Writing 101: Profanity

Lots of people swear. Sometimes alcohol plays a part, other times it may be sports. Around my house, you're sure you hear it if any cable news station is on the television. Profanity creeps into daily life, like it or not, and that's why it also appears in books. How do you write it into yours, and should you warn your readers when you do? 

Censorship and Warning Labels

In the American culture, profanity is still profane. Certain words are regulated, and surrounded by rules. You can only hear certain swear words on certain cable channels, while others are offered up regularly across all networks. You'll find profanity filters on forums and online video games, and you're sure to see at least one offended face if you cry out one of these "off-limits" words in a church. When certain words are considered to be taboo, writers have to tread very lightly indeed. 

When is it okay to use profanity in your books? That depends entirely upon the genre. It's pretty much never okay to use a swear word in children's books -- even getting away with hell is pretty tough business. In YA a certain amount of swearing is tolerated and it's even to be expected, because teens often use profanity to express themselves (it's due in part to a lack of vocabulary and part to general teen rebellion). But in the YA world, you have to be careful about which swear words you use. 

Swear words aren't just swear words...they exist in a hierarchy. Hell and damn are considered to be among the most mild of profanities, and they're even accepted on daytime TV. Shit is a little stickier (pun intended), and may be heard only after a certain hour on some cable stations. The "mother" of all swear words, known as "the f-word" is only featured on premium cable stations (and sometimes on Comedy Central when they're feeling frisky). The really racy words are probably best left out of YA, because they may irritate some parents. Since it's probably parents who are doing the bulk of household book-buying, it pays for authors not to offend them. However, gaining a reputation for writing a YA novel that parents hate because it's too obscene is sure to increase teen readership, so it's a bit of a win-in.

It doesn't work that way in other genres. If you're writing anything that's specifically geared toward a religious or spiritual audience, don't use profanity in any capacity. That's bound to anger some percentage of your target audience, so just avoid it entirely. It you're writing a light-hearted mystery or romance, seeing an "f-bomb" might be jarring to readers in that genre (who aren't often exposed to such in the mass-produced paperbacks of those genres). A gritty crime novel, horror novel or dramatic novel is expected to have a bit of a harder edge, so profanity may naturally come with the territory (and readers will be prepared for that). Sci-fi and fantasy works, which are often written to be read by people of all ages, don't often have a lot of profanity in them.

But at the end of the day, each author has to make their own choice when it comes to adding profanity. If it suits a certain character, you may feel that you've got to include it. Always stay true to your own instincts as an author where profanity is concerned, because you'll usually be right. If you're nervous about it, try running your book past a beta reader or two and see if they make any comments about your use of swear words. That will help you gauge how your intended audience might react.

The Full Deck: Trailer Reveal

Deck of Lies: The Full Deck is available today! What will you find in the boxed set edition of the series? Watch the trailer to find out...

Books on Film: It's a Wonderful Life

In celebration of the season, today I've got a special edition of Books on Film, featuring my very favorite holiday movie It's a Wonderful Life. It's a wonderful movie, but you probably don't know it's also a great short story. It's one of those rare tales that's got it all: angels, romance, Christmas, shattered dreams, scandal, money...even Jimmy Stewart. 

The Book

One of the most beloved and most-watched Christmas classics of all time is based on a little-known short story called The Greatest Gift. It was written in 1943 by Phillip Van Doren Stern, revolving around a main character named George Pratt. The story opens on Pratt standing on a bridge, ready to commit suicide. He's approached by a bizarre little man in worn clothing. George tells the man that really, he wishes he had never even been born.

So the weird little man grants George Pratt his wish. The man gives George a bag he's carrying, and tells him to use it as part of a cover story that he's a door-to-door brush salesman (seriously). So George does it. He leaves the bridge and goes back home, only to learn that no one knows who the heck he is. His wife doesn't know him, and everyone he has ever known is different and strange. They are not the same people he knows, having made different choices in their lives than they did in George's reality. And tragically, his little brother, whom George saved in a pond accident, died at a young age instead.

George returns to the bridge to talk to the weird little man, who explains that life is the greatest gift of all. George asks the man to put everything back to normal. The man does, and George goes back home to see that everything's okay now.

