didn’t yet exist, certainly they had others with the exact same intent.’
I’m not sure of the accuracy of this, but I’ve heard both the f-word and the s-word began as acronyms. In old New England, placards were placed around the necks of the accused in court. For prostitutes and their johns, ‘For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge’ was shortened to its initials. On the docks, when manure was loaded onto ships, to keep from befouling the lower decks, ‘Store High In Tranist’ was marked on the crates, then shortened to initials as well.
If so, it would seem sort of silly that from such innocuous beginnings comes such taboo.
This is such a great post–and I’ve so been there! My books are historical fiction where the f bomb isn’t an option (sigh of relief on the author’s part) but I’m also writing about groups of male soldiers camping out of doors and fighting battles. Just not realistic to write their language as squeaky clean all the time.
It’s HARD for me to write swear words into my dialogue, because I pretty much never swear in real life. My four year old spilled something and said, “Oh, bother crud” because those are the very worst words she’s ever heard me use. But at the same time, I’m not my characters. And people DO curse, they just do. And if your characters are some of those people, you’re only going to be watering down their authenticity on the page by trying to censor them, I think.
Love the quotes from your book, btw! I’m intrigued and hooked already!
It doesn’t bug me at all when I read it, but I tend to pull my hair out over whether or not I should when I write it. Especially with the F-word. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I write YA, but SO many other YA authors do it, so I don’t know why I should feel guilty for it. Of course, I’m still in college, so most of what I write gets seen by professors. They usually don’t mind cursing in creative pieces, but since I rarely do it, they always tease me a bit when I do… makes me a bit self-consciouse, I guess…
I lived in Scotland for 10 years and became very accustomed to the use of profanity in daily speech.
Moving back to the USA, it now seems incongruous how much weight we give profanity – how we connect it to morality.
In Scotland, the eff words and her cousins are considered ‘low speech’ but not immoral. You do not use them in church or in front of your Gran because they are not polite – but nobody is going to ‘heck’ because of ‘fricken’ cussing. I found this attitude very refreshing and freeing.
I find it odd that people would stop reading a book because of these words. To me, they read like any dialect. If a character is from the Boston docks and calls out “Yo, Benny. Go eff yourself!” it is entirely in character and to purge the sentence out of some sense of moral outrage is to be untrue – something a writer should never do.
One of the most amazing novels I have read is also one of the filthiest – Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. His use of language is what fully immerses you in the world of his characters. Remove the language and the whole book would fall apart.
In short, as an author, I have no fear of words. I revel in words. How that plays out in the marketplace however…..
Eddie Louise,
I had to come back and leave another comment.
You said it perfectly in your first paragraph. It is a part of daily speech in the parts of Europe I traveled and I’m constantly surprised how the eff word is bound by morality in North America.
Why blog posts like this even have to written by adults for adults is part of the closet we live in over here.
Please, Therese, no disrespect intended. You have written a poignant post, one that spurs comments based in opinion and one that needs to be written in the current climate here in N. America.
It does color the clothes we wear, that’s all I’m saying.
Now, everyone, get over it and say eff it!
I love all the comments and appreciate everyone’s point of view.
I think there’s a generation element at play. As in, “When I was a kid, we were raised to think of the F-bomb as The Mother of All Curse Words.” But it’s really not seen that way anymore. It’s a commonly used word, like it or not, especially with teens.
Eddie, one of my closest friends is an Irish woman living in the U.S., and I’ve gotten used to her dropping F bombs all of the time, almost compulsively. It’s a part of who she is, part of her culture, and she’s certainly no less a wonderful person for it.
Finally, have to respond to James Thayer who made the comment that Mario Puzo’s The Godfather contains not a single F-bomb. That’s false. There are nine F-bombs in The Godfather. You can check using Amazon’s search or do a Google Book search.
Oops. Maybe I was thinking of Charlotte Bronte’s “Jayne Eyre.” I sometimes confuse them. But here’s one more take: some folks won’t read a novel that contains vulgar words. But nobody doesn’t read a novel because it doesn’t contain vulgar words. It seems to me that we shouldn’t do things that limit our audience. A lot of readers don’t like vulgar words lying around the house. Why? Because they are vulgar.
I should also watch for typos.
I generally steer clear of The Mother of All Curse Words in everday speech – I can never really say it with much conviction anyway.
As a reader, I hate when the F-bomb is used just for shock value, as it is really not all that shocking these days, but love if it is used in a clever or unusual manner – echoing Keith’s sentiments about “fuckwittage.”
Interesting perspective, James. I guess I’m okay with “vulgarity” being a kind of litmus test. After all, if a person is that uncomfortable with the F-word, they probably won’t enjoy the way I think, or the way I write. And I just can’t see writing to cater to an audience with whom I wouldn’t feel comfortable casually (and sometimes profanely) conversing.
The Puzo example cited earlier is interesting: I find it funny that readers who are not offended by stark depictions of murder, horse beheading, or child molestation still find the F-word offensive.
