The fact is that everyone uses them. They’re the bad words, the evil words, the words that make us feel unpleasant upon hearing them. They’ve changed over generations, words that once would have made a polite lady swoon are now commonly used by five-years-olds. They can’t be avoided.
Such words as these can be powerful weapon in the writer’s arsenal. Case in point- JK Rowling’s use of the very real curse word ‘bitch’ in Deathly Hallows. It was startling to the reader, making the passage feel very real. As such it pays to know when to use them or when not to.
So what things should one take into consideration when choosing what curse word and where? There are a few key features that are notable – audience, tone, as well as frequency throughout the text as a whole.
The question of audience seems simple right? If you’re writing for children it’s best not to drop the F Bomb in your story, their parents might not be to happy with that – if you even make it to the publisher. But as with everything in life it isn’t that simple. If you’re writing a romance, using the f word probably isn’t a good idea either even if your reader is likely an adult. Many of your readers come to feel good, thus the happy ending.
This is where tone comes into play. A lover of film noir won’t be too happy if flowers and sunshine were added into Chinatown nor western lover if the outlaws start spouting poetry every other line. If the tone of your work is meant to be gritty, raw and/or unsettling, then feel free to use curse words galore. It’s what the reader expects.
However that’s not to say your romance novel has to be squeaky clean or your post apocalyptic romp has to include a curse word every page, that’s were frequency comes into play. A well-placed curse can drop your romance into the cruel world out of its pretty white clouds, dragging the reader with it. One might argue it makes the happy ending all that much sweeter.
Once again it comes down frequency and use. The common use of curse words will show a crassness about the character and/or characters that use them. It says a lot about the world or the character, drawing attention to them. In the right type of story this can be a good thing, drawing in reader and making them wonder about the psyche of the character. The curse user could be the crazy old man that lives down the street or the rough and tumble hero. However in the wrong story cursing and the ever foul mouthed character sticks out like a sour thumb.
The other extreme can do as much damage. If your main character stays steadfastly clean or uses sanitized bad words after an event that would send normal people into a stream of foul language – congratulations you just sent your reader into fits of laughter. You might need to give them a minute to catch their breath.
Ultimately a good use of a curse word all comes down to intent. Word choice is always important, but when the word draw attention to itself greater thought needs to be given to its use. A good writer thinks about the reasons to use a curse word. Despite the “foulness” of the word, what really are you trying to say about the character, about the whole the character lives in and about the story when you use a curse word?
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