- This topic has 99 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 11 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
… And here I am, desperately hoping it wasn’t my story that prompted this topic 😳 Do tell me it isn’t so, @mineralizedwritings
“Everything is a mountain”
Um…😳 it was one of them yes…
don’t feel bad about it, It’s a important conversation. 😃
So this topic was mostly prompted out of the fact that most writing I found on KP was too dark for me too read. I hardly read any happy scenes here (I’d actually say near none), and I started to question whether there were people writing darkness simply for the sake of it. I don’t know people’s stories and how there writing works with there personal experiences, everyone processes things differently.
I realized at some point that’s partly because most people here are writing conflicts and expositions, not resolutions from later in books. It takes awhile to reach the redemption arcs.
If we are talking about the same story, then I initially said you should change the age range, but lets be honest, I was a new-comer and said something lighter than what I thought to be nice.
I was a bit confused first coming to KP, I was a new writer and was seeing that my writing was different than other peoples, even in a christian circle. I think this comes down to a lot of things, one thing being how people handle hardship. Some people want to further explore what they went through (Hence why some people write darkness, Idk if people here do that though) whereas I would rather write a safe feeling story of character’s growing out of old hardships into a new life, and learning how to have fun again. So at some point, I started to subconsciously believe my story needed to be darker. I eventually let go of that because the things I added felt off, I realized I was just trying to fit in, and that I didn’t need to do that. That was awhile ago, but I’ve wanted to do this thread for a bit now.
So, lot’s of reasons I started this thread. I think I have had a lot of uncertainties about people’s writing here, and I figured the best way to understand why people write what they write is too ask them. 😃 Better than making assumptions, right?
Anyways, that’s why I made the topic!
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
I think I understand what you’re saying, and I sympathize. I don’t know if my story is what you’d call dark, but it is very emotional and perhaps heavy at times. I’m not sure when I realized it, but I wrote it to try to process some difficulties in my life. I can’t explain a lot, but I felt very lonely, alone, cut off from my friends, and depressed, and I ended up trying to communicate that in my writing. It’s helped me deal with recovery, and it helps release pent-up emotion. However, I don’t want to write anything that’s very dark, and I don’t think I have, but I haven’t shared it with many people.
If I could ask a question to clarify . . . could you describe a little bit what you mean by “dark”? It’s a term with a wide range of meaning and I was just wondering.
Please keep up your writing and don’t feel pressured to make it dark! I enjoy reading your book, even though I’m not able to respond very often, I do really enjoy it! 😊
Be brave. Be strong. Be bold.
-Christopher BlakewellThanks for asking! And yeah, I’ve felt that before. I have felt really lonely at times too, and that usually comes out in one of two ways. Character’s in my story who feel like how I wish I felt (Lesli) and character’s who at times feel how I felt (Keiryn). Keiryn is the type of person you think is “Just fine”, because he hangs out with other people. That doesn’t mean those people are fulfilling, and that doesn’t mean he isn’t lonely.
Yeah, dark can mean a lot of things. I was interested that a lot of people responded about magic, I did not consider some people would interpret it that way. I would say cruelty is the main thing I noticed. I think it affects me much heavier than other people. Cruelty in abuse is one thing, and lets be honest I at some point realized what I was reading was too much, but continued anyways. For instance, instead of implying what happened to a character, they show a scene of them being abused. It might be small, for instance a slave being punished in a in-humane (I mean besides the fact slavery is in-humane) and cruel way. There’s just some things that really affect me, I think more than others. It’s hard for me to understand why people are able to write this way, hence why I asked ya’ll. I know it is important to not sugar coat abuse and cruelty, it’s real, it’s horrible, and people who went through it have lasting affects from it. But where is the balance? It’s a hard question, I personally would never write abuse, mostly because I have no personal experience with it. I take what I write pretty seriously, because my readers may be going through what I am writing about. I want to make sure I don’t mislead confused teenagers going through hardship. I don’t take responsibility, but I tread carefully and don’t tackle ideas I don’t have any experience with atm. even if my experience is less than my characters, I can at least understand some of their feelings.
I suppose dark for me is cruelty, and more notably child cruelty. I sympathize with people in stories a lot, and although I don’t have personal experience with these things, I understand how it feels to be a kid, and feel unsafe, even if it is slight. So, reading stuff like that make me feel unsafe, and in the past I was confused why I had to be so sensitive. It really limits the interactions I can have with other people, mostly because I can’t relate about book reading as much.
So yeah. Long winded, I kinda like these conversations. 🙂
Glad you enjoy reading my story! Makes me happy 🙂
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
… Thank you 🙂 I’m really glad you were honest. It’s strange how first impressions work, and I guess that particular story didn’t help things at all.
What you said about ‘barely ever reading happy scenes’ kinda hit me hard. It’s true. Since I joined (a couple months back), there hasn’t been a lot of cheerful stuff. You’re right, that some people just process things differently. But I shouldn’t have gone with that flow, and chosen to share a darker WIP.
