...you say you have a great story to tell.
You have some interesting unusual characters.
Your plot is intriguing and will be adored by many......
BUT NOT BY ME!
Because, you see, your language is not something I will ever get used to.
I grew up in a home where I never heard any swearing; well, maybe once from my angry mother's sweet voice. But, it was so incredibly rare as to be nonexistent. My friends and associates didn't swear; it was so unfathomable.
Enter the world of fiction. In the early days of my reading, I rarely encountered swearing or taking the name of the Lord in vain, so I was not prepared for the onslaught of bad language that has occurred in the last few years.
And, the thing is, it's so completely unnecessary. Dickens wrote popular long volumes, no swearing; Dumas wrote a great story, no swearing; Anthony Trollope, whom I just recently discovered, wrote LONG, TOO LONG books, but nary a bad word. The characters and the plot line are intriguing, but there is nothing offensive in these classic works.
So, I know it can be done. It's been done for many years in the past.
WHY do you feel you need that kind of language? Oh, I know. Your vocabulary is stinted and you can't figure out any way for the character to express his emotions other than in swearing. That's it; YOU are not clever enough to find the words to deal with an uncomfortable situation, so you resort to bad language. Or you write gruesome scenes that aren't necessary. Some of Dickens' books have murders, but they are not written in elaborate gory details.
I know I am in the vast minority, but I'll be glad to let your books go to others, and I'll stick to books that fit my parameters.
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