Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them. — Adlai Stevenson
As a new writer but avid reader of many topics of interest, my advice to writers, both new and old, is to stop using swear words! I can still recall my childhood days of being enamored with magazine writers. They were something to aspire to. Their quick wit and play on words was an art of their own. And then, somewhere along the line, that died out and was replaced by a scary new trend.
Somewhere in the late 2010s, two new jarring developments started trending with many writers’ styles and their pages. First, the front pages slowly but quickly became filled with journalists and writers who picked slow, low-IQ titles and, even worse foul language.
Once upon a time, landing a writing column for magazines was an honorable accomplishment with high entry requirements. Yet now, the quality has dropped significantly. Many young writers seemed to have no respect for this art form or the prestige it held and instead swore in articles like it was their birthright.
“Why X is Wrong, and You’re Stupid for Believing It” became a common theme for titles across even the most respected news sources. Gone were the days when the body of text presented an author’s idea while allowing the reader to form their own opinion while giving them a new viewpoint to chew on.
Today’s writers shove their bias down their reader’s throats without leaving room for individualism, creativity, and the fun of exploring different viewpoints.
Titles aside, what truly needs to stop…is the profane swearing. Creativity and vocabulary are lacking in their repertoire if a writer must rely on swearing to illustrate an emotion or point. We as a society should re-evaluate what kind of future writing generation we will inspire or leave behind.
Since I see this primarily done by established writers, who are the ones new writers look up to, I advise all new upcoming writers NOT to follow suit. Instead, dare to be different and carve out a new path.
Let's demonstrate ourselves as contemporary writers that don't need the low-value shock factor to drive an audience to their front page. Frankly, swearing sounds lazy, uneducated, and insulting to our audience. After all, if we write for the sake of readers and with a customer/audience member in mind, we don't think very highly of our viewers and fans either.
My advice is simple: Do not use profanity, swear words or vulgar language. With the excessive use of swear words in the modern world, why not be different? Don't use it at all, at least in writing; it will benefit your audience's perception of you. So what do you say…are you up to the challenge? #nosweardare
