Bet that got your attention! Yep, I'm going to talk about the F-bomb. Frivolous or Fitting in Fiction? I'm always torn when it comes to bad language in books. I don't really like using it, but let's face it--people (especially guys) tend to swear when they're angry or frustrated. When my husband is watching baseball or football or any other kind of ball and the umpire or referee or whatever makes a bad call, he doesn't respond with a mild damn. He says things unfit for a PG rated blog. So when my heroine is kidnapped by a homicidal maniac, I tend to think my hero might also use a few of those choice adjectives.
So, do you go with real life reactions from your hero or pretty up the language for the sensibilities of your readers? If you substitute acceptable euphemisms for a phrase that might shock (or not) your grandma, does that make your hero sound like a sissy? That also worries me. I don't want my reader rolling her eyes and thinking, This guy's a total dork. Grow a pair! But, I also don't want said reader to wish my mom had washed my mouth out with soap more often when I was a girl and toss my offensive e-book into the virtual trash.
Therein lies the dilemma--the fine line between reality and morality. Please weigh in on the debate. Do you use profanity in your writing? How do you feel about reading it?
To find links to my fairly tame with the rare shocking word books, check out my website. My grandma read them and survived, so they can't be that bad!
