Let me get something out of the way here.

Pussy. Cock. Fuck. Tits. Ass.

You have no idea how hard that was!!!

I am an adult, yet I still can hardly bring myself to write those words! I was raised that you just don't say those things, and I have always striven to be a good girl. I know how ridiculous it is that I can write a story about sex, yet can't use the dirty words to describe it. It doesn't bother me in the least to read them, just to use them.

So what do you writers and readers think? Are the words necessary? Can a story be erotic and sexy without the use of so called "Dirty" words? What do you like to use/read in a story? Are there words you are uncomfortable with?

Are there times when you need a dirty word and have trouble coming up with the right one?

I have to laugh at myself sometimes about this subject, and how some words don't affect me when maybe they should. I can say/use dick, penis, prick, and shaft, but that stupid C word just wont come out.

I'd be happy to hear some of your thoughts.

 

I think a well written story does not need to use those words.. However it is also a character thing. You might be writing a piece and maybe its not something you would say.. But what about your character. The words that a character will use can help paint that picture of who the character is.

 

I prefer the words breasts and hole to the ones you mentioned.

Thank and his velvety smooth, hot, steel rod of love.

 

For me it depends on the story. Some time periods, characters, or situations call for coarser language than others. I tend not to use many naughty words in narration, but some of my characters do. If it's a current-day young man talking, he might be more colorful than his gentlemanly grandfather, while a proper lady might never say anything risque.

About the only word that's (usually) off-limits to me is "cunt". I reserve that for shouting matches and really dirty sex scenes.

 

In real life, I can only verbalize dirty words to one person. That being said, I never use (speak) vulgar words. I still use the term vagina, sexual intercourse, man's part, etc, when talking to other people.

Nobody told me not to curse, even my mom says "motherfucker" (in our language) when she's mad. I hated hearing it so I never wanted say such thing.

Whenever I had the urge to curse and say fuck, I say "fudge" instead. After years of telling my siblings not to say the "F" word, they finally came to use a less vulgar term. So now, we all use "fudge" instead of fuck.

Writing is a different story though.

 

Interesting this comes up after your comment on my CAW entry where I avoided corse language.

I only learnt to use words like that at college. I was a good boy before that. Of those words, I'll only use "fuck" in day to day conversation. The words I use in a story really depend on the narrator. I have a set of words I'll use by default.

 

These days, the f-word has lost some of its shock value, and most people—though by no means all—are not deeply offended by it. Still, authors often
debate the role of racy talk in contemporary literature.

Like, How much is too much? How do you know when you’ve gone too far, or not far enough?

Spicy language generally works best when it’s used
sparingly, or at least in moderation. That way, you preserve the element of the unexpected, which can
be a pressure-reliever for both character and reader.

Aside from conveying anger or frustration,
raw talk can also be humorous, in that it reveals how a character truly feels about something. For instance:

I ate another doughnut.

Versus:

I ate another fucking doughnut.

You instantly get a clue about this character and her relationship with doughnuts.

 

I feel the same way about punctuation.

"Come and eat, children."

"Come, and eat children."

"Come and eat children."

These three examples have entirely different meanings, one of which is alluding to cannibalism.

Having noted that, many words are used for emphasis. I fucked Jane's cunt until my cock was red and raw is more easily imagined than stating that I fucked Jane. Both examples allow the reader to know what happened, however one gives them an idea of what it was like without being able to actually experience it for themselves.

 

I'm a little turned on by "coarse language" in sex, so it never occurred to me that it might be a turn off for other readers. It is definitely something to consider; I wonder if I'm up for the challenge. I think this would be a good exercise for me to see if I can make it hot (at least hot for my taste) without the profanity.

 

Language will set the tone for your story. If you write a period piece, you have to stop and think how people spoke at the time, and whether certain words were used. Things like bodacious ta-ta's and the Willy the one-eyed worm, were not used back in the 1940s, for example. Remember, if one of your characters is a virgin, it's likely they will not speak the same as a crack-whore.

Practice different scenarios. It really helps!

 

I've written some period pieces in which the language was pretty vanilla. Today, common spoken language is more "colorful", as others have said, so in a contemporary story some dialog may be vulgar.

A side note to this is "offensive" words and practices. In a contemporary United States black ghetto story, it makes sense to have characters say, "Dat nigga gonna die", or to have a racist say, "I hate niggers and spics". In some stories drug use, alcoholism, and crime are present, so George Carlin's seven dirty words may get used a lot.

Right now I'm working on a story set at the 1969 Woodstock concert -- a half million happy hippies who cursed a lot. Everyone got high, and when the outhouses overflowed, everyone did their business on the ground. One of the characters describes herself as the token Negro who sees herself as the almost natural victim of discrimination. People had very bad LSD trips. Offensive? Yes, but that's how it was.

 

To me it depends on the sex scene. If you are talking about two people making love the strong language spoils the emotional aspect. If you are talking about a violent act then the soft words have no impact. I tailor the words I use, to the scene I am writing.

For the most part I tend to use a softer form, because it makes the reading less harsh, there is also the fact that porn and erotica are two very different things.

If you take the sex out of porn you are left with nothing.

If you take sex out of an erotic story you are still left with a story.

You need to know what you are writing and ask yourself which is more important, the sex or the story. If it is the story, tailor your word use to the characters and the situation. If it is the sex, then slap them bad words and make them your bitch.