Back in December, I was involved in a discussion about (I paraphrase) how to get used to using “naughty” words in your writing, when they weren’t in your everyday vocabulary.
“Naughty” words should be treated just like any other words, as tools to get meaning across, to communicate meaning as accurately as possible.
For instance, do those particular words suit the story you’re writing? If your character wouldn’t say or think the word, then you shouldn’t use it.
I think a key to using transgressive words beneficially is to make those words, whatever they are, work for you. If you have to work to use them, reach down deeper into your unconscious, then they become a feature, not a bug.
It’s excellent writing exercise. Think of a sexual word you have never used, or perhaps a sexual act you’ve never written about, and then use it in a scene.
You might uncover more than you bargained for by transgressing your own internal boundaries.
Hmmm… interesting. Certainly, I've expanded my use of sexual words. More, I've expanded my ability to describe sex.
However, I don't think I'll be transgressing any personal boundaries. I made a promise to myself I'd only write what I want and my heroine want to experience.
I made a promise to myself I'd only write what I want and my heroine want to experience.
That, also, is a valid choice. I think of my stories as more fantastical, though. I don't intend them always to feel real.