Say anything, our lungs were meant to shout
We got another query today asking about our policy on profanity. We get this question pretty frequently. It is always better to ask though, and we don’t mind the question at all - we appreciate that you’d take care to consider the details.
I think I’ve said so here before, but I’m going to repeat my response to the query: We don’t object outright to the use of profanity, and we’ve already published a couple stories with some strong swears. Generally, our rule of thumb is: Is the profanity both appropriate and necessary? Gratuitous or excessive swearing will turn us off, but we also know that there are times when a “Gosh darn it!” just wouldn’t cut it. If the character is one that would swear under the right circumstances, and those circumstances occur, then it’s okay with us.
We wouldn’t even object to the use of derogatory terms, IF they were appropriate for the character and the situation. Having said that, we’re not interested in stories which promote hate, so if use of derogatory terms and the beliefs behind them are portrayed in positive ways, expect the submission to be rejected.
Today we got the last of the nonfiction edited; tomorrow I’ll be adding it to the template. I also did some more tweaking to the new layout - just simplifying it in a couple of key ways that will save me some time down the road. And I did some more web page prepping.
There’s still a reasonable bit more that we can get done for Issue 12 ahead of time, so we’ll see how much we can work in over the next few days. of course, if we do get the rush of submissions we’re hoping for, we may be too busy reading!
Submissions did pick up a bit today, and we’re currently on track to be right around last month’s total. We have gotten some pretty strong subs, but we’re always open to someone outdoing them! THREE days left to submit to the LGBTQ issue!
Originally published at Crossed Genres. You can comment here or there.