How dark are you?

[Belial]

"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."

I may have misinterpreted this, since one idea flowed to the next, I saw no real distinction made between "nonstop pessimism and sadism" and "purely dark writing". If this is the case then I apologize.

However I still uphold the idea that the twist is not necessary to make the story interesting. Dom put it very nicely when he said it's the "feel" of the book that makes a story dark, rather than any actual events per se, which is a large part of what I was trying to get across. Therefore, a book may be written in a purely dark tone even though it includes the elements of love, friendship, etc which are not necessarily considered "dark" elements (although, if it is a tragic love, a friendship betrayed, then I suppose they could be.)

Also, I was talking to a friend of mine, who informed me that I sound like a condescending bastard, which is more or less normal. When I'm constructing my thoughts I tend to take a somewhat lecturing tone, and explain things that may seem simple. I thought I'd let you know that this has nothing to do with condescension, but rather that it helps me get my thoughts onto the paper in a clear manner  .

*Looks up* Now if only I could get my thoughts on paper in a clear and -concise- manner.

[Roxinos]

I think terroja simplified my opinion on dark writing the best when he said, ""If I ever wrote a book that couldn't be "bright" one minute and "dark" the next, I think I'd throw away my pen forever."

The truly "dark" stuff is writing that surprises you by throwing something out there that wasn't expected and makes you want to sick up. Belial, Dumai's Wells is a perfect example. I know you know what I'm talking about.

[Belial]

Dumai's Wells was childs-play!

You want some real dark stuff that takes you by surprise, try reading the Chronicles of Corum. Great stuff that.

[WonderandAwe]

I would consider myself a dark author I guess.  Most of my characters usually have to choose between the lessor of two evils.  They could either kill this guy or lets lots of people die.  Trade sex for medicine for a sick relative. 

My characters also make a lot of dark decisions in the heat of the moment.  One character kills another character because he let his daughter die.  There were plenty of consequences to this action (this character that he killed was sort of under diplomatic immunity). 

I think the darkest story I am ever going to write is set in a post apocalyptic America.  It takes a look at some of the current generation of children and how they turned out as adults if they didn't have someone around to care for them. 

[Paige]

I don't think I'm dark, writer or otherwise. I don't want to be dark. I don't like to brood. I don't think it's cool, or enviable. I like to laugh. But there's darkness in everything, isn't there? Else how can we tell the light? I'm not dark, I have darkness in me. it's there. I see it come out at times. But it isn't even the half of me.

  Profound? er... maybe not.

[blgarver]

I'm pessimistic and cynical by nature.

Whether or not that comes out in the things I write, I'm not real sure.  I guess it's tough to define "dark writing", at least in my mind.

I think if any of us could look into our eyes through Harry Dresden's point of view, we'd find all kinds of disturbing things inside us.  Everyone has that base, primal, often perverse aspect of their psyche...some of us just repress it and deny our true nature more than others.

[Roaram]

Hello, I am new to this site, but I kinda wanted to jump in on this topic. I am writing a book with a friend, and one of our biggest sticking points is the tone, or how dark we wish the story to be. I personally think that the darkness of a story has less to do with the events, but with the way the events are portrayed. Darkness is just the absence of light, right? Things like George RR Martins "a song of ice and fire" are a good example. The darkness through out those books isn't in anything so much anything the characters do, but the characters themselves, and why they do what they do. Or for example the character if fidelus in the alera books. He is very dark, in his thoughts and motivation, though his actions are no more "dark" than anyother characters.

And if any of you are looking for a great dark toned book, I suggest "ghost in the snow" I will have to search for the authors name, to make sure I am not confusing her with another, but those books are quietly chilling in a way that is hard to describe.

[C.T. Adams]

How dark I write really depends on what I'm writing.  I have a few humor pieces which are "light," some horror pieces which are totally dark.  Most of what I write though has shades of both, because I try even in fantasy to make sure that there is a certain amount of realism, and life is both light and dark. 

For example, Jim has things happen to Harry that are VERY dark, but the humor could be considered to "lighten things up."  I mean, how can you not consider "Bolshevik Muppet" a lightening force in that particular scene.

But overall, I'm probably on the darker end of the spectrum.

[SirThinks2Much]

I kill a lot of characters but I always go for happy (or at least bittersweet) endings. Weird? Perhaps.

But do you mean dark as in content, or mood?

Content, I'd say I'm a shade darker than medium. I've come up with vampiric immortals, insane warlords, dysfunctional families, rape scenes, and the occasional Electra complex. On the other hand I like offbeat humor, innocent characters, and no random animal violence.

For mood or writing style, I have a hard time being dark. I have a hard time using "dark" prose in order to get something across as "dark". The imagery and content ought to speak for themselves, but that's how I work.