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Bad Language As a writer, I spend half my time reading, browsing the Internet, reading through other people's stories to see what they have to say. I love reading fiction stories. But every now and again, I come across one that makes me so mad. And why do I get mad? Swearing. Is there really any need for it? Why taint a story with "f" words? I don’t understand why writers do it. I don’t consider myself a prude, but there is nothing I dislike more than reading a story full of "f" words. I actually have a reaction to it when I read the "f" words. And I am finding it more and more common. Sometimes I can see there is a purpose to it. Then I can forgive it. For example, if it is in the dialogue of a conversation between two gangsters. Then I can see that it gives it a realistic edge because gangsters really talk like that. Then I don’t get offended by it. Or if it adds to the atmosphere of the story in some way. But so often, I find the "f" word just scattered through the story, again and again, and I can see no purpose to it being there. I studied writing, and one of the things I learnt was not to use ‘lazy’ words. Words that are in the sentence but don’t do any work. The word ‘very’ is the most common one. ‘Very’ is a lazy word. You shouldn’t write ‘she was very scared,’ you should write ‘she was terrified.’ The "f" word is the laziest word of all. It does no work; it brings nothing to a story. There is one type of story that makes me madder than any other. It goes something like this: "She was walking along the deserted street. The cold wind brushed past her. A shiver ran down her spine and she began to walk more swiftly. A feeling of impending doom stayed with her. She shrugged her shoulders but the feeling remained. As she turned the corner, she stopped. There was a f***ing dead body lying right in front of her." Not a swear word in the whole story. Then, in the very final line, there it is. And the point of the "f "word there seems to be for emphasis. A writer has a lot of tools they can use for emphasis. Sentence structure, strong verbs, a good lead-up of events, a surprise ending. A good writer can create that climax in many ways. A bad writer just throws in an "f" word at the end. Not only does it do nothing for me, it ruins the whole story. Anyone who uses "f" words for effect, I question you as a writer. I call you a lazy writer. There are too many good writers out there for lazy writers to be wasting publication space. I question, too, the web editors who publish these works. If I were an editor, I would tell these writers to learn to write. I can forgive spelling mistakes, I can forgive bad grammar, I can forgive a bad story line. But I cannot forgive the use of the "f" word. Use swear words if they have a purpose. But if you can’t find a better way to make your point, you don’t deserve to call yourself a writer. Isobel Michelle is a freelance writer based in Australia. After years of freelancing she now manages her own business, providing a range of services based on her writing skills. She is the creator of the WomenOnWork newsletter series and is soon to launch a new website for women, a special place where women can network, learn and be inspired.
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