Guest Post-Those "Dirty" Words

 Seriously, I'm just gonna give the man the mike, he knows what to do with it!  :)

Here for his second visit with another amazing post, please welcome—->     

 J.S. Wayne

            Hi, Bianca! Thanks so much for having me again!

            At this point, I could just about write a book about everything no one ever tells new writers. I could even attempt to write a companion manual specifically geared toward erotic romance and probably not find the results entirely marginal.

            When I decided, in what surely qualifies as a fit of mental illness, to try my hand at this mad quest, I overlooked one very important detail. Namely, the phrasing of various integral body parts. I was using the usual timeworn, flowery euphemisms, such as "his hardness" or "her wetness."

            Oddly, I have no reservations whatsoever about using various vulgarities for human genitalia in my urban fantasy/horror. But somehow, I seemed to have developed a block for using the exact same words in my erotic romance. I'd like to think my reasoning was sound and my motives honorable, but clearly I was a victim of a classic case of trying too hard.

            When the forthcoming anthology Red Roses and Shattered Glass was in its beginning stages, I sent my contribution, "Espiritu Sancti," to H.C. Brown, at her request, for editing. I think I'm smart enough to understand that no writer is ruthless enough to be able to edit their own work; knowing this, I also knew I needed some help.

            Editing is grim business; it's where you find out just how deathless your prose really is (take my word for it: It's not.) In among all the redlines and commentary was one that made me do a double-take, and then laugh out loud.

            While I was describing a passionate scene between a female vampire and a human woman, I had managed to completely avoid the earthier terminology. Apparently the results became a little grating after a while, because she added in this comment:

            "You can say 'pussy.' "

            When I was done laughing, I got to thinking. It's an unfortunate habit of mine, and one I indulge in far too much to feel comfortable trying to represent myself as fully compos mentis. However, this particular thinking session engendered a revelation, and so was well worth the millions of synapses I fried in the process. I realized that if I could use those words in horror and urban fantasy and make them work, there was no reason whatsoever that I couldn't or shouldn't do the same in the erotic romance genre. In my own defense, I reasoned that I was writing primarily for a female audience, and my (admittedly limited) experience with erotic romance prior to this suggested that such sugary evasions were the rule, so as not to alienate my proposed reader base. This, in turn, led to a catalogue of various terms which I held up to the light, one by one, to examine their every facet.

            Dick. Cock. Pussy. (Forgive me, ladies.) Cunt. This last I personally dislike, as a matter of taste and upbringing, as I feel that it describes a very specific breed of woman. (Out of the hundreds of women I know, only three have earned that highly dubious honorific, and I don't speak their names aloud for fear of summoning them and the legions of demons that accompany them.) However, it can be useful in certain scenes and contexts, and not necessarily as a derogatory term. As long as it works with the characters and the story itself, there's really no good reason not to use it.

            So why be afraid of them? Because they're "dirty?" Heh. Not hardly. Just about any word can be dirty, in context: Ask me about snow and observe my reaction. When you're done laughing, you'll see what I mean. Because they're not words that "real" women use? Bullshit, shenanigans, and are you serious? I've known women who comported themselves as perfect ladies in public, but in private, had mouths that would rival the raunchiest porn starlet. Because they're not socially acceptable? Well, okay, that one I'll give you. . .but you might head over to your local mall and eavesdrop on some of the conversations in the food court. I've overheard snatches of conversation that would make a nun faint in allegedly family-friendly environs.

            So, the hell with it. Bring on the dirty words!

            Thanks again, Bianca. It's been fun. We'll have to do it again soon!

            Until next time,

            Best,

            J.S. Wayne

Look for Angels Would Fall, coming April 18th from Noble Romance Publishing.

Come visit me at www.jswayne.wordpress.com and www.wix.com/jswaynesite/herebemonsters!