I think language in books is a common enough occurrence. What I
don't think is common enough is a discussion, especially among Christian authors, about where to draw the line. Ultimately, I think it comes down to personal conviction. (Which means you don't have to agree with anything I say in this post!)
With every story I've worked on, I knew going into it that I wasn't going to put any language in it. However, I had no idea whether or not I'd put language in a future book. Here's a quick look at the route I'm taking.
Prayer
For me, whether or not you use language is
not the actual deal-breaker. Light language is not enough to keep me from reading a book, and I've read a few with more than I'd brave again. What
does become the deal-breaker for me is whether or not you, as a Christian author, prayerfully considered if God was okay with you including language before doing so.
Everyone has differing opinions on this matter, which I completely respect. But ultimately,
it should only be God's opinion that directs how you choose to go about this matter.
For or Against
I hear good arguments for and against using language.
For:
- it makes certain characters more realistic
- it helps a book fit the secular market more
- why wouldn't you??
- it's only fiction
- authors don't agree with everything their characters do anyway
- language can taper off if the character him/herself becomes convicted
- a little can go a long way
Against:
- Christians shouldn't use language even in fiction
- even reading language can desensitize you to it
- God told us we'll give an account for our idle words
- you can be realistic and not use language
- if you can't be realistic without language, maybe you shouldn't write this
- passive swearing works well enough (he swore)
- language doesn't fit my target audience
- my mom would kill me when she reads it
Again, I kind of fall between camps. Even though I've decided not to use it doesn't mean I won't read it. I do think it depends on the author and the story and their convictions.
However, I know that language tends to take away from a story for me when I read it. Because I've hardly ever read a book that used only one or two words in dire circumstances. If there's any, there are usually uses that I find 100% unnecessary.
Again, it's a matter of personal conviction for me. Besides, my current audience would be more likely to dislike language than complain that it's not there (is that even a thing?). So I think I can continue to build on my current platform without crossing that line in my own writing.
Disclaimer
I do want to give a bit of a language disclaimer, though. Because even though I say I don't use language in my books and won't in the future ... people have different standards on what constitutes language. There are some words I could feel pretty guilt-free about using, but that's not the conclusion I came to when I prayed.
So while I can see myself using words like "bloody" and "crap" in the future, that'd be about it for me! Who knows, maybe I'll write fantasy one day and invent a curse word. Until then, I'll stick to passive swearing. "He swore" might not be the most thrilling sentence, but it's one I can live with.
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic!! Would/have you ever use language in your writing? Why or why not?
