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I have an idea for a book, but I’m not sure if it’s too dark to write about. It was essentially going to be dystopian and where atomic bombs destroyed the major cities of the world, but looking back on it I realized how dark that actually is.
The main message was going to be that no matter how dark the times are, there is always hope and God will always be with us. However, I have been having doubts about this since I don’t think having this justifies a dark premise, though I also realize that many of the greatest works have a lot of dark elements (because if you think about it, LOTR is not exactly a happy, lighthearted trilogy that many people think it is). What do you all think though? When is something too dark that it shouldn’t be written about?
Some tags: @highscribeofaetherium @thearcaneaxiom @savannah_grace2009 @whalekeeper @rae @ellette-giselle @loopylin @linus-smallprint @stephie @theducktator @keilah-h @trailblazer @anyone else
Ok, my essential thoughts: this is a dark world. I mean man, it’s dark, depraved, sick, evil, black, and desperate. it is ONLY because of God that there is any hope at all. I tend to write about a lot of dark stuff, i.e. persecution of the Christians in the roman times, child brainwashing in dystopian era, outlawing of Christianity, etc.
This stuff all exists and it happens even today. Here’s my thoughts. Don’t write darkness for the sake of darkness, evil for the sake of evil, cruelty for the sake of shocking readers, etc. Write what’s true. The truth is, there is darkness, however, there is also hope and there is light. The light is not going to be bright if you don’t have darkness for it to shine in. If the room is already light, no need for more light. You need darkness, but you need truth. Write darkness for the sake of the light, write the evil because it’s true, but also write the good and light, (i.e. God)
So I say, go for it. But, be sure you write the darkness only so that the light can show, not because you love the dark.
does that make sense?
Ellette nailed it. I pretty much would have said the same thing (if I could articulate it that well, which I could not)
The pen is mightier than the sword… but I still want a sword.
It’s all about why the darkness is there. Top questions when reading something dark: Is this melodramatic? If so, what does that say about the writer’s reasons for including it? What practical reason does the writer have for including it, if at all?
Tbh I see no problem with big bombs in a story, I have one in my project. It’s a magical bomb, but still. It’s there to establish the main city’s isolated culture and the toxic waste surrounding it, and the magic system. Thematically speaking, it also has a purpose.
To be honest after reading tons of books. A writer may have in-world reasons for why a dark element is there. But the real reason they want the element is because it is a source of melodrama and angst 🫤 Usually this ends weird, because like a deus ex machina, it’s primarily there for author convenience. It also feels pretty unnaturally highlighted because of the author bias.
If you’re worried something is unchristian – just avoid adding it for melodrama or reader tears, and focus on including negative consequences to evil. It’s really about not getting overly invested in the dramatization… which just happens to be a huge flaw in our modern culture.
Ramble switch: off 😛
"Infinity is the epitomy of manhood"
Well…look at my novel!
It has several dark elements, like child abuse, child neglect/abandonment, murder, evil guys running the world, hatred, prison camps, etc.
But the reason these elements are in my story is because my story is an allegory about Light and Darkness, good and evil!
I think your story is fine (unless you’re uncomfortable writing about it) because it serves a purpose, illustrating how God is always with us and because of Him we can have hope!
For example, in my novel, if I were to add all those things just for “fun” or “just because they make a good plot”, then no, I don’t think that should justify a dark premise.
If there is a legitimate reason that something dark is in your story, then I think you should go ahead. Especially if that reason is to glorify God with your writing.
And as always, if you don’t feel comfortable writing something, then don’t write about it!!! Also praying helps too! (:
Hopefully that makes sense.
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333Wow, that was really good! I like what you said about the light shining in the darkness. Thanks!