I remember that you commented, and I didn’t think too much about it. If you want to be more serious about my writing (like, actually criticize it), please, speak your mind. I promise I won’t yell in all caps or something. I’m not at all sure why I wanted to write that story, other than to experiment with the genre. I wasn’t feeling any anger or sadness – in fact, somehow the certain tone of voice I was using had a hopeful effect on me. These last two years, I’ve realized a lot of things in the world are corrupted. Writing Hazel Heart was my way of saying ‘So what? there will always be hope.’ But the special relationship I saw between the MC and the giant must not have come through in the writing.
Please, do not feel like you have to make your story darker in order to fit in. What you’re writing – joy, wonder, warm hugs and hot chocolate – is just what this community needs, I bet. To tell the truth, I was going to post a really happy, childlike story. The one my username is based off of – Whale Keepers. But I kinda chickened out and went with something more serious.
So, I’m going to start a topic for stories like that in a minute or two. 💛
“Everything is a mountain”
Thank you so much for your response, it really means a lot to me there are others who feel the same way. 💛
I don’t want to talk about your wip too much, because like I said, it was too much for me. But I probably should clarify that one of the things that made me question it the most was the relationship between the kid mc and the giant. I’m going to be honest here, because you seem to be okay with that. I took it as giants conducting human fighting for there own entertainment. The kind of thing people used to do with animals. In that case, It’s a very serious situation in which the giants are doing evil. So, any hopeful relationship between the mc and the giant comes off as “Abused is friends with his abuser”. I couldn’t see the recognition there was anything evil about something that was going to leave the MC emotionally scared for life. He’s just a kid.
Also, I understand realizing the world is more corrupt than you thought. That happened to me at some point too, and my first response was just straight up fear. it’s something I still don’t know how to deal with all the way, and is complicated by the fact that one of my mc’s has the same fear. It’s hard to make progress in his character development, when I haven’t totally figured things out myself. God let’s bad things happen where they may not be deserved, and we can’t live in fear because of that. But we still have to protect ourselves.
I understand feeling uncomfortable sharing a happier story, I’ve felt the same. I’ve sometimes felt in christian circles (Not necessarily KP) that being “too christian” was a thing. Like, it’s uncool to like happy not edgy things. It’s a small since I’ve gotten, and not everywhere. But in those situations I’ve always felt like a party-pooper if I were to have spoken my mind, and the worry that I’m just too sensitive is always there.
Thanks so much for your words! I often times worry about my story being too fluffy, which I wouldn’t call it fluffy, but I have a hard time putting humor and fun into it, when tbh, that’s something I really wanted when I started writing. My favorite book series, “Haikyu”, is a bit like that. Real emotional stuff, but nothing too much, and anything really sad is already in the past, now you get to watch the character’s growth shine. It has this “safe feel” I always wanted in my story, because well, nobody dies. It’s a sports manga after all.
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
- Rank: Chosen One
- Total Posts: 8156
@mineralizedwritings. I will second @koshka and @loopylin on this one.
The Bible doesn’t shy away from the darkness. The Bible doesn’t shy away from sin. And I don’t think (as long as your audience, theme, and convictions warrant it!) we should either. But it doesn’t condone the sin, it CONDEMNES the sin.
Because people have questions. Things like: Why is murder wrong? Why is hatred wrong? are only a few examples. And if we, as Christian writers, don’t try to at least help answer those questions, people are going to turn to the world for answers. And is the world going to give them the right answer? No, it won’t.
I’m not against people who keep darkness out of their books. My sister does, because she is writing for little kids.
But for me, I’m writing about something that was very, VERY dark. WWII and the Holocaust were dark and ugly. And I don’t want to shy away from that.
History is all about the good, the bad, and the ugly. And life is that way too.
But this is where we, as Christian authors, have a special purpose.
We can portray light in the darkness.
We shouldn’t have our books wallow in darkness, but if we need to, we can’t completely shy away from the darkness either. But, as Christians, we can show that no matter how dark the tunnel may seem, there is always light at the end of it.
We shouldn’t write books that wallow in darkness, but if our books, theme, convictions, and audience warrants it, then I think it’s okay to write about it.
Because I need to get honest here.
I write about darkness because not only is it History, but out of that darkness, my characters learn lessons and are redeemed.
These stories that I am writing have been…healing to me.
And one character and story in particular. Riker’s.
His struggles with guilt, with being able to forgive others but not himself, thinking he can never be loved, that he’s a mistake…that’s me. I’ve dealt with these things over and over again in my life, and I’m still learning to see myself how God sees me. I see a mistake, but he sees a masterpiece. And Riker’s Road to figuring that out has brought me more healing than I could ever imagine. When I write Riker, when I see Riker, I’m seeing my own struggles and my own beliefs about myself. (not his childhood, but that’s there to add to his struggles)
And the darkness of his childhood, the darkness of the world around him, they add to that conflict and that eventual redemption, and I think it’s important that I keep that.
But, of course, all of these are only my opinions, and maybe I shouldn’t have gotten that honest and raw, but I felt like I needed to be.
Either way, I truly think it’s between you and God. But I truly feel like he wants me, personally, to portray the darkness so I can glorify him out of that darkness.
@freedomwriter76
Thanks for your response! I enjoyed reading it <3
I agree that writing about darkness particularly can help people who are trying to figure out the things that happen in this world, and it can help to clarify why wrong things are wrong. I agree that it