Do you think books should have swear words?

Question

I am writing a book and I am wondering if people like swearing in books. Do you like swearing in books? How would swearing affect the reader?

Answer 1

You'll definitely lose some readers when you have swear words but, I feel that if what you're writing demands gritty realism, if the swearing defines the characters or scene, then include them and your true target audience will not be offended.

Answer 2

You can only determine that if you know your characters well enough to know how their speech patterns are. And you cant know that without doing your homework and doing some serious character studies. You cant just say "I want swearing" or not. As an author, some of my characters swear under certain circumstances, others never would. That's because I know my characters intimately. It isnt just a matter of putting dirty words in books for the sake of shock value, they should only be there if it is appropriate for the character under the circumstances. Swearing can make a character stronger in the eyes of readers, but it can also make a character weak, too. Do your character studies and you will find out how to use such words. Pax - C

Answer 3

I neither like nor dislike swearing in books. I just want it to be spoken by the characters who would actually swear. I think to do that, you need to first know your characters really well, and make sure you are putting foul language in the mouths in which it belongs.

If you are asking me if swearing bothers me, then the answer is no. I have never read something in a book that I haven't said myself at least once or twice. I do know, however, from working in a library that there are people who do not like swearing in books. I met a lot of people who stopped reading books because they didn't like the language.

I don't advise you to salt your writing with swearing just for kicks. It isn't going to help sell books if it doesn't belong.

I also don't advise you to use swearing unless you are quite familiar with it. You need to be very familiar with speech patterns to use swearing, or it sounds jarring to the reader, and it sticks out like a broken nose.

I wish you the best with your writing.

Answer 4

I don't really like it.I mean it's just a pointless word that the author had to take time out of writing the real story to slide in an ugly word.If a characters swears if could change the whole outlook of what people think about that character.And it may make them not want to read any more of your peices because you always feel like you have to swear.Make more use of your time, than having to type and/or write out swear words.

Answer 5

I don't personally like swear words but I know that most people don't have a problem with it, but a few swear words here and there won't keep me from reading the book. My advice is that if you do in fact choose to use them just don't go overboard and put them in there wherever they fit in because that is not what makes a good book. Also you need to think about your audience. Who are you writting this book for and what will they think about your choice in language? It really all just depends on the book content and whether it fits in.

Answer 6

Personally, I don't like swear words. People who use them seem to have a low vocabulary because they can't come up with something intelligent to say. Don't take that personally though. I mean, I can understand that people swear when they get mad, but do they really need to say a vulgar word to express their anger? I don't like books that swear, mostly because I wasn't expecting it. If a book somehow lets the reader know that there is brief language or "adult content," I think it is okay. :)

Answer 7

Swearing is a turnoff for me, so I wouldn't make it pervasive. Most intelligent people can make their point without swearing every other word, so it's actually more believable if you only have your characters swear if they're, like, very angry or something, and even then you don't have to put down everything they say.

Answer 8

Some is okay, because real life has swear words. Just don't put in so many that it distracts the reader--don't put them in every other bit of dialogue.

Happy writing!

Answer 9

I'm writing an adult science-fiction/fantasy novel which has quite a bit of profanity. But it's done in such a way that it becomes clear to the reader that this isn't your garden-variety book.

Most of my books have a different level of such profanity. Some of it light, others...?

Answer 10

You can use a few mild ones here and there, but you can generally just say "he/she swore" Just try not to overuse it. People usually don't like too much swearing, but if it is for accuracy, it is acceptable. For example, "To Kill a Mockingbird" has the n-word all over but it is for historical accuracy.