I guess I never thought about it that way. Tbh, the only reason the post apocalyptic world exists is because of the main character (he didn’t cause it, but you’ll see why in a second). The main character is supposed to start out as a despairing, selfish guy, but by the end of the story he’s full of hope and sacrifices himself for his loved ones. I already had the ending in mind (where he would be fighting off some threat to protect his friends) but I didn’t know what threat exactly. Then when I was looking through a scrapped WIP, I got the idea to have mutants that were a result of radiation. I want the themes to be redemption, hope in the dark, and the horrors that can come about because of war, but I came up with those themes afterwards. Primarily I was focused on writing a compelling development for a character. So now I’m not really sure if I should write it because I do want to write for God and show His glory but also when I came up with the idea it was mainly to have that scene in mind (which seems really silly in retrospect). Thanks for your help.
What you said about not adding dark stuff in for fun is really true, thanks for pointing that out.
Thanks everyone for your advice again, it was super helpful!!
If you want to show a sacrifice, I don’t think that’s inherently melodramatic 😊 It only becomes melodrama if you become blinded to story mechanics and the reader’s perspective in everything. And if it becomes too important to you, I guess. We often become blind to the flaws in our greatest loves… man, I’m spurting poetry! XD Drama is fine as long as you can see everything from a bird’s eye view, and you seem to be a pretty practical person so far.
"Infinity is the epitomy of manhood"
@theshadow that is a dark concept….
but honestly, I just agree with everyone else that as long as you’re not presenting a dark concept as positive or good, you can write it, as long as it doesn’t take too much of a toll on your mental health.
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
Yeah, I sometimes forget to make sure what I’m writing isn’t too dark for me (I think I’ve been reading too much Ray Bradbury lately). Thanks!
We often become blind to the flaws in our greatest loves… man, I’m spurting poetry!
Lol well you’re right.
Drama is fine as long as you can see everything from a bird’s eye view, and you seem to be a pretty practical person so far.
Thanks! I don’t want to make something that’s super melodramatic though (still figuring out what that means XD).
@theshadow lol yeah I don’t know who that is
but I do the same thing. Whenever my dad tells me about the latest sci-fi book he’s been reading, I decide I want to write a science-fiction AU of whatever my current work is.
Right now, that happens to be that TF2 fanfic I told you about, and all nine classes (ten if you count my fanmade one, but considering she’s the sister of one of the canon ones they’d be the same species) ended up as representatives from nine different species battling over a desolate planet. I didn’t end up writing it, as it’s basically the same thing as the original but in space, but I might draw the designs I came up with for the characters someday. (They’re all basically human but some of them have like tails, fur, non-human abilities, etc.)
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
lol i’m sorry for diverting the topic that was too random
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
lol yeah I don’t know who that is
He’s an author that writes a lot of dark futuristic sci-fi stuff.
Whenever my dad tells me about the latest sci-fi book he’s been reading, I decide I want to write a science-fiction AU of whatever my current work is
Ooh, that’s cool!
lol i’m sorry for diverting the topic that was too random
It’s fine lol, the concept sounded interesting even if it was the same thing.
So…I think it’s a really good idea. I mean, this is a dark world, although it’s not as dark as the world you might be writing about. But it’s still riddled with sin. I think that writing a book around horrible topics might just allow the goodness of God to shine through even more strongly–just like how a light is brighter in a dark room. There are a lot of people in the world who need to hear that, whatever happens, and we mean whatever happens, there is still a loving father who will never leave us. That’s a beautiful message and the dark theme is necessary to convey it. I also love what @ellette-giselle said–that was super deep, honestly.
However, I still think it would be cautious to plan the book carefully just to see whether it’s appropriate to write. What I mean is, would you read a book like that? Or watch a movie including those themes? Kind of like how, when I was twelve years old, my parents would NOT let me write about attempted genocide, especially not in vivid detail from the perspective of a character who was there, because that was just inappropriate for me to be doing at that age. (Yes, I kept writing anyways, but that isn’t the point. I should have stopped.)
I don’t mean that you’re not ready–I don’t know how old you are, since you could be anywhere between thirteen and thirty, and I don’t know how mature you are. I just mean that, in my opinion, it’s a good idea to evaluate whether or not you should wait a bit longer to write it.
🙂
"Courage, dear heart." -Aslan
Oops, how did I forget your tag? @theshadow
"Courage, dear heart." -Aslan
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