tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post8163358594863116561..comments2023-11-02T03:09:29.012-06:00Comments on Angela Cothran: Random Ramblings—Am I alone in this?Angela Cothranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09243582290698922119noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-72348658635115010222012-02-16T22:42:28.804-07:002012-02-16T22:42:28.804-07:00Angie - I completely agree with you and "Weis...Angie - I completely agree with you and "Weissdorn" (comment above). When I was studying English in college, I had to explain to one of my professors that I didn't want to read a certain book because of all the swearing - and that there were PLENTY of great books out there with good language. It went back and forth for a good hour, but I stuck to what I felt was right. And in the end - I did find PLENTY of books with good language. And good plot. And good characters...and so on and so on...<br /><br />I've often said the same thing as "Weissdorn" - that if all you can do is swear, then your vocabulary is incredibly small.Brookehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10929850545921901610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-25264286174320319952012-02-16T22:41:05.766-07:002012-02-16T22:41:05.766-07:00This is how I felt when I began to see a lot of bl...This is how I felt when I began to see a lot of black covers in the YA section...why's it so dark and depressing? <br /><br />I write about pirates, and they swear (not often...like 4 times over 3 books)but not the F word! I dislike that one.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00503400522084515874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-51181403844809494552012-02-16T21:43:38.514-07:002012-02-16T21:43:38.514-07:00Most of my manuscripts have no swears words, but o...Most of my manuscripts have no swears words, but one of them does because it fits the characters. I'm not much of a swearer in real life either (but I do swear).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-64036030546783824582012-02-16T19:47:32.567-07:002012-02-16T19:47:32.567-07:00I figure that if they can keep the F word out of s...I figure that if they can keep the F word out of shows like Law and Order and Criminal Minds, which have pretty intense scenes, and not have it seem odd then I ought to be able to keep it out of my YA.Rachel Schieffelbeinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01629400142880123520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-38270573332880339192012-02-16T16:20:31.350-07:002012-02-16T16:20:31.350-07:00I have never sworn, so any sort of swearing sticks...I have never sworn, so any sort of swearing sticks out at me. However I can take mild swearing without a problem. But I hate books that have people swearing constantly. I might be over-sensitive due to not swearing myself, but I have been known to put down books with excessive swearing in them.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05746017057593508370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-82436085427692542012012-02-16T14:44:17.280-07:002012-02-16T14:44:17.280-07:00I won't lie. I swear way too much. Mostly the ...I won't lie. I swear way too much. Mostly the "farmer swear words," as you call them (I think!) I'm working on it though. I don't mind a heck or darn (substitute words as necessary) in a book, once in a blue moon, but I agree about the "F" word and stuff. It's too much. Sometimes my characters through out a farmer word but I always end up editing them out later. It works for me.Leigh Covingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16377634002477171615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-80597683439204261592012-02-16T14:41:16.938-07:002012-02-16T14:41:16.938-07:00My mother was always of the mind that "profan...My mother was always of the mind that "profanity is the attempt of a weak and feeble mind to express itself forcefully" kind of person. I rarely swear. I even managed to make it through two years in the U.S. Army without swearing. For many people (most?) swear words have become fillers, like "like". There's also the shock value, which is very juvenile. So, no, I'm not impressed either. One thing I appreciate about Tom Clancy is that not all his characters swear. There are tons of F-bombs dropped by the military guys, and I think it fits, because there's a ton of F-bombs dropped in that environment. Believe me.<br /><br />That bit about the swear words blacked out made me laugh. I have a whiteout tape and I do that in my books, too. Sorry. For those of us who don't hear the word much, when someone does say it, it's like getting hit in face.Donna K. Weaverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15763832177263927311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-83429135757763208762012-02-16T14:07:34.196-07:002012-02-16T14:07:34.196-07:00I'm not the world's biggest swearer, but I...I'm not the world's biggest swearer, but I swear more now as an adult than I did while I was a kid and a teenager. Maybe because I was a dork and I hardly ever heard my mother swear. Plus, the people I saw swearing when I was younger were people I didn't exactly look up to. So no inspiration to swear there.<br /><br />It seems that as some things became more acceptable on TV and other media, the swearing for kids either grew, or it was already there and became more noticeable. Given the amount of kids I heard swearing just in passing while I grew up, I wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter.