Is it possible to give yourself writers block?
There I was...doot de doo...writing along at a decent clip when WHAM! No literally...WHAM! My character slams his head into low wooden cross beam in the ceiling. Now, anyone who has ever done this knows the first word out of your mouth is not "Dang" or "Gosh darn it!"
My problem in this situation is that I'm writing in Victorian times (Kinda). So the crude language would come from then. However. I'm having a hard time finding anything on this whole topic. I hesitate to create my own just because I have a feeling it would ring kind of false. But man! I want to shake him and have him just say SOMETHING. Unfortunately, unlike myself. He's too 'proper' to just yell out the f word. Stupid git.
For now, I've settled on Cripes! but that's just not strong enough. You go slam your head full force into a support beam, yell Cripes and tell me how satisfying it is for YOU!
So now all I can focus on is Victorian Swear Words. Where do I find them?? How do I research them? Victorian Slang? Possibly...I had a decent web page for that, but it was just that, slang...as in what they would call money (Chink), or a detective (jack) which is useful to know. Unfortunately...nothing for "expletive when one smashes one's head into a wooden beam or the like".
Maybe he'll get over his Victorian sensibilities and just swear properly for once in his life.
PS...I have a new Page on the top bar introducing my new character to the world! Enjoy!
Although, a proper sort might not swear even in that situation. Some people just don't have that vocabulary. Then again, maybe just a scream of pain rather than a word would work as well.
ReplyDeleteInteresting take...though part of my brain doesn't buy it. I believe that swear words are the ties that bind the classes together! :) Though there are some that some classes would use and others wouldn't. Some in polite company, and others not. You get my point. But I'm liking the scream of pain thing. He has just woken up from a hangover...so isn't really all that coherent to begin with anyway...
Deletelook up British slang, or if you would like you can borrow my copy of Samuel Johnson's Insults which includes such gems as: asshead (one slow of apprehension), a dangler (a man who hangs around women only to waste time), and trull (A low whore; a vagrant strumpet).
ReplyDeletehahah....asshead...why did that one ever go away?? I love those examples. Where did you find that book? I would love to borrow that!
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