Swear words are something of a controversy in books. With judicial use, they can convey intense emotion on occasion. Cursing without restraint, however, is not cool. For example, the book I am reading is about a woman learning she has inherited a house in a weird town full of weird people. Her language, when she's upset, frequently includes the 'f' word. It actually gets in the way of the story, if that makes sense. (it does to me)
That's exactly what I want to avoid in my own writing, particularly in Penalty Shot. There are a few words that my mother would not like (sorry, Mom!) but I think I have used them judicially, and they may not survive the final edit. On the whole, though, a few well-thought out strong words can have just the right effect.
The question the author has to ask of him/herself is: does that word convey what I wish to convey in this sentence/paragraph/book? All word choice is important in writing; there is always a right word and a wrong word. I'd like to avoid using as many 'wrong' words at I possibly can.
What do you think?
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