<br /><br />When it comes to YA, I'm a less is more kind of writer and reader. If I don't have to read a laundry list of curse words, I'd rather not. And I wouldn't want to write it. I've read and written occasions where a curse word is used with a light touch and it doesn't take away from anything having it there. Of course, it can also be argued that it probably doesn't hurt the scene to replace the curse word with an expression just as strong.Angela Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03324366495151363782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-35460473534347977692012-02-16T13:58:01.298-07:002012-02-16T13:58:01.298-07:00I love Emily's idea to give books ratings so w...I love Emily's idea to give books ratings so we know exactly what is in them! I'm not a big swear-er at all, and I try to avoid swearing in my own writing, but then I do know as a 15 year old I swore up a storm! (Although I have since changed my ways, ha ha). I love the Hush, Hush books because I don't think there's any amount of swearing at all and yet it's realistic (and I think Patch is mega-hot *winks*). But at the same time another favorite of mine is Perfect Chemistry which has oodles of F-bombs. So for me I think it has to be the quality of the book, and I just have to look past the swearing because I love the story. Such a tough conundrum!Cortney Pearsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00774060537148628453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-38770002115010058572012-02-16T13:01:38.934-07:002012-02-16T13:01:38.934-07:00You are so not alone! I hate the F-word! In my boo...You are so not alone! I hate the F-word! In my book my character says Damn once as she watches her father die, that in my mind is justifiable, but all this swearing for teens, I hate it!Jennie Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17331827076858223497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-22309871781839836062012-02-16T12:55:53.679-07:002012-02-16T12:55:53.679-07:00I much prefer not reading a string of cussing. The...I much prefer not reading a string of cussing. The occasional word, in context, is fine by me. But I read a lot of fantasy and if I find the f-word in it, especially when the character is not someone from our world, the book goes back. It’s jarring.<br />While some of the stories have their own mild swears (“blood and ashes” from Wheel of Time and “shards” in the Dragonriders series, to name two) I tend to see a lot of “he/she swore”. To me, that’s far more preferable. I see it like an [insert your favourite swear here] without subjecting everyone to the same profanity.<br />You can even imagine they said the f-word if you like.Aldrea Alienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05652344290376563676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-77295387174680557582012-02-16T12:26:14.035-07:002012-02-16T12:26:14.035-07:00Oh, one of those topics! LOL I totally agree with ...Oh, one of those topics! LOL I totally agree with you. I'm not a big swearer, so I don't put it in my books. I do put "he swore" or "he cursed" if it fits the moment, but I want my kids to read my books when they're older and don't want them to ask a bunch of question about why I swore or what does that mean? <br />And the F-Bomb pulls me out of the story every time. I hate it. :P I don't look down at people who do swear, it's just not my thing. :)Chantele Sedgwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07920913211842919013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-43759120672036201002012-02-16T11:27:48.949-07:002012-02-16T11:27:48.949-07:00Chad was JUST talking about blogging about this ve...Chad was JUST talking about blogging about this very topic. You beat him to the punch. Nice job! ;)<br /><br />I was reading a classic story and although there were an occasional 'cowboy' word for the most part the author wrote that 'he cussed', 'he let fly every word in the book', 'he cursed her till she cried' and didn't force me to read all of this guys foul language.Small Town Shelly Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13535247595352753415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-10220199968200939742012-02-16T10:31:31.230-07:002012-02-16T10:31:31.230-07:00To the "real people do swear a lot and so do ...To the "real people do swear a lot and so do characters" people. No offense, but that's a cop out. Authors create characters. YOU decide what your characters are like, whether they swear or not. And you are responsible for the characters you create, especially if you are putting them in fiction for young people.Sarah McCabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10985261436020635823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-33357907036034270882012-02-16T10:20:38.839-07:002012-02-16T10:20:38.839-07:00I've never been a fan of swearing in general, ...I've never been a fan of swearing in general, I do it so rarely myself that my friends actually laugh when I do it because it's so odd. But I do get that it's an everyday part of life for some people, and for others only when they're emotive. It makes sense for literature to reflect that. <br /><br />But books filled with it are not the type of books I want to read. I don't mind if it's occasional, and if it's really only one character I can pass if off as characterization. I don't really come across it too much in what I read, though I'll admit I haven't been on the YA bandwagon for a while. My current reads are a dictionary, a non-fition one, and an occult novel (which actually has some really raunchy stuff in it, but very little swearing).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12106399041059595196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-39083041811789601232012-02-16T09:44:50.120-07:002012-02-16T09:44:50.120-07:00I don't like confrontation, lol. Getting anxie...I don't like confrontation, lol. Getting anxiety attacks just reading the comment thread though I know it's all just a discussion.<br /><br />Breathing...<br /><br />Okay, yes, my characters swear. When I first draft, they swear a lot because I write in the moment. But then I do a search and find on all of them and change half.