tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post5371019656043350456..comments2024-03-29T02:43:11.575-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Choosing Your Words With Care: a guest blog by Liz MillironJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-89974843905217692642023-03-17T10:25:26.956-04:002023-03-17T10:25:26.956-04:00Such a beautiful content, Please keep posting arti...Such a beautiful content, Please keep posting article like this<br /><b><a rel="nofollow">ERP Software in Chennai</a></b><br />dineshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12028698237201243137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-63908173532575909762023-03-16T12:00:08.228-04:002023-03-16T12:00:08.228-04:00Lynda, thank you! I hope you enjoy. An f-bombing d...Lynda, thank you! I hope you enjoy. An f-bombing duck is too funny.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-76916155080753950302023-03-16T11:59:34.899-04:002023-03-16T11:59:34.899-04:00Thanks, Sally. The smoking thing brings to mind so...Thanks, Sally. The smoking thing brings to mind something my husband said when he read an early copy. "Betty sure does smoke a lot." Well, they did that in the 40s.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-16836867775643041462023-03-16T11:58:46.797-04:002023-03-16T11:58:46.797-04:00Thanks, Debs. Hope you enjoy!Thanks, Debs. Hope you enjoy!Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-85552472447413261562023-03-16T11:58:33.788-04:002023-03-16T11:58:33.788-04:00Thanks, Kim. Yes, true dialog is fairly boring. I ...Thanks, Kim. Yes, true dialog is fairly boring. I hope you enjoy the book!Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-80877433139366757932023-03-15T18:51:18.917-04:002023-03-15T18:51:18.917-04:00Excellent point, Julia. I always wonder why people...Excellent point, Julia. I always wonder why people freak out about those books instead of using them as a starting point to discuss why the language is used, and how to have different attitudes now. ~Lynda<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37616339337544536532023-03-15T18:47:58.652-04:002023-03-15T18:47:58.652-04:00Karen, my childhood was also the 50s and 60s, also...Karen, my childhood was also the 50s and 60s, also with a dad who used hateful language regarding anyone who wasn't white. He'd been raised by people, actually surrounded by people, who used it and he didn't know any better. By the time I was in my teens, I challenged him every time he used the "N" word, which physically sickens me. Each time he used it, I'd simply say, "F***." He hated that, and told me not to say it in front of my mother. I'd laugh and tell him not to use his word in front of any of us. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-20371886880362865672023-03-15T18:39:18.030-04:002023-03-15T18:39:18.030-04:00What a terrific discussion. Congratulations on you...What a terrific discussion. Congratulations on your new release, Liz. I've added your series to my TBR pile and look forward to reading it, especially knowing the thought you put into it. As a reader, I appreciate an honest story dealing with the reality of hate language and hateful attitudes. A charming series I read, The Darling Dahlias, by Susan Wittig Albert, is set in the 30s and addresses this conundrum in the forward to each book. There will always be readers who take offense, but I'm not one of them. Taking offense is an active decision. It's clear she's using language to covey attitudes that were prevalent then, and remain so today. <br /><br />As for Louise Penny, I find her use of Rosa, the F-bombing duck, to be hilarious. ~LyndaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-21477893818629318582023-03-15T18:00:53.475-04:002023-03-15T18:00:53.475-04:00I don't mind a certain amount of slurs or bad ...I don't mind a certain amount of slurs or bad language in a novel if it is used sparingly and for good reason. While I hate smoking and would love to never see it in a book, TV show, or movie, smoking still exists now and was super present in the past. You just can't ignore this stuff. Congratulations on your new book.Sally from PAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03649707016754971847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-71179271793350823242023-03-15T17:32:07.323-04:002023-03-15T17:32:07.323-04:00Sorry to be late to the party today, Liz. Such a t...Sorry to be late to the party today, Liz. Such a thoughtful post, and I think you made the right decision. It's always a delicate balancing act but I don't think sanitizing history does anyone any good. It sounds like you've handled things very sensitively and I can't wait to read The Truth We Hide.Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-84887218644119526702023-03-15T16:43:13.383-04:002023-03-15T16:43:13.383-04:00Hi, Liz--I'm really looking forward to reading...Hi, Liz--I'm really looking forward to reading this book. It sounds very well done, and I'm grateful for the thought you put into handling slurs and swearing during the time period you're writing about and the way you've discussed your decision-making process here. It makes me think! I see it as part of an issue all writers of fiction face, even when writing about the present, which is how to make dialogue sound realistic when, if we wrote TRULY realistic dialogue, it would be boring, full of obscenities, repetitive, a long string of "likes" and "you knows," and worse. I appreciate your work at getting the balance right! It's something I work at, too.KimHaysBernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02726133115831908758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-3934500687279030152023-03-15T15:17:00.491-04:002023-03-15T15:17:00.491-04:00Thanks, Kathy. I think if you read the PI fiction ...Thanks, Kathy. I think if you read the PI fiction of the 40s, you'll come across more homophobia - as well as a lot of other ugly things. And yes, sanitizing history might make people feel more comfortable by not confronting reality, but you don't learn much when you are comfortable, do you?Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-19381801698589709572023-03-15T15:15:26.858-04:002023-03-15T15:15:26.858-04:00Thanks, Pat. I remember reading the history of the...Thanks, Pat. I remember reading the history of the "f" bomb and yes. Short and pithy is part of it. I also remember watching a show set in Ireland and being a little stunned at how casually they used it, but then someone told me that it's part of the culture.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-13442869037359515542023-03-15T14:55:35.451-04:002023-03-15T14:55:35.451-04:00Congratulations, Liz, on your new book. I like th...Congratulations, Liz, on your new book. I like that it deals with a topic I haven't encountered much in WWII fiction set in the states. I've come across homophobia more in British WWII fiction than U.S. Of course, I may just be unaware, so I'm always interested in titles I'm not familiar with. But, kudos to you, Liz, for tackling this matter and doing so with such sensitivity and concern to be authentic but not hurtful. I do think it's important to be true to the time and show it as it was. Sanitizing history has gone on too long in this country. With different states passing laws to prevent the ugliness of our history to stay hidden, we need those writing historical fiction or historical non-fiction to show the reality of what was and what still is. Thank you for having the courage to do it right and trusting your readers to appreciate that.Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-18841892081856332332023-03-15T14:26:50.320-04:002023-03-15T14:26:50.320-04:00Liz, I appreciate the conscious effort you have ma...Liz, I appreciate the conscious effort you have made for verisimilitude and yet trying to not be offensive. A fine line to balance, indeed. <br />I don’t like the “f” word and yet remember explaining to my mother who complained about “you girls’ favorite word” (begins with “sh”) that it was short and to the point. Might be what ‘f’ bomb users feel. As to racial or other types of slurs, I didn’t learn those until All in the Family came on the air. They were not spoken in my house or friend group. Congratulations on your new book! I’m currently reading the first in your Homefront series and enjoying it! — Pat S.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37467834902692070802023-03-15T13:44:48.637-04:002023-03-15T13:44:48.637-04:00Mary, yes. Keeping silence is rarely the way to ch...Mary, yes. Keeping silence is rarely the way to change behaviors.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-14798205902121336682023-03-15T13:44:09.997-04:002023-03-15T13:44:09.997-04:00Thanks, Mark. I really do want people to feel &quo...Thanks, Mark. I really do want people to feel "in" the time period. Unfortunately, sometimes that means exposing its warts.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-54193445202886582682023-03-15T13:43:11.335-04:002023-03-15T13:43:11.335-04:00Thanks, Karen. I think of my grandfather, who serv...Thanks, Karen. I think of my grandfather, who served in WWII and worked in a steel mill for 30 years. I'm sure he knew some pretty colorful words. Thankfully, he never brought it home.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-90394391546474148682023-03-15T13:41:44.153-04:002023-03-15T13:41:44.153-04:00Yes, you definitely need to keep a balance and not...Yes, you definitely need to keep a balance and not be gratuitous.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-16653287817588069482023-03-15T13:41:13.243-04:002023-03-15T13:41:13.243-04:00Thanks, Kait. That is almost exactly what Edwin an...Thanks, Kait. That is almost exactly what Edwin and John told me when I talked to them.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-53318976088967765232023-03-15T13:40:38.217-04:002023-03-15T13:40:38.217-04:00Pat, that's an excellent point. Even today, I ...Pat, that's an excellent point. Even today, I hear members of a group call each other words that I would never dare to use as an outsider.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-90865819995691924622023-03-15T13:39:49.411-04:002023-03-15T13:39:49.411-04:00Julia, as a person who two degrees in English, yes...Julia, as a person who two degrees in English, yes. It's why I always wonder a little at people who want to "rewrite" the classics to remove the slurs. As you point out, no matter what words they are using, the bad people are clearly the bad people. And the acts are more important than the words, at least to me.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-23499936326516613622023-03-15T13:38:04.540-04:002023-03-15T13:38:04.540-04:00Thank you! It's an interesting question. I won...Thank you! It's an interesting question. I wonder how many actually felt negatively and how many were thoughtlessly using words where they didn't consider the impact.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-84665065585195759142023-03-15T13:37:04.694-04:002023-03-15T13:37:04.694-04:00Sometimes, I would like to go back in time to ask ...Sometimes, I would like to go back in time to ask those authors if they knew the words they were using were hurtful. Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-40539931368018363492023-03-15T13:32:32.113-04:002023-03-15T13:32:32.113-04:00Yes, and unfortunately some people haven't ove...Yes, and unfortunately some people haven't overcome that ignorance today.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.com