Keith: Your point is an excellent one. Yeah, who am I to be offended by a foul world when there’s a horse’s head in the bed? That’s a good perspective, and I’ll have to think about it. And, yeah, were a person to write about, say, an urban gang that didn’t use swear words, it wouldn’t be credible. But, still, I don’t like vulgarity, and I avoid it in life and in reading.
Sorry, James, I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree today.
“It seems to me that we shouldn’t do things that limit our audience.”
I think it’s a grave mistake to write with the shadow of an audience over our keyboards.
Good post! Good questions! I don’t mind words of any caliber, as long as they’re not misused, or overused. If they’re right from the character’s gut and feel that way, fine by me. But when they’re contrived…. don’t get me started.
As for overused, that’s a little harder. I think authors tend to overuse certain words, expressions and even gestures relevant to their characters without realizing it, and that does annoy me. In Veronica’s Nap, I originally showed Veronica snorting with laughter about every three pages, and it felt just right to me but a copy editor red-penned almost all but one of the snorts.
I have a lot of fun coming up with alternatives for swear words. I’ve also been known to cackle merrily to myself while creating euphemisms for dirty things.
Back in the manuscript stage, I was warned by a trusted critique source that the occasional profanity in The Kitchen Daughter will rile some of my potential readers, but in the end, I left it in. There is one character who comes storming in from a completely different psychological space, and one of the ways she expresses her fear and fury… also starts with “f”. And the narrator has one or two moments of anger where she uses some other swear words. I agree with others above that matching it to the character is the key.
Could I have sanitized the manuscript, taken out any profanity at all out of fear of alienating readers? Sure. Will there be potential readers who refuse to read the book because of it? Certainly. There are also potential readers who will avoid the book for a thousand reasons: because it’s in the present tense, because it’s narrated by someone with Asperger’s, because they think ghosts are stupid, and on and on. I can’t make the book appeal to absolutely everyone, and my first book is a contract with readers that if they like this one, they’ll probably like the next one. So I need to find what I’m comfortable with and what works for the characters, and not lose sleep over the rest.
I have to agree with those who have said it’s all about the character and the story. You expect it from some characters in certain situations, and it might even seem artificial if they don’t curse. But, as Kristan said above, it shouldn’t be gratuitous–just like sex and violence.
Oh, I hear ya! Most of my writing is for a younger audience, which makes it really tricky. On the one hand, you have to consider the buyer/parents and what they would approve of, on the other hand the sensibilities of the reader who may range from a more innocent 12 year old to a hardened street-wise 17(!), and on the third hand (because on a good day that’s how many I have), “The Craft” and the goal of achieving the character’s authentic voice. It’s a tricky line to walk. No doubt.
But all that said, Therese, I for one can’t wait to read your effin’ book!
I think I vote for authenticity, which is why my characters swear in Welsh :)
Um, Gosh, I didn’t know I had much choice about what comes out of my characters mouths. My real concern is punctuation. Just a thought.
Not only does swearing not bother me in fiction, but now I really want to meet your characters. I love the eff and good night line. I don’t understand the issues people have with cuss words. There are times that it is just realistic for the characters to cuss and I have been jolted out of books before when the author, in an attempt not to cuss, used dialouge that just wasn’t realistic.
you may only need to use it once, in revealing someone’s character or their reaction to the situations. and you know, i’m no angel (hehe) but it will knock me out of a story if it’s peppered with the eff stuff. one or two is provocative, more is gratuitious. unless you’re writing a sequel to the Sopranos, light but realistic swearing and i’m good to go.
Like anything else, vulgar words can be used gratuitously or to make a point, because they’re a realist part of language, etc. In my current story, and in one of my first novels, I found that sometimes it is more unrealistic for characters not to swear. In the current WIP, one character is a tough soldier-type, and my first novel also contains characters trying to survive a war (though they’re not soldiers). None of these characters are perfect, and it just didn’t seem realistic for them to never use coarse language when they were attacked or things were blowing up around them or they were just stressed from their daily situations and reached their breaking points. (I don’t think I’ve used any F-bombs, so far, but definitely a few other curses.)
There are a couple ways to get around it if you’re reluctant to put a full-out curse in your story. The reimagined Battlestar Galactica series invented its own profanity. Everyone knew what “frak” meant, yet it didn’t cause any issues with censors. If you’ve got a fantasy setting or a future society, it’s easy enough to make up your own cuss words the same way.
I’ve also often interrupted a character mid-word. They’ll get out “Sh–” or “Fu–” before somebody or some event cuts them off. The reader knows what they were going to say, but it’s less objectionable to sensitive audiences.
Oh, I agree with you that you’ve got to listen to what your characters are telling you they want to say. As long as you are writing their authentic voice and not fabricating it just for shock value (who would do this??) I say F-bombs are fine, and desirable, in fact. In real life I instantly like and trust people who use the F-bomb in their speech (in what I deem an appropriate way! Not in church! Not in front of young children!). My second novel has a character who says the F-word quite a bit, and it’s kind of shocked me. I’ve been having a stern discussion with her about it, and she kind of rolls her eyes at me.