The author of the story, Phillip Van Doren Stern, couldn't get it published. He printed 200 copies himself in booklet form, and sent them to friends as Christmas presents in 1943. He published it again in 1945, without much success.

Somehow, an RKO Pictures producer got ahold of the short story and showed it to Cary Grant, who was interested in playing the lead. RKO bought the rights and let several screenwriters kick it around before the studio sold the story to Frank Capra, one of the best storytellers film has ever known. He turned the 4,100-word story into a full-length film bordering on epic. Your life will be truly incomplete if you don't watch it at least once.

The Film

It's possible that Cary Grant could have played George Pratt, the leading man of The Greatest Gift. He could not have played George Bailey, the main character of It's a Wonderful Life. This is only one of many ways in which the original story was changed in Capra's hands.

James Stewart played George instead, and did an amazing job of it. Stewart's "everyman" quality made him perfect as George Bailey, and many actors study his performance when they film holiday-themed movies. The story doesn't open with suicide this time...it opens with God. 

At the top, Wonderful Life, shows us the stars. We hear speaking, presumably it's God and His angels; discussion of a man named George Bailey. Something important is happening in George's life, and that gives a failed angel named Clarence yet another chance to earn his wings. 

But he can't get the job done unless he knows a little something about this George Bailey, so we go back in time to his childhood. We see young boys playing around in the ice and snow, sledding down a hill. George's little brother, Harry, goes farther than anyone...straight into the thin ice over the pond. He falls in! George dives in and saves Harry's life, but it costs him an ear. He loses his hearing on that side permanently.

We see more of George's life unfold on film, and meet an entire cast of characters that includes little girls Violet and Mary, little boys like Sam Wainwright, and of course Ma and Pa Bailey. We even see Mr. Potter, the meanest and richest man in town, brilliantly played by Lionel Barrymore (Drew's great-uncle). As a boy, George Bailey longs to be an explorer, a traveler, anything to get himself out of Bedford Falls. That's the little town where George lives. He's got big dreams and big plans, and everyone knows he'll reach them. George is smart, ambitious and hard-working.

And when he's all grown up, about an hour into the film, he's Jimmy Stewart. Non-threateningly attractive, adorably uncertain of himself and completely sincere, Jimmy Stewart was made to be George Bailey. Donna Reed is gorgeous as grown-up Mary, and the romantic scenes between the two of them are just about as good as what you'll find anywhere. 

Things don't always turn out the way we plan. They didn't turn out the way George Bailey had planned it. As it turns out, George didn't leave Bedford Falls at all. He didn't even go off to fight in the war, like so many others, because of his bum ear. George lived and worked in Bedford Falls, taking over the good old Bailey Building and Loan after his father's heart attack. It's the only reasonable option for owning a home in the town, because old man Potter is still alive and kicking and he runs the bank with an iron fist. 

George hates the Bailey Building and Loan. He hates Bedford Falls. He hates his old house that's perpetually in need of fixing up. When silly old Uncle Billy makes another of his mistakes, this one a real whopper, George thinks about giving up. He goes to the bridge, in the snow, and prays.

That's when a weird, small, old man jumps into the water below. George jumps in after to pull the man out, and something strange happens. The little old man says that he jumped into the water to save George! He then grants George's wish, to never have been born. 

Along with the two of them, we re-visit Bedford Falls. The town is now known as Pottersville, and it's totally not the place that George remembers at all. Old Man Gowers is all messed up, Harry is dead, Ma Bailey and Uncle Billy are in just awful shape, and Mary...Mary is a spinster who works in the library. It's almost too much to bear. It's certainly too much for George to bear. 

Did I mention that all this is happening on Christmas Eve? Because of Uncle Billy's mistake, George is probably going to jail. The Bailey Building and Loan is going to close for sure, and Potter is going to win. He's going to win, and there's no telling what's going to happen to everyone else in the town once the Baileys go out of business. 

But even so, George is ecstatic when the angel Clarence puts everything back to rights. The scene where Jimmy Stewart runs through Main Street, screaming "Merry Christmas" at various buildings along the way, is a cinematic event. And when he returns home...well, you're just going to have to watch it.

What Got Adapted?

The basic plot of It's a Wonderful Life is clearly based on the short story, but to turn this small tale into a big feature film Capra had to do a whole lot of expanding. He shifts the story to a third-person focus; we know that we are casual observers in this tale, seeing everything through the angel Clarence's eyes.

