tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3977845308848151129.post6602777404611041688..comments2018-11-06T02:11:29.008-06:00Comments on Refining Process: The Flannery FactorUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3977845308848151129.post-10513340008396623892010-04-09T23:18:21.730-05:002010-04-09T23:18:21.730-05:00I got a little behind on my blog reading.
Cussing...I got a little behind on my blog reading.<br /><br />Cussing.. I'm all for it!<br />Okay, in seriousness...<br /><br />Cussing, cursing, swearing, all the like whatever you want to call it, is real. I'd be a liar if I said I have never wanted to swear. Frankly, I'd be a liar if I told you that I have never cussed. (I once heard a comedian say, "Slamming doors is like cussing with inanimate objects.") So, Christians mess it up, too. Yes, it is real.<br /><br />I once read a series of books where the main character was a Christian (actually, there weren't many who weren't after a certain point), and they were all sickly sweet, "never a cross word" type. I dealt with a tolerable amount, but somewhere in the 4th book, I simply put it down. To this day, I'm not sure how the crazed bad guy met his cumuppance. And I don't wish to dive back in to find out.<br /><br />Because it wasn't real. (Yeah, yeah, fiction isn't real.) It wasn't relatable. Not one page.<br /><br />I've also heard stories where main characters were angry at each other and every fourth word was the fbomb. Or, even better, they weren't even angry. More real? Perhaps. Good writing? Eh... I tend not to think so.<br /><br />My favorites are characters who have relatable quirks and can banter or even get mad at each other, and swearing is handled one of two ways. <br /><br />One, you can believe that the character is not afraid to swear, but they don't see a need to until the tension winds really tight and then they let out a few choice words, the right words for the right effect, and don't go on a long ranting "I'm trying to sound tough" foul word scream fit.<br /><br />And two, the character may or may not be prone to cussing, but when they do, it is described in a way that the reader can't actually 'hear' what is being said. I used this one in my own novel. One of my favorite examples is somewhere in the Harry Potter series. It says something like this: "Then he said something that made Hermione say, "Ron!"" Don't know what it was, but it was a doozy.<br /><br />Generally I think a good rule of thumb is to use cussing like one would use rationed salt.Doratheahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09306719933969131782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3977845308848151129.post-66497161439289902402010-03-31T08:10:27.541-05:002010-03-31T08:10:27.541-05:00Did you grimace when you wrote the "cuss"...Did you grimace when you wrote the "cuss"? haha.PJ Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10941510347210439400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3977845308848151129.post-83206256689041679212010-03-21T11:32:36.196-05:002010-03-21T11:32:36.196-05:00I so wish I could send this to you telepathically....I so wish I could send this to you telepathically.... Alas...<br /><br /><br />Not offended. :) It's good to be real.jennihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13445937776842727608noreply@blogger.com