Profanities in Stories

What do you think of profanities (curse-words and swearing) in stories? Is it okay in dialogue? Is it okay in narrative?

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I read that it is "correct" to include swearing in both dialogue and first-person narration. It is technically "incorrect" to include swearing anywhere else.

I don't listen to that rule. I include swearing in both second- and third-person narrative. My most important rule is the continuous flow of the tone and sometimes a swear word is what allows that flow to not be broken.

From Stephen King's 'On Writing':

Some of this book—perhaps too much—has been about how I learned to do it. Much of it has been about how you can do it better. The rest of it—and perhaps the best of it—is a permission slip: you can, you should, and if you're brave enough to start, you will.

I believe that the writer is God. Sometimes rules are outdated and need to be thrown away. In no way am I saying that misspelling words and blurring paragraphs are appropriate. We have reasoning behind those rules, and damn good ones. But swearing in narrative is a rule that I believe can be both bent and broken. I am not about to throw away my tone and flow just because someone doesn't think I should say fuck in third person narrative.

For example [from my unposted story Objective Promiscuity: When they got back to the hotel, Brendon fucked him into the mattress.
Should I say 'Brendon made love to him'? No. Doesn't fit the tone or the truth.
'Brendon fornicated with him'? No. Sounds stupid.
'Brendon screwed him'? Almost, but not quite.
It works the way it is because that is the way the story is meant to be told.

When I curse, it's usually in the dialogue.
Unless that story is in first person, then it'll be outside the dialogue as well.

Yep. Sometimes you have to curse in 3rd person just to keep the theme going.

I'm writing a one-shot and it's in third person and I use swear words just to give it that tone of intesity >.>
Or when the third person delves into thoughts of a character.

But I usually stick to swearing in first person/narration; and when using second person [which I did, like one time] I used swear words but only in the characters track of thoughts and rarely in the narrator's point of view.

So I really don't have a stable opinion on when it's correct to use them, because it actually depends on the writer's style and the atmosphere he's trying to create for the piece of written work.

I mainly just swear in dialouge, but if I'm writing in third person, I sometimes throw a few swear words in here or there. Sometimes a sentence just sounds more ... real with them thrown in. Maybe it's just me.
Like, for this one-shot I'm working on, told in third person, it says: "He’ll ask him to wake up early as fuck with him and watch the sunrise above the Utah mountains."
Just saying "He'll ask him to wake up really, really early with him and watch the sunrise above the Utah mountains" doesn't sound right to me. :shifty

I agree, some rules should be bent and broken as long as they aren't as important as something like grammar. I use swear words mostly in first person and dialogue but that's only because that's mostly what I write.
It's your story you should be able to do whatever you damn well please.(Besides misspell words, or use incorrect grammar.

I never use curse-words outside of dialog in my stories unless it's in first-person, and even still I try to avoid it.
Just never.
But that's just me...
Sometimes I will use the term "damned", but I avoid using it in reference to the swear word "damn", which is used in vain, or add any spite to the statement it is included in. I use it just as I would use any other adjective, but to add a hint of darkness to a scene. So I don't really consider the usage of "damned" in that sense as the same as using it as a curse-word.

Yeah, if he got fucked into the mattress, he got fucked into the matress. The vast majority of stories written in third person are written with...with the character's thoughts directly affecting the narrative. Does that make sense? I mean that if the character is experiencing emotional turmoil, the prose is supposed to relfect that. And even if it's written from a distant, God-like standpoint...fucking is still fucking.

I will mostly use swearwords in my dialogue, but I do like to sprinkle them in as needed, regardless of the point of view. I like to use it in my sort of narration, which is nearly always sort of like the thoughts of my character speaking directly to the reader. Would that be narrative? I have no idea, really.

Example:

dialogue
"You're fucking insane, do you know that, Richie?" I told him, voice dripping in disbelief.

first-person
I can walk move pretty fucking fast when I'm motivated.

first-person, narrative? speaking to reader
Allow me to explain something, alright? I'm not a bad person. I may do bad illegal things, but that does not fucking make me a bad person. Do you get that? I know they don't.

second-person
You think he's out of his fucking mind but you follow him anyway.

third-person
He gave the guy across from him the dirtiest fucking look imaginable.

Really, it just adds more oomph than saying 'really' about a dozen times, or using like six adjectives and adverbs all one after another in a sentence.

I think swearing fits pretty much anywhere. I never really thought about it.

If you use it in thrid person, it gives a rougher edge to what you're trying to say and can often be used to portray the characters desperation. Helps show the characters personality through a third person perspective sometimes.

I hope that made sense... :shifty

^ It did make sense, and you're right.

If the swearwords fit in with the mood/tone, then I don't see the harm in having them in third person. But I don't agree with having swearwords in just for the hell of it.

I really don't think that the writer should have to heed any sort of rules other than grammar, punctuation--you know, the stuff that keeps your story readable.

I feel that art is the ultimate freedom that people can have on Earth. I mean, if we can't write a story the way we want to, then what are we ever allowed to do for ourselves?
Personally, due to my writing style, I don't use curse words in the narrative, in the third person. Unless it went with the character. You know, like: "Remmy, angry from the day's general events, stuck the key into the lock with more force than usual, wondering what could be done to fix this, how he could possibly face her again, and why in the world his damn door wasn't opening."

But again, I only curse when it applies to character.
However, if the writer feels that the curse applies to his or her style/character--in whatever point of view--then so be it.

As long as it fits, swear as you please.
As you said, if it keeps the flow, then put it in.
On the other hand, don't just put it in for the hell of it. Swearing can just as easily destroy the flow as it can fix it.

I'm rather sure that Brendon actually fucked the poor boy, not made love to him, or screw him, or anything.

The thing with swearing is to not put it there when there's no need for it. Use the world when you need the meaning not every three words. I personally believe that excessive swearing in stories/books is just ... disgusting and I refuse to read those kinds of stories/books.

I must say I agree with sueno?

I think that unnecessary swearing in a story is quite a turn off. If it's used in context and if the character is known for swearing or if it's his/her personality I don't really mind it, but if it's so excessive it's in every second word, I can't read it.

It it fits, I don't have a problem with it, no matter what person it's in.

I went to this writing camp when I was in year 7, and there was this author dude there, and he said that it's good to include swearing if it fits, because most people swear and it would seem almost unrealistic if they didn't, but then again, a lot of people don't swear.

In Make Out Club I swore in the narration. It's third person.

It fell into the ocean and fucking drowned

It makes the whole thing seem so much more angrier and powerful.
I think its okay as long as it isn't over done or sounds shit -shrugs-