Capra had to name the town and the angel, and he had to invent the entire sub-plot involving the Bailey family business. Characters like Violet, Bert and Ernie were added entirely, as were many of the events of George's childhood. But if you read the story, you'll see the clear parallels. It's a short read, and perfect for the holiday season. When you're done, watch the story on film. It's a wonderful way to spend your time.

Deck of Lies: The Full Deck

The boxed set edition of the Deck of Lies will be released on Christmas Day! All four books in the series are included, along with extras that I've never revealed before. The Full Deck edition includes entries from Elizabeth's diary, Fallon's private blog posts, and Carsyn's journal entries. Check the blog during the Christmas holiday to see the trailer and find out how you can get the boxed set. 

 

Deck of Lies: The Full Deck includes all family trees, plus some new ones, all the covers, and all the stuff you wanted to see and didn't (like Rain's letter to River). If you think your family has a lot of drama this holiday season, you should really check out the one in this series!

Writing 101: The End of the World

Lots of people believe the world is going to end, and lots of that can be blamed on good fiction. A good story can instill fear in an entire population. Once upon a time, back when the TV didn't exist, a nationwide panic was created over a radio program. The public literally believed that Earth had been invaded by an alien population. That is good writing. The end of the world can make for a great topic -- just ask the Mayans. We're still talking about them 2,000 years later. A good story is pretty powerful stuff.

 The End of the World as They Know It

Writing about a catastrophic, world-ending event can be a heady experience. You can make it thrilling, you can make it sad, you can make it frightening and horrifying. That's the power of the pen: you can do anything you want. But some writers take even that a little too far. Because you can't just end a world out of nowhere. You've got to lead up to it, a little.

Before you can end your fictional world with some sort of catastrophic event, you have to make me care. You can't just end an entire world without making it an emotional experience. Should I be glad this world is ending? Maybe it's a horrible place filled with villains. Should I be sad? Was there a hero or heroine I just can't help but love, someone who must now die along with all the rest? Should I be frightened and horrified? Maybe your world ends in a way that could make my world end, and maybe that scares me. Let me get to know the world before it ends, and meet some of the people who live on it. Otherwise, I'm going to be yawning over your descriptive passages and rolling my eyes as lifeless body after lifeless body is consumed by lava (or whatever). 

To make the end of the world matter, you've got to add the human connection. And put some structures or natural wonders on the world while you're at it. I'm going to feel the loss of a beautiful world more keenly than an ugly one. 

And when you finally end the world, or write about your catastrophic event, do it spectacularly. Describe the screams, the smells, the pure horror of the event. After all, the end of the world isn't something that happens every day.

Writing 101: Quit Making Up Words

There are so many words in the English language, it's not even possible to count them all. This is how I know there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for you to make up any more of them. As a self-published author, this is something you just cannot do, and I'll explain why. 

Neologisms, Portmanteaus and Other Stuff You Should Avoid

Making up new words has become a trendy activity, oddly enough. This may be due to the fact that so many people have trouble correctly using the ones we've already got. You might have all sorts of reasons for using neologisms, new words or brand-new uses for words, in your books. You might think it's cute to create portmanteaus, words that have been shoved together to create new meanings. You might really feel the spirit of creativity. You might, in fact, be channeling the spirit of the great Lewis Carroll himself, the man who wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and coined quite a few new words. 

Edit them out of the book. Here's what you do instead: write them down. Save them, file them away. If you can't wait, debut them on Twitter or Facebook. Don't put them in your book for one reason: people are going to think it's a mistake. You're a self-published author, so you're already under a microscope. There are always going to be readers who think you aren't a "real" author, who shun you and your books. Others will search twice as hard for mistakes and stuff to hate. So don't make up your own words, and give them a reason to tell other readers that you're no good. 

You can always save your words for when you hit the big time, after your trilogy blows up and becomes bigger than Fifty Shades of Grey. And once you do, and you unveil your new words, you just may become part of the lexicon. Carroll invented the word smog after he shoved together smoke and fog. Frenemy, a combination of friend and enemy, is widely-used, as are made-up words like craptacular and fantabulous. Cheeseburger is perhaps the best example of a word that was just two words shoved together, a made-up thing, that's now accepted as proper English by one and all.

