McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

How dark are you?

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Cathy Clamp:
My characters tend to ENJOY the deaths of others. In our first book, I wrote a torture scene that was done by the "hero" that my co-author insisted I remove before we submitted it.  It gave her nightmares. But she's written (and published) some stuff that gave me the serious creeps, too. So, I guess we're both pretty dark.

Just wait until I finally get a chance to work on the story I REALLY want to write---a dark little Cthulu story that will seriously bother people.  I'm aiming for Weird Tales, if it's not too dark for them...  ::)

terroja:
I think that most writers that think they're dark are just not very versatile. If I ever wrote a book that couldn't be "bright" on minute and "dark" the next, I think I'd throw away my pen forever.

Usually books that are just nonstop pessimism or sadism are just incredibly boring. How many consecutive tortures and deaths can you read before they lose any and all impact? The only time purely dark writing is ever actually disturbing is if there is something twisted about it. Someone getting decapitated with a rusty table saw is not nearly as interesting (or funny) as someone getting decapitated with a rusty tablesaw by Santa Clause while their children watch.

Belial:
Terroja, I'm afraid that I must disagree with your comment.

While it's true that nonstop pessimism and sadism do get boring, I wouldn't consider a book full of them to necessarily be "Dark". Not dark, just sick.

Most of the really good dark writing I've read is full of other things as well, love, hate, mercy, slaughter, redemption, downfalls. It's full of things... if you can't feel for the protagonist the story isn't going to be good.

"Dark" writing is a lot more than just sadism. It's a way of telling the story, it's dark and gritty, with horrific elements. That doesn't equate to sadism or angsty-ness though. Sadism is just one of the tools of dark writing. Like any tool it has it's uses and it's tasks, but it cannot do everything, it cannot be everything, there needs to be more.

Now that I've rambled, trying to get my ideas across (although not to my satisfaction) I think I'll stop before I confuse even myself. Hopefully it made some sense, but if not I'm sure i can rant some more quite happily.  :P

Dom:
I agree with Belial.

Anita Blake is kinda, sorta dark.  (I'd call it gritty more then dark; I've never felt Horror of any sort while reading her stuff).  The Black Jewels Trilogy is dark.  The Kushiel series can be dark, particularly in Kushiel's Avatar, but overall is not.  Harry Dresden, to me, has a hint of darkness, but overall is not.

Regardless, I've noticed authors tend to write a...specific "shade" of darkness if you look at their careers overall.  Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey...both are NOT dark authors.  For me they're totally on the other side of the spectrum.  I get the impression that neither wants to delve into darkness well enough to write any situation or scene or character that is truly dark.  Piers Anthony falls here too.

C. S. Friedman, Joan D. Vinge, Robin Hobb are darker authors.  They tend to write greyscale, with any particular book being slightly lighter or darker then the others.

Firethorn by Sarah Micklem is dark.  Totally.  Then again Sarah Micklem has only put out one book.

Robert A. Heinlein is not dark, but he is rather subversive.

It's more the feel of the book, overall, like Belial said.

Saker Pup:

--- Quote from: Belial on October 08, 2006, 08:02:53 PM ---"Dark" writing is a lot more than just sadism. It's a way of telling the story, it's dark and gritty, with horrific elements. That doesn't equate to sadism or angsty-ness though.
--- End quote ---

Unless I misread completely, I believe that was Terroja's point.

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