Monday, August 6, 2012

say what you need to say


i think i mentioned that i've been reading a lot of poetry lately. and prosetry. and short stories. and basically anything that doesn't take more than a few minutes to consume completely. i'm just in one of those moods where the thought of having enough attention to devote to something that could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to finish is laughable really. but this is not the point. some of what i have been reading are actual books and published stories, but a lot of it has been by virtual unknowns who like to publish their words online.

and i have found a new pet peeve: people who censor bad words in their writing. i'm not talking about people who use other words instead of the bad words, because you can use whatever words you want. i'm talking about the people who, instead of writing ass will write a$$ and instead of writing shit will write sh!t. oh my god it really kills me. 

like i said before, use whatever words you want, but if you're gonna use a word then use the word. putting an exclamation point instead of an i does not change the word. people will still read it as it is intended to be read, so why do it? if you feel uncomfortable writing it then don't use the word. if you feel uncomfortable having people read it, then don't use the word. but trying to use it without really using it is just obnoxious. and it totally ruins the whole mood of the piece for me, as well as the integrity of the writer's voice. it feels like s/he's trying to be someone s/he isn't and makes the whole thing sound childish and fake, which isn't fair to the piece or the emotions it is trying to express. like holden caulfield would say, s/he comes off as a phony. 

so please, for the love of my sanity, stop trying to use words without using them. it's not working for anyone. 

*Say What You Need to Say - John Mayer

3 comments:

  1. anonymous hippopotamusAugust 6, 2012 at 7:12 PM

    well maybe they're writing it that way because maybe the character is younger and that's how the character would say/write it. That's what I've always thought anyways..

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  2. i'm talking about more personal first person i'm spewing my emotions onto paper in literary form things than pieces that necessarily have a character.

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  3. Good point. I never really thought about it. I guess the only time it really makes sense is if you're on an online forum where they censor "bad" words. But other than that... it's kind of pointless.

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