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I think most writers would agree that the story comes out on its own. As a writer, you are a slave to your thoughts as they transform into a tale of fiction or a piece of prose. If your goal is to target young adults, you may want to use discretion but you may not be able to. When writing any fiction, it is of utmost importance to stay true to your characters!

If you created the perfect villain with the bad-boy grin, he may be prone to foul language! If you do target teenagers, you might want to consider that when you design your character. (Ex: J.K. Rowling's, Harry Potter.) Of course, there are countless big-hit novels in the past that featured main characters who cursed! What is really important is that you as a writer see your vision through to the end. If your characters curse - they curse. It's important to capture the authenticity and realism of this world in the characters that you create. For example, it would be ridiculous to attempt to write about local gangs without using foul language. If you can pull that off, then you have lost the authenticity of the characters!

I strongly believe that it is not an author's responsibility to guard today's youth from reading realistic dialog. The author must keep true to their artistic vision and hope that their work only reaches its targeted audience. If parents are worried about this, there are Christian publishing companies that will guarantee that there's no offensive language or situations in their books. Also, parents should take an active role in encouraging their young adults toward fiction appropriate for their age.

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