Not trash talk, the use of insulting or boastful speech intended to demoralize another—but, “brash talk,” the milieu of writers for creating memorable lines.

In my opinion, brash talk—whether bawdy, angry, caustic, or love-struck—generates its own brand of eloquence:

From William Shakespeare’s 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream': Hermia to Lysander - “Graze on my lips, and if those hills be dry/Stray lower where the pleasant fountains lie.”

From Emily Brontë’s 'Wuthering Heights,' my all-time favorite novel: Heathcliff to Catherine – “Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. You said I killed you--haunt me then. The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe--I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad.”

Talk is cheap—unless vivid and character driven!

One of my pet peeves as a reader is that of coming across lame dialogue which can’t hold a candle to the wind. Therefore, when writing, I try my best to avoid composing drivel, while staying true to my characters. My own worst critic, the other day, I scrolled back to chapter 10 in my WIP, editing what didn’t wash with me.

I felt a whole lot better for executing this line, spoken by my protagonist, Aida, to her best friend during a flashback scene: “Muriel, didn’t anyone ever mention that you can’t commit a murder by death wish alone?”

*You’re cordially invited to drop a line of brash talk either from your own WIP, or from a book you’ve read.