RANDOM AF! Profanity

I can't say why, but when I write, I have a tendency to use more profanity that usual. But really, isn't profanity mostly about emphasis? I think so. I use it in place of "very", not because I'm a sailor or a delinquent but because I want to get your attention. "Clean up your shitty-ass shit!" or "Use the mother fucking turning lane stupid ass!"

I also think it's funny. As opposed to using profanity in anger, when you use it for emphasis, it's hilarious. Even SpongeBob has a potty mouth. There's that episode where him and Patrick keep cussing and its bleeped out with dolphin noises. Plus he's always saying "barnacles!" Which is the literary equivalent of "fucking a!" My kids think it's funny too, although I'm sure I won't be laughing when they do it.

That being said, there's a time and a place people. I'm always amazed that my automatic filter kicks in when I'm around my mom, even though I'm much too old to worry about it. But yeah.

It's really hard to give my characters, especially Maiki, a filter. She's an extension of me to some degree, and then again she isn't. Would she say this or that? Does she think profanity is hilarious? Would her friend Marcus get mad at her? These are all questions I've asked myself. At this point, I'm don't have all the answers. I haven't taken any profanity out of my book while editing although it's certainly not YA appropriate as is. But I don't really give a fuck. Haha.

J. L. Dodd

“If you go home with somebody, and they don't have books, don't fuck 'em!”
― John Waters