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Writers! Is it Okay to Curse in Your Stories?

Do profanity and blasphemy make a story pop? Or do they turn readers off?

Roz Warren, Writing Coach
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Published in
4 min readAug 1, 2024

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Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

I’m a Medium writer, but I’m also a writing coach and editor-for-hire. For decades, I’ve worked with writers to improve and publish their prose. My current specialty is helping Medium members write better, more boost-able stories.

One thing I often have to caution writers about is that some readers are turned off by profanity and blasphemy. They’ll stop reading your story at the first F-bomb.

No matter how good that story is otherwise.

I don’t tell my writers this to censor them. If you want to write a potty- mouth post? I’m happy to help you.

I love to swear myself.

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Roz Warren, Writing Coach
Ask an Editor

Writing Coach and Editor Roz Warren (roSwarren@gmail.com) will help you improve and publish your work.