There is nothing wrong with putting bad language or other more “adult” content into your Ficlets. Fiction is a form of art, art is a mirror of life, and life ain’t pretty. That said, there are limits. Ficlets is open to the whole internet, which is already heavily weighted towards young people; if this site is to be successful, it has to be a safe environment for all ages. So, how do you balance these two issues?

1. The Mature tag is there for a reason. Use it. If your story has anything objectionable in it, it is much safer to use the tag than not. Yeah, you’ll get fewer readers, but if that’s your motivation, what are you doing here?

2. Keep the title clean. Your story’s title is visible to everyone – don’t even put euphemisms in there.

3. Don’t overdo it. Swearing is a great shortcut to show that a character is angry, or upset, or had a rough upbringing, but if you use it too much that impact is lost. With objectionable content, as with chili powder, use sparingly or it just becomes tasteless.