tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19177238389402380.post1253129108499437804..comments2023-09-30T01:18:33.562-04:00Comments on R.A.W. **Random Acts of Writing**: F-Bomb FridayKristi Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17527544253341529009noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19177238389402380.post-81840876631618833532009-11-21T21:36:05.368-05:002009-11-21T21:36:05.368-05:00Amazing what gender will do for a person...althoug...Amazing what gender will do for a person...although I think the biggest thing is the F word. None of the others...though in my opinion they're all swearing.<br /><br />From what I understand RWA found it upsetting that Harlequin put it's name on a self publishing venture that they began, which charges authors $600 to publish their manuscript. This is normally frowned upon by traditional publishing means...as in it is not a stepping stone TO publication to be self published...it is generally one or the other, not both. Janet Reid has a couple of posts on the subjects and also links to the more detailed areas of the controversy. :) Click on her link at the top right of my page :)Kristi Faithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17527544253341529009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19177238389402380.post-6080091267276225172009-11-21T21:12:23.987-05:002009-11-21T21:12:23.987-05:00I just read a YA book the other day that had won a...I just read a YA book the other day that had won awards...and it had the word sh*t in it...was written by a man, though. I wonder if that makes a difference?<br /><br />I used to submit to Harlequin. Couldn't get it right. But I saw RWA is no longer providing them with free admission to its conference every year...because they're considered subsidy now. Odd...since most of what they do is still traditional, right?Stephanie Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10461865229341760836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19177238389402380.post-86240101249970052212009-11-20T13:50:52.453-05:002009-11-20T13:50:52.453-05:00Inappropriate language is out there....you can'...Inappropriate language is out there....you can't keep your kids from hearing it...you can be in a McDonald's or at the mall and the words are there. It's our job as parents to teach our kids why using those words is not appropriate. Same with sex in books....it's a part of life and it's our job to teach our kids why you shouldn't have sex before you're married or before you're ready or whatever you believe to be correct.<br /><br />The stuff is out there...you can't stop it...censorship is wrong....it is completely your decision what you let your kids see/read and what you don't but even if you choose not to let them read or watch books or movies with swearing or sex....you still have to teach them the lessons they need to become responsible adults.<br /><br />In my opinion, in literature and movies, there are just certain situations where a "Gosh darn it!" would sound completely unauthentic. But a movie or book with excessive use of swear words is just distracting.Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17401931638397651614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19177238389402380.post-36300251427202626872009-11-20T13:08:17.306-05:002009-11-20T13:08:17.306-05:00LOL! "Yeah, only in your diary . . ." Th...LOL! "Yeah, only in your diary . . ." That made me chuckle! <br /><br />When my 10-yr-old daughter went with her grandparents on a month-long trip to Ireland over the summer, I used that time to deep clean her room. I came across a random page wadded up in the corner of her room. I won't tell you what she had drawn or written, but suffice it to say my face blushed and I seriously thought I was going to faint. To this day, I have not been able to confront her about it. Tweens and teens are a lot more aware of things, which make us parents uncomfortable, than we give them credit for. <br /><br />I don't believe parents should necessarily censor every book before giving their kids permission to read it, but some sort of rating system within the YA genre would be helpful.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07570437173288571934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19177238389402380.post-72007988507948917722009-11-20T13:02:14.244-05:002009-11-20T13:02:14.244-05:00I love these comments, my highly intelligent blog ...I love these comments, my highly intelligent blog followers!!<br /><br />Corey: I saw the debate shortly after posting. LOL Argh! I agree with you, we shouldn't censor ourselves in our writing. <br /><br />Angelia: You bring a good point to the table. Just expect controversy if you use language and be prepared. <br /><br />Heidi: I wish there were more mothers like you out there! I absolutely agree it is our responsibility as parents to guide our children's choices of tv, movies, video games and books. So many parents do not know what kind of content is in the things their children watch/play/read. I also agree it is our responsibility to know what is appropriate. I would have to say the worse curse word I ever saw in a MG novel was the B word. I was actually pretty surprised and didn't feel it was necessary to the story. I think I speak more for YA than anything. Again-it shouldn't be there just to be there...but it should be a seamless part of the story. Another thing I always bring up with my children is that it shows lack of intelligent vocab to continually use cursing to express yourself. I feel it's the same in books. You will know an author's intelligence or lack thereof by their language.Kristi Faithhttp://kristifaith.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19177238389402380.post-35757848802834022512009-11-20T12:28:18.663-05:002009-11-20T12:28:18.663-05:00I find it interesting that two f-bombs can make a ...I find it interesting that two f-bombs can make a movie rated R, much lesser swear words are bleeped out of prime-time TV, and CDs and video games require some kind of rating to let parents know what to expect, and yet books have free reign. I'm not for censorship, but I do think there is such a thing as age-appropriate. Marketing a book as MG or YA implies that it's safe for that age. <br /><br />I used to think just the fact that a book was marketed for MG or teens meant that it wouldn't have those things in it that would make a movie R rated, but obviously that has changed.<br /><br />I'm flatly against strong language in books aimed at teens. But since the publishers don't seem to care and self-regulate, I take that responsibility on as a parent. I can't control everything my kids hear and see, but I can control what I spend my own money on and what I endorse to my kids. It's not a matter of sheltering them. It's a matter of saying, "I think this is wrong,"<br /><br />It's a huge mistake, too, to think that not using swearing in a book makes that book super sweet. <br /><br />But hey - I give authors the right to write how they want. They should give me the respect to choose whether or not to endorse it. Which this author clearly doesn't.Heidi Willishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18420802651029097379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19177238389402380.post-65444835408749266812009-11-20T10:38:55.519-05:002009-11-20T10:38:55.519-05:00I was just reading an article about Cory Doctorow ...I was just reading an article about Cory Doctorow and all the hoopla over his sex scenes in "Little Brother". I was interested especially when he brought up that no one objected over his MC and secondary characters being tortured by the government, but these very tame sex scenes were what caused the upset. <br /><br />I guess my point is there will always be people that will object to something in a book. I think even more people feel they have a right to object if a book is YA than adult. Expect that if you write anything that isn't super sweet that there will be objections. You just have to decide as a writer what you want to write and if your story calls for something objectionable are you ready for the back lash.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18370670423819447249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19177238389402380.post-65457095384020593322009-11-20T10:28:21.632-05:002009-11-20T10:28:21.632-05:00Oh, you should see the debate raging on this very ...Oh, you should see the debate raging on this very subject at Lisa and Laura's blog!<br /><br />I am on the side of using whatever words you want. One you start banning books with the F-word, what's next? No books about gays and lesbians? To me it is crazy to go down the road of censoring what teens read!Corey Schwartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03883689227283545602noreply@blogger.com