F-bombs are called for within the text. Why can’t we name the titles of our books with the F?
I wrote a couple books, “Kicking Smoking’s Ass!” and “Kicking Fat’s Ass!” and have them at Amazon. They are very weak sellers compared to my other books. I think I’m not getting found in the results.
That’s an effy thing because my next book, “Kicking Life’s Ass!” due to be released this week – will probably suffer the same poor sales. I need the Ass in my title though – it just MUST be.
Guess I’ll do a search on F and see how many Amazon titles pop up. Do they even allow it?
F-bomb freely…
MF
I think that it should be used like any other word. When it is the most useful or effective word, given the context, use it. Unfortunately; your editor, publisher, or audience might be a big part of the context.
For me, judgement depends on context and consistency of character. Of course, I can’t know that without reading your ms, but if your characters are arguing with you over use of the word, it probably belongs.
That said, like habanero sauce, it is a STRONG flavor, and should be used sparingly for effect.
Whoa, was I just possessed by Jael? :)
Great debate!
One of the characters in my first book had a love affair with th F word. I found it endearing and let him say it as much as he wanted to.
With writing as in real life, I save up the F word for those moments when I really mean business! Used with discretion, it seems to take on so much more power and meaning when it does make an appearance. As in, “Mom, just dropped the F bomb! Head for zee hills!!!”
Personally, I do not include any course wording in my writing. If I do come across it within a novel, I feel a bit jolted from my comfort zone. I am not opposed to using those words, in moderation.
Erika: HA!
I toned down the language of one of my characters, because I was worried about the reaction I’d get. One of my awesome crit partners called me out on it, saying “you know he doesn’t talk like that, make it real.” I’m now flying the eff flag proudly, but only because it fits that character. :)
There’s enough profanity in the world. I prefer not to add to the sewage.
I admit I’m totally shocked at the number of people here who have issues with swear words. I’m with Keith Cronin: curse words enhance rather than degrade the language.
I mean, to riff on Melissa Morrow’s comment, so much of life is sheer, unmitigated sewage and horror. Is art not about representation?
My only wish is that there were more, and more colourful curse words available. If we look to Shakespeare’s time, for example the curses were plentiful, varied, and subtle. We have lost our touch.
Curse often, curse gratuitously, and curse creatively, I say!
Well, as you no doubt have gathered, I tend to have an earthy sensibility. I write sex scenes without fading to black, my characters drop a curse word or two, and I don’t feel apologetic about it. But then, I’ve also been bathed in every kind of body humor for my job, had the privilege of peeping into people’s innermost thoughts as they die. Bring on humanity, I say. If a reader is jerked out of the story because of sixteen words, they are like the woman who goes off on her husband because he slurps his soup; the relationship was in trouble already. ;)
Therese, this is a post that really hits home for me. I recently lost a contest due to a judge’s discomfort with my heroine’s potty mouth (even after I gave them fair warning on my entry form).
It was pretty eye-opening!
I once published a novel that had maybe 3 f-bombs in 250 pages. One of the most hysterical pieces of “fan” mail I got was a letter from a woman in Australia who said she loved the book, save for that “horrible word” sprinkled throughout. She then went on to tell me that she had contemplated tossing the book in the rubbish bin for that reason, but decided (based on its relative merits) that she would donate it to her local library instead. Priceless!
Your own mileage, of course, may vary …
i recently read a big seller and it was so good – except the first chapter was loaded with f bombs – something i hadn’t come to expect from the author. so it really stood out. wierd thing was – rest of the book – no f bombs. just not sure what it all meant, then. but i resent the generational remark, ter! kiss my giggi lol
[…] recently read an interesting article on Writer Unboxed regarding the use of “F” words in novels. This is something that has plagued me from […]
I don’t like the f-bomb. I will put a book back on the shelf in the library or the bookstore if I read more than one swear word in the first few pages. Call me prude, frigid or goody-two-shoes but I like “clean” writing (meaning writing without vulgar profanity, elaborately detailed sex scenes, gory violence and carnage, and drug use).
However I understand the needs of the writer to listen to the character.
Therese, I will confess that I “eff,” especially if the character calls for it. For example, in the latest WIP, the nun has no “effs” in her vocabulary and the porn queen does. It just worked out that way.
Therese, not much else needs to be said. It’s effin’ hard to keep some characters from dropping what I no longer consider a bomb. Check out tonight’s Cee Lo Green on the Grammies, and his “Forget You” a silly cover up for “F@#$ You,” a single that will make you dance against your will. If your characters say it, what can you do? I remember when my mother wouldn’t let me say “bloody,” but she was British. Good for you for even bringing up this subject! Will post.
Valerie’s last blog:
https://gobsmackedwriter.blogspot.com/