To Curse, or Not To Curse

I never curse.  Well, almost never.  Maybe when I'm cut off in traffic, or if I hit my thumb with a hammer... but as a rule, I don't curse.

Also, as a rule, I don't spend much time with people who are routinely vulgar in their conversations.  I don't like the atmosphere such language creates.  Unfortunately, I've had situations in my life in which I was forced to live with people who were constantly crass, vulgar, and insulting with their language, and I've had enough of that to last a lifetime.

However... when I'm writing fiction... some of my characters curse -- often, quite colorfully.

Why?  If I don't curse (and I don't), and I don't like to be around people who curse (and I don't), why do some of my characters curse?

My short answer is:  realism.  I'm trying to create believable situations in my writing, and some of the characters I create curse, depending upon the circumstances.  Mark Twain once said, "Under certain circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer."

Some of my characters will only curse when placed in difficult and stressful situations.  Others use vulgar language for intimidation, or for the expression of anger.  Still others, because of the way they were socialized, are the every-other-word sort of offenders.

I know that sounds like a lot of "cussing" -- and I suppose it is.  This current project seems especially ripe for vulgar talk -- a novel populated with convicts, low-lifes, and law enforcement officers.  I don't use vulgar language gratuitously, but I also don't try to hide the moral weaknesses of the characters.

Is cursing a sign of moral weakness?  Sometimes, I think.  At the very least it often signifies a lack of decorum, or absence of social conscience.  Sometimes, however,  it merely reveals the fact that a person feels comfortable enough to "be himself" around someone.  As with most things, it all depends on the circumstances.

And the circumstances in a modern murder mystery -- at least one I would write (or read) -- often require cursing.

Years ago, I toyed around with the technique used by Frank Peretti (arguably the father of modern Christian fiction), in which the reader is told when characters curse, but the dialogue isn't included.  For example, "He spat out a curse at the woman."  It accomplishes part of the goal -- it lets the reader know someone is cursing.  However, we as readers can never feel the shock or outrage the listener in the story feels, because we don't know what words are being used.

Forgive me for getting biblical here for a moment, but Jesus once said, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. "

According to the Lord, the more good you have in your heart, the more good things come out of your mouth, and the more evil you have in your heart, the more evil things pour out of your mouth.  For me, that principle needs to be reflected in fiction in order for it to be believable.

Hmmm... doesn't the fact that I need to express vulgarity at all, even through fictional characters, reveal some sort of... moral inconsistency in me?

Probably.

I'm reminded of a story about David Lynch, the avant garde film director.  Lynch, whose films often include very vulgar language and imagery, once kicked a crew member off the set of one of his movies because the crew member was cursing.  For Lynch, it was acceptable for actors to say vulgar words as part of the art that was being created, but it was unacceptable for someone to use the same sort of language in real life.  Inconsistent?  Sure.  Hypocritical?  Probably.

But somehow... his reaction made perfect sense to me.

So... if you don't like vulgarity in your fiction, be warned:  you're about to encounter a bit of it.  Hopefully, it won't be too much.

Just enough to seem real.