Self-censoring as a writer

Yeah, that's right, I'm taking that subject out of the box. Let's grab hold of it, roll it around, give it a shake and see what happens.

From cruising the Kindle Boards, I've seen some folks lament the lack of clean stories. I agree that there is a time and place for the sort of thing that sometimes ends up in my novels, and those who object to sometimes vulgar language, tittilating, even almost explicit subject matter, should understand that every bit of it in my stories is meant to advance the story. Either that or to add to character development. Sometimes I use it to set the tone for the story or to clarify a character's motivations.

Bad language can and should be used to show the state of mind of a character under stress. If that character is the type of person who wouldn't be expected to use bad language. And it can be used to show exactly how stressful a situation is. If the character has taken everything thrown at him/her in stride and is suddenly found to be cursing, that just means the character is under a great deal of stress. More than he/she has experienced previously. And sometimes, a character is just such an uninhibited person, accustomed to the lowlife, that the use of bad language is natural for him/her.

Now, to sex. How many of us have had sex waved under our noses as a carrot to get us to do something that someone else wants us to do. I mean, sex can be a great tool for manipulation of others. It can and has been used to ruin many lives in the past and will continue to be used because it is such an effective tool. Sex is one of the great motivators of History. Though it is viewed as something cheap, it is very nearly as great a motivator as Money and Power. If we could peek into the boudoirs of the most powerful, richest people in History, I think we would find that freedom of sexual practices is one of their favorite pastimes. How many rich and powerful people have had careers ruined because the most intimate, private and personal details of their lives have been brought to light?

By using sex to show how a character reacts, whether he/she is the most powerful person in the story, or the least, I can establish the fact that he/she is simply another person. No different in substance than anyone else.

So, should a writer self-censor himself/herself? I can only say that it depends on the circumstances of the story, the audience he/she wants to reach and how the writer wants his/her work to be perceived. Think of all the books that would have been tremendously different if the author had left sex out of the equation. Lolita, Catcher in the Rye, Portnoy's Complaint, Ulysses. Those are only a few that I can name, but you get the idea. Writers are creative people or they wouldn't be writers. I'm not sure I would go so far as to describe them as artists; I know that I am not an artist, I'm a writer.

As a writer, I have an inborn need to communicate, to be understood, to connect with my readers. I thought once of blunting my creative urge and becoming a critic, but felt that the choice wouldn't allow me to be true to myself. I have to admit that I was feeling somewhat tremulous about my writing ability and was timid about putting my writing efforts out there for others to see. I mean, the full extent of a critic's creativity is only in how to describe how much they like or dislike another's work. From some of the reviews I've read of others' work, critics don't seem to feel the need to self-censor. Believe me, I self-censor quite a lot of my work. I have written some passages that have stunned me when I've gone back to proofread them. A couple of times, I've said to myself, "What in the world would Miss Grundy say?"

In closing, I can only say that whether or not a writer self-censors is entirely up to him/her.

Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Dolly Games, Gulf of the Plains and Congruencies.