By Catherine Dilts
When are restrictions on word choice censorship? When are
they appropriate?
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| Editor-in-chief hard at work |
The comedian famous for his satirical wit, George Carlin, had a stand-up routine declaring the seven words you can’t say on television.
That was 1972. Television is no longer controlled by a few
networks. It’s kind of the Wild West, receiving entertainment in your home via
the internet. I’ve heard all of Carlin’s words, and then some. And that was
just while watching The
Landman.
Profanity is not what I mean by “forbidden words.” I’m talking about editorial preferences and
stylistic choices in fiction writing.
I write cozy mysteries, short stories, humor, and
occasionally write-for-hire novels. The reader expectation is for low to no profanity.
The write-for-hire language restrictions are explicit: no drugs, alcohol, or
bad language.
This is not censorship. I may write all the naughty words I
want to, in the roughest language I deem fit. But not if I want to appeal to my
chosen audience. And especially not if I want to work for a particular
publisher.
With that restriction firmly in place, what other forbidden
words can there possibly be?
The publisher for my write-for-hire project included a list
of fifteen overused or often closely repeated words in their author guide. I
was certain I couldn’t be guilty of any offenses, until I did a painstaking
search of my manuscript for each of them.
“Just” appeared a shocking number of times. On one page, I
had used it four times. (Notice how I didn’t write “on just one page” – I
learned my lesson!) Although painful, searching for the listed words revealed
an embarrassing quantity of other overused words, or words repeated in close
proximity.
Enter the thesaurus!
While trying not to be too creative or cutesy, I replaced
repeated words where appropriate. Sometimes, “just” is the best word for the
sentence! I’m guessing we all catch really, very, and just. What about up and
down? Do you need to say a character stood up?
Dialogue is a different matter. Characters should speak like
real people. I’m more forgiving of redundancies and sloppy word choices,
depending on the type of character. Because of the fiction sub-genre I write,
even a bad guy or girl won’t let loose with a string of profanity on the page.
I handle that by letting the protagonist react to the language without listing
the specific words.
The restrictions I choose to enforce on my own writing are
motivated by stylistic choices and reader expectations, not censorship. There
are plenty of options for readers who like their fiction spicy.
Was the search for forbidden words in my manuscript worth
the effort?
Yes. Selecting alternate words led to rewriting entire
sentences. The language became more active and descriptive. I began to
recognize my own lazy writing.
Are you curious about how to apply this to your work? Do an
internet search for “overused words in fiction” to find lists of words.
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