Some of my best writing professors told me to use words sparingly and make sure every word counts.
They said unless dialogue either develops character or forwards plot, it is an unnecessary waste of words.
They also said that good dialogue is not necessarily 'realistic,' but is 'real,' meaning it reveals the important issues of the story, without including the repeated 'Uh's' and 'hmmms' and 'swear words' that can bore the reader with repetition.

I was also taught to write to express, not to impress. Forget your audience and express what is in your heart. If swear words are in your heart then express them.

I was also taught that a writer must write in his or her own voice. So I would say that if swearing is your voice, write it.

Strong language in some novels, and in some plays and movies, consume the action and stop communication. In other novels and movies, they are an integral part of the story. Almost always if used repeatedly, they become boring and I stop reading or watching.

Just my thoughts.
smile

Lynn,

Sorry. I misunderstood what you were saying about Sting. I must tell you that one night, Sting was forced to watch me on TV! Yes, it's true. Both he and I appeared on the show 20/20 and my segment came out before his. That means that Sting had to sit and watch me before he got to himself! LOL.

I also laughed at your parents telling you not to swear... Lynn, I'm sure that you expressed the essence of your cousin perfectly, and that there would never be any need to rewrite her character.

If you're lacking in self-esteem, borrow some of mine :-) Believe what I think about you rather than the inaccurate tapes that play in your head (They play in all of our heads.) Love, S.

Smile,

Great thoughts from you and your writing professor! I agree with all of them. Since I joined Toastmasters, I am so much more conscious of how many times people use filler words such as "um, uh, ah, like, so, and, etc." We definitely don't want to write dialogue like that. OTOH, I do throw in the occasional um or ah when I want a pause in the conversation or for effect. And because I think that it is REAL.

I hate nonstop profanity. I never watch it with the exception of The Sopranos, which I love. You could probably count the swear words in my 240 page book on two hands! But I'm not counting them anymore. I am not out to impress anyone. Expression is my only goal. All I want to do is write a good book.

Thanks for the great feedback :-) Sigrid

Oh Sigrid, what a wonderful message! Thank you so much! I am filled with your good thoughts about me! That is amazing about you and Sting! Oh my gosh, rock and roll groupie that I am I would have busted down the door to meet him. I like what you said about writing to express rather than to impress. Right on! It's true that the Sopranos is full of profanity. What was it like being on 20/20? I am impressed! Love and Light, Lynn

Dianne,

I just checked out your site, EADV. It's GREAT! I loved it and your book looks fantastic (so sorry that you had to suffer through all that)!

I wondered if EADV would consider linking to my blog and I'll definetely link back. My book, D'Amour Road, is about a woman in Ottawa, Ontario who goes missing.

My character is a sober alcoholic, who has just experienced a major slip. When she disappears, no one knows if she's gone on a drinking binge, or if she's been injured by her partner, who has a history of battering.

D'Amour Road explores themes of male violence, wrongful convictions, addiction, and cultural biases against aging. It is fiction BUT it's based on a true story of an acquaintance of mine who was killed by her partner.

Thanks! Sigrid

Lynn,

I am a big-time rock groupie, too. I spent two years being in love with Rob Thomas. Finally went to see Matchbox Twenty and was *so* depressed afterwards because a girl online was supposed to give Rob a note from me, but she never did. LOL. You'd think that I was 15 instead of 50 at the time.

No, I did not meet Sting! He and I were both featured on the same episode of 20/20, which had three separate segments. I was interviewed by John Stossel. That was exciting but I felt that the producers ambushed me. I sued the bar where the drunk driver had been drinking, along with the drinker, and 20/20 made me out to be a golddigger. Of course, the bar was responsible under the law and the man's blood-alcohol level was .23, and he was a regular who drank there every night, and there were never any more than 8-10 people seated at the little bar in the restaurant. But still 20/20 opposed the host liability act and made me look greedy.

Those were Smile's words that you liked about impression versus expression. I just plagiarized from her post :-) love, Sigrid