Watch your language! · 5:11pm Mar 1st, 2016
So, I've come to an interesting dilemma.
I'm not a person who swears... like... ever. I can't even bring myself to do it accidentally. I always catch myself and change it to something else like "shoot", "dang", "poop", and even "friggin'".
However, the characters in my story are the kinds of characters that would swear given the situation called for it.
Take Damascus for example. He's the kind of guy that doesn't mind letting loose a little word or two so long as it fits what he's saying. Heck, he used "damn" (which is a sort-of swear) as a joke for his name. He's a respecting guy, but he's not an uptight goody two-shoes like yours truly.
So, what happens when a writer who never swears, and never wants to, ends up writing about characters that swear, some of which may actually swear a lot?
I dunno. I'm still finding out.
What do y'all think about writing characters doing things that go completely against your moral standards?
I mean, as the writer, I am technically making everything in the story happen. But at the same time, my characters will be themselves, and as a good writer, I can't really make them do something that they wouldn't do if they were left to themselves. It's like I've given them life, and yet, they're free to live as they choose.
I don't think that, just because something I created is bad, I'm bad too. Right? I wholly disapprove of those actions, and yet I write them because that's what that character would do in those situations.
Goodness, this is starting to sound like theological philosophy. I need something to drink... like... water... or orange juice.
Why is it that bad guys are the only ones that get to twirl their mustaches?
French toast,
PiercingSight
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I can understand your frustration. I used to avoid swearing at all times, now I swear a lot. I'd say, write him as he should be, he's not you after all.
TL;DR: If using language makes you uncomfortable or question yourself, don't write situations or characters that would call for that language. If you believe in a higher moral authority, that is between you and the authority to make that call. Language is bad only when it is given power. If you want to make language impactful without being offensive to your reader, try using words that characters in story would find horribly offensive that real world people wouldn't cause anyone to bat an eye. After all, it's character-to-character communication with readers observing through words and not directed to the reader themselves (in most cases).
It really is a question of what kind of audience are you going to approach and what offends them. Words inherently by themselves are not bad, only the meanings we give them and how accepting we are or aren't of them. I've watched Japanese kids shows where a character acting "tough" or "American" might yell fuck and it means absolutely nothing to the viewer. At the end of the day, this is a medium of communication for entertainment purposes. Using different language, be it offensive vs. acceptable or even using a foreign language is a question that demands you know the outlet and the audience.
This notion can only be countered by those who believe in a higher moral authority such as a all-powerful god who defines right and wrong. For example, for a Christian and the only things you need to watch out for would be using the Lord's name in vain (Example: "Oh my God!" and "God damn it!") and using language that would cause your brother or sister to stumble or hurt someone, which includes yourself, in the process (Example If someone is offended by you saying fuck, you hurt them and your "witness." Don't ask me to define witness in this case as I'm already making this post waaaay too long and close to religion.) resulting in bad times all around.
As far as the actions your characters take and the voice they possess, I'm of the belief you should use the language they would use. If you feel a problem with using language because it feels like you are the one saying it through the character, then the best answer is to avoid writing situations that would involve characters like that or go for censorship. For MLP's purposes, it's pretty easy to do so as their vernacular is completely different so we can say things that wouldn't be offensive to us, but would be horribly offensive to someone in the world.
I read a few chapters of a Captain America crossover with Applejack being the Captain and many that looked down on earth ponies used the term "digger" to belittle them. That is not offensive to most of us (barring folks who get offended by anything close to the term its based around), but horribly offensive to someone in that world. If you need to show someone being offensive in their world, and I mean REALLY being offensive, don't just use a placeholder word, but make something horribly offensive to the characters involved. Breeder is also a good one I think I remember seeing in This Game of Mine to essentially describe manwhore in a matriarchal equine world. It's not offensive to the human reader, but demeaning to the character.
Characters first and foremost express themselves to the other characters in the world, which results in readers understanding who they are. They do not communicate directly to the reader. As long as its communication in the world that is understood by the reader, it's easy to use world-building, character-expanding, and colorful language without offending anyone in the real world while offending everyone in the story... well unless you're doing a perspective thing.
3786061
lol
3786093
Indeed. That's sort of the direction that I'm leaning.
3786486
That's a much more meta response than I was really expecting, and perhaps much more meta than I meant to be with my blog post. Thanks for writing it out, though!
What I really meant to focus on here was the feeling of being the one who is swearing because I have to write the word down. I am the one actively placing it there. So it's the juxtaposition between my own personal avoidance of saying or even writing swears when I am the one speaking and my understanding that the character is going to say what they want, whether or not they consider those things offensive. So yeah. I understand that, but my brain and my emotions are not in sync with each other in those moments, and that's where the conflict comes in.
When it comes to using replacement words in a story, using pony replacements for everyday swear words ("buck", "feather", etc.) comes off as a little bit silly to me and when I read them in something meant to be serious, it provokes a small jostle in my suspension of disbelief. I understand making new offensive words and establishing their seriousness to the characters, but currently, there aren't many of my stories where I can see those naturally occurring.
As for the religious stuff, I am a very religious man, so I don't mind. I wouldn't mind either way, but still. :P
3786615
Yeah. I kinda felt like it would be as the reply was longer than the original blog.
I answered it so fully as it's a question I've wrestled with myself, which also included my religious beliefs. As far as I'm concerned, if there is no higher authority--be it God, a god, or the FCC--the question of anything being offensive is 100% subjective and only matters when asked with your audience in mind. If there is no judge, then do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. It'd be absurd to even ask the question unless you were trying to figure out where your moral compass points you.
Basically, my view of cursing evolved when I went abroad. Rudeness in the Japanese language is a different beast altogether, so I don't see any word as offensive until I say it with that intent or someone else hears me say it gives it that power. Fag is perfectly fine to say in Australia when asking for a cigarette whereas I'd be hard pressed to ever utter that word in America. I guess the key point to take away from my response though is simply do what you find most comfortable for both you and your audience. It is the first and only case that I think I will ever say with zero sarcasm "whatever helps you sleep at night."