I keep getting feedback about my essays from boomers and they universally point out the use of profanity and it bothers me.
One because I’m tired of this prudish bullshit. In the era of Donald J Trump if I wanna write “fuck” I’m gonna type it out. F-U-C-K…
Second: I’m supposed to be developing a voice. I’m a cis white male from the Deep South. I came from a military family. I joined the Army at 17. I was a cop for a decade. Profanity IS my voice…
…no one wants to read me trying to use big words. There’s a half dozen Harvard educated dipshits on every newspaper staff who talk like a thesaurus and me, I can’t spell thesaurus. Why should I try to be what I’m not?
Third: “this will turn off publishers…”. Ya’ll joking right? No one is publishing my shit but me. Again, I’m a 45 y/o cos white ex-cop from the Deep South with a 2.0 from a failing Louisiana High School.
I’m under no illusions about being published.
PS: I’m not writing for upper middle class white boomers. While I appreciate all feedback, I truly do, sometimes folks need to recognize that they’re not the intended audience. I sent Aunt Barbara a copy because she asked, not because aging church lady is my intended demographic.
I mean anything.
Publishing is hard for everybody right now. I’d be crazy to think I can just crank out a few essays and mail them off to Rolling Stone.
And truth is if being published means editing out my voice then what’s the point? Hell why publish me if you’re not gonna publish ME, you know?
Yeah, definitely. That's why you should pitch your local alt mag. You won't get paid as much or get the same reach as Rolling Stone, but you'll keep your voice. 🤷🏾♂️ And you'll have built-in support if you do want to pub a collection some day.