As a writer, part of your job might be to make up words. But it's also your job to learn how to use the ones we've already got. Chances are extremely high that there's a word to describe exactly what you want to write, and you don't need to make anything up to get there. Instead of making your readers think that you just don't know what you're doing as a self-published author, choose all the right words and prove them wrong. You can make up words later, because there are always more books to write.

Writing 101: Ask Three Questions

Writing a book is incredibly difficult. Writing a great book is practically impossible. When you sit down to write yours, ask and answer three questions. If you break writing down to its simplest form, you'll find it's really not so difficult after all. Master the basics, and all the rest is just polish. 

Three Questions

Every novel, no matter how thick or complicated, revolves around three specific questions. Ask them, and make sure you know the answers, when you're writing yours. 

• Who?

Every novel needs at least one main character. Juggling more than one main is hard, but it can create a very rich and engaging story. Make your main character(s) interesting and identifiable, and your readers will enjoy finding out about them. 

• Where?

 Every book has a setting. Research yours to make it real and rich on the page. Readers want details. What's the weather like? What are the buildings like? What do the rooms look like? Good descriptive writing paints a picture without taking over the entire book -- remember that no one wants to read your rambles about the way the curtains hang. Strike a good balance, and use the detail to add to the story instead of allowing it to swamp the story.

• What?

You don't have a book if you don't have a plot. Stuff needs to happen in your book. Allow the readers to get to know the characters through specific events. Readers want to be put inside the story; they don't want a story told to them. Use plot to make your book happy, funny, exciting, sad -- any emotion you want to evoke. 

If you can answer three questions, you've got what you need to start writing a book. It's the idea and the imagination that matters. Mechanics will come later, after lots of editing and hard work. Once you've found your three answers, the really hard part is already over.

Writing 101: Love Triangles

Some readers love them, some readers hate them. Entire books have been built around them, and fans will practically go to war to defend their particular choice. They're love triangles, and they're a bear to write. Before you do it, find out if it's even worth it to include this very dicey plot point in your story. 

Three's a Crowd

She likes him, but he likes someone else. It's a classic scenario, a literary tactic so old you can even find it in Shakespeare. Or maybe even in the Bible. And because it's so old, it's going to be really hard for any writer to use successfully. Readers have already seen it all before. 

That's why you have to make you love triangles fresh and interesting if you're going to include them. Shakespeare didn't stop at a three-way knot of emotion; he added more parties to his triangles. While Helena was pining for Demetrius and he was pining for Hermia, she was madly in love with Lysander and all but oblivious to Demetrius. Then, a fairy gets involved and starts making all the wrong people fall in love with each other. Doesn't that sound good? Isn't that something you'd like to read? 

It was popular 400 years ago. So if you're going to add a love triangle to your plot, you're going to have to really mix it up. Stephenie Meyer made it work by creating a love triangle out of three different species of humanoids. What's your gimmick? 

You can always add fuel to the love triangle fire by adding more parties. Why stop at three? Add more love interests, more confusion, and foil the couple that "should be" together time and time again to keep readers interested. If you do it well, you can build suspense without breaking their patience. It's a fine line to write, so have a care. You can make your love triangle more engaging by dramatically changing someone's social status (a very wealthy love interest suddenly loses their fortune, for example), or putting one in a life-threatening situation to test the main character's loyalties. Perhaps the main character's parents hate one of the love interests. Mix it up, change it around, and make the plot unique. It has to be different if it's going to work. 

The Sticking Point

Writing a juicy love triangle that's filled with suspense can be done with a lot of hard work. In order to resolve the damn thing, you're going to need luck and a whole lot of imagination. At some point, the story has got to come to an end. A choice must be made. So who will it be? And what's going to happen to the other one? 

Resolving a love triangle is incredibly difficult, and some writers will come up with truly wild and crazy ways to put a cap at the end of theirs. You can't just show the happy couple riding off into the sunset; readers are going to demand to know what happens to the one who's left behind. Does the rejected love interest find a new love? Do they decide to leave the area instead, maybe explore the world or try some new career? In some books, the spare lover might die. That's a resolution, too. 

Whatever you do, find your resolution and put a decisive end to your love triangles when the time comes. There can be no loose ends where matters of the heart are concerned. At some point, the sequels have to end and the matter has to be resolved.