Fanfics and Cursing


All right. Let me start off by saying that I have used cursing in fanfics -
everything from the now-rather-tame 'damn' to certain harsher sounding
four-letter expletives, so I know what I'm talking about. Yes, I've also
written a scene in which a Ranma character (in particular, Nabiki), curses.
Don't believe me? Read my fics.

Now. Cursing is not necessary unless you're doing an experiental piece of
writing that REQUIRES your characters to curse every time they speak.
However, more often than other writers would like to admit, cursing is
sometimes appropriate.

Let's face it. If Kintaro discovered that he had just shown the company
president his half-naked drawings of her in his notebook he would not say
'oh, fudge'. Also, we're working against a language boundary here, and some
expletives don't translate well. 'Oh, crap!', while not an accurate
translation of 'shimatta!', does carry close to the original intent behind
the interjection.

This language thing works both ways. Just because Ranma keeps saying
'kuso!' doesn't mean that in English he goes around shouting 'sh!t'. Just
because they mean the same thing dictionary-wise doesn't mean they carry
the same gravity - and in this case 'kuso' is lighter than 'sh!t'. Just
think about it. Keiichi's hungry but he can't dial up a delivery place to
save his life. In Japanese, he mutters 'kuso' out of frustration. As a
writer, or even as a reader, which would be more appropriate to write in
English to show his current emotional state, 'sh!t' or 'damn it'?

Judgement call time. Words like 'sh!t' and 'f*ck' have a tendency to jar
English readers unless they've been watching Quentin Tarantino movies
before reading a fic. Before you place any expletive in, ask yourself: Is
it appropriate?

Guess what? Most of the time, it's not. I see people placing in things like
'shut up, bitch!' in their Ranma fanfics just to be able to slap the [dark]
tag on the title. Please. That's not the best use of cursing in a fic. Like
any other writing tool, cursing has to be used properly. Well-placed curses
complement the flavor of a fic that can hold them in without losing
coherence. Let's face it - 'eat sh!t and f*cking die' has no place being in
a Totoro or Pokemon fic (unless the writer was being satirical). 

Expletives, however, tend to roll off the tongues of some characters, like
Priss, for instance. I have no problems with Priss cursing. She strikes me
as someone who would curse a lot when ticked off. But before you bring out
your collection of four-letter words ask yourself: Would it help my fic for
Priss to curse at this moment, or any moment in the fic?

If the answer is no, or 'I don't know', don't put it in! Curses in fics
nowadays often look like afterthoughts thrown in to add 'grit' and 'angst'
to a [dark] story. Please. Just because we just write fanfics doesn't make
shoddy workmanship excusable.

Again, cursing is hardly ever necessary, but sometimes, it's appropriate.
The key to using this device well is knowing when to hold back and when to
let them rip.

TR '99

P.S. Oh, would it be appropriate to discuss this on the list, or should I
take it to private email?


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