As a freelance writer, I spend a lot of time trying to format images from my memory into words. For some, including myself, this can be a labouring task. I have met many an amateur, who insists that he has written the ultimate novel and it only took him a couple of late nights and several cups of coffee. I would be the first to applaud any would be writer on achieving this fete.

On reviewing this "ultimate novel" I found that there was no fixture, like a house without foundations or A frames. Many young would be writers have the idea that if they use as many swear words as they could possibly find, that this would make their projects stronger and mature, when the opposite is actually portrayed. The use of strong language, has to be used cautiously especially when you are presenting your project to publishers etc....

I have just recently completed a novel where there is a few uses of strong language. This wasn’t to make me look hard or mature, it was to portray the image of the characters which I had in the novel.

One couldn’t imagine a serious villain holding a gun at someone's head and saying:

"Right, you cabbage, don’t make another move or I’ll flippin’ shoot you!"

The use of strong language has to be used effectively and in the best way to highlight the character. Imagine this for example:

She swayed over towards the bar, her black, silk dress caressed her revealing the shapely contours of her body. Her eyes were the darkest blue he had seen, and he couldn’t of imagined her to be half as beautiful as she appeared. His heart began a steady pound as she approached him, he hadn’t faced so much beauty before.

Her voice was quiet and soft, "Fancy a fuckin’ dance?" She asked. As soft as the lips which had cradled it.

It is therefore important to choose words as carefully as possible. One should never assume that the reader will understand what you mean, you have to make sure, that the reader will understand, she cannot ask you. Many readers interpret things differently, some like to imagine themselves as the characters in the book. Some readers interpret things in accordance with their own experiences, not yours.

Gilly Cooper is to me, an excellent escapist writer, she writes about money and mingling with the rich and famous. A life which probably three-quarter of the world would love to live. She takes the reader into this world and for a while, they are no longer in their semi-detached council houses, with three screaming children and a pile of ironing. She has an excellent skill, a powerful one.

In writing for other people, one must remember that if you do not guide the reader, she won’t know where you are going. She will keep reading, hoping that eventually she will find you. I would rather know that the reader has read the book out of enjoyment and found the escapism, rather than trying to find the plot in the first place. Hey!, who said writing was easy? Whatever you do, do it well, take your time, explain the obvious. Take the reader with you.

Good Luck!