On Character Swearing

[terioncalling]

What was the quote?

"Holy shit!  Hellhounds!"
"Harry," Michael said.
"Sorry.  Holy shit!  Heckhounds!"

Something like that...

The Abstruse One
Darryl Mott Jr.

Yup, that was the quote pretty much.

My basic thing with swearing is use it in times of crisis with most characters unless they're the sort that use them in every other sentence they say.  Or in certain situations (like traffic, guh, TRAFFIC).  That's what I've held to with my swearing in real so I hold to that in fiction.

[Amber]

The more emotional I get (read: not necessarily angry, but emotional), the more I tend to swear.  So I try to make that translate into my writing.  My narrator swears when she talks, but not in her narrative (not often).  When her husband dies, much swearing ensues.

[Velkyn_Faer]

It's all about the character. If you're character's a typical teenage guy in a bad situation (some might argue in any situation) he's going to be pulling out every word in his arsenal, and probably stringing them together for better effect. (in his view)

But, swearing for the sake of swearing is not a good idea.

Like I said, all about the character. Though, even a goody-two-shoes might let something slip in a straining circumstance.

Velkyn

[Wolfie]

Personally I'm not uncomfortable with swearwords. In a book, I'm inclined to see those words as a constructive addition to the story. ( I love Harry's "Hell's Bell's")
Colorfull language can ad humor to a scene, or make the reader understand what the protagonist is going through. A slip of the toungue can come over heavier from Michael than a thousand swearwords from Harry would.

As for people who react offended to the F* word... Stop reading the story and see it as a lesson learned. (Gods, I hate puritans )