Squeaky Clean Writing

My current series, The Glimmer Steel Saga, is designed to be readable by a wide audience.  I wanted to appeal to adults, and I wanted to also appeal to that young reader that I was growing up.   That's a delicate balance.   I have nothing against swear words or harsh scenes in writing.  I think they absolutely have their place, but it is a conscious choice like so many other elements in telling a story now days. 

So yeah, I chose to go squeaky clean on writing.  My curses are all made up or low level fantasy.   By the Gods.  by the Seven.  Blast it!   Yes, I went there.  There's a bit of teen love and romance too, but its kept on a sweet level.   So far, I think I succeed fairly well.  

How do I manage it, you ask?   Just like every writer everywhere manages to try to make what they write with an easy, sensible flow.  Its all about how you work it into your sentences so that you don't break the fourth wall.   Does it seem natural or does it seem fabricated?  Is it jarring?   Does it pull you out of the story?   That's what I fight against while I write and to tell you the truth, if I made the most foul mouthed, dirty story I would be working against the exact same forces.  

The best real-world example I can describe is movies.  We've all seen those movies where the special effects are the star, and the director wants to make sure you see his super special effect because he's so proud of it.  This versus the cinematic masterpiece where the spaceship flying through space is virtually un-noticable and indistinguishable the characters eating a sandwich.  If it all goes toward building the story, than you are on the right track.