<br /><br />Right now I'm writing a character who is bothered by swearing, and she flinches every time the mc spouts one off. Then gradually, he stops swearing, cuz you know... he likes her. She however uses edited swears. Her most recent was "Holy mother of a trash load." :)Cassie Maehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17706774393186819619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-56284254933592893912012-02-16T09:43:43.094-07:002012-02-16T09:43:43.094-07:00I agree. Not a fan, and it's always distractin...I agree. Not a fan, and it's always distracting. Thanks for being feisty today! ;)Katie Dodgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17554091817717890150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-59850649838582072262012-02-16T09:39:57.894-07:002012-02-16T09:39:57.894-07:00As a reader, I don't like incessant cursing in...As a reader, I don't like incessant cursing in a book but I barely notice it if it's just here or there. I tend to hear a lot of cursing in my life so it doesn't phase me. In both real life or a book, I can see where using it might be impactful. If someone who never curses suddenly drops an F bomb, you bet I'm listening. I have a friend who is a writer. She curses a lot in both her real life and her writing. Honestly, she has a knack for making it hilarious, to a point where I cry laughing. It is so much a part of her voice and humor, I would never want her to stop using it. But with everything, there is a fine line. As a writer, I think curse words are ugly when there are so many beautiful words to use, so I do not use them unless absolutely necessary. I rarely find it absolutely necessary.Melissa Sarnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11215683401795724259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-61347036038029982932012-02-16T09:31:57.092-07:002012-02-16T09:31:57.092-07:00I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I don'...I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I don't swear, and heavy swearing in books jolts me out of the story, especially when it's the Lord's name in vain. At the same time, when a certain character says darn, and I KNOW that is not the word they would have used, it makes me stop and notice as well.ilimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17899071063752311737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-4424490517377318362012-02-16T09:28:42.676-07:002012-02-16T09:28:42.676-07:00I'm with Hildred. Although I don't think Y...I'm with Hildred. Although I don't think YA should have a ton of swear words because - well - my kids will read them but I'm a huge swearer. I call the F-BOMB a sentence enhancer. Of course I hold back at work and try in public but - you know - it's what I do. And I'm the opposite - I tend to not hang out with people that hate swearing. My first sentence when introducing myself is "btw, I swear like a sailor". But in all honesty... between the ages of 13 - 18 (YA ages) I did my fair share of swearing. So when writing my wip I add my fair share of swearing.<br />Just saying.<br />Have a great day all!Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11026644605799767199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-46701329554930246302012-02-16T09:09:30.456-07:002012-02-16T09:09:30.456-07:00I agree with you that it pulls me out of the readi...I agree with you that it pulls me out of the reading every time! Especially when it's on the first page, I honestly have to think to myself "Is this book worth it?" Because if I find it in the first page or chapter, it's usually an indication for the rest of the book. And it drives me nuts.i'm erin.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13729541389129887477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-77728293417573519312012-02-16T08:56:47.991-07:002012-02-16T08:56:47.991-07:00I don't think the F-word has any place in YA. ...I don't think the F-word has any place in YA. I think writers should get creative and come up with other ways for their characters to express themselves. I, too, am jolted out of POV and I usually don't finish the book.<br />As someone I know well described it, it's like walking along the street and seeing someone swearing up a storm. I don't like it in public, nor do I like it in books. When someone in REAL LIFE drops the F-bomb, I shake my head. Really, I do. With all the words in the English language, THAT'S the word you choose?<br />BTW, I feel the same way about graphic sex scenes. Imagine yourself walking along the road and then BAM! Two people are having sex in front of you. Yuck and just as inappropriate.<br />I actually think books should have warnings on them, like movies and TV shows. That way when I pick a book up I'd know what's in it. But no, writers don't want to be labeled. Pl-ease! What's a writer without readers? What makes them exempt from everyone else in the entertainment industry?Emily R. Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03892444969625637064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-38879036089639042332012-02-16T08:53:02.487-07:002012-02-16T08:53:02.487-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Emily R. Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03892444969625637064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-88464999269015375882012-02-16T08:18:24.154-07:002012-02-16T08:18:24.154-07:00I don't like the f bombs in YA. In going for r...I don't like the f bombs in YA. In going for realism are we condoning an erosion in language? Who was it who said, profanity is the sign of a weak mind? I think when we are directing sales at kids, unless it comes with a warning, there is a duty to maintain a certain standard of decency.Elizabeth Seckmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00045076826326574984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509009608138236950.post-9055828924345050822012-02-16T08:13:57.025-07:002012-02-16T08:13:57.025-07:00I agree with Sara that cursing can be used as a su...I agree with Sara that cursing can be used as a substitute for good character development. The shock value makes readers not scrutinize the characters as much. With that said, it doesn't bother me that much if it's one character that's doing it in a book... But I find it distracting if it's every what other word.<br /><br />What bothers me is the use of other words in a swear word context. Every time my students would tell each other, "That's Gay" it boiled my blood. Particularly in some cases because the kids didn't understand that they were putting down an entire group of people instead of just one person. No one had ever told them, that that word means other things too.Jess Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07001356586353583612noreply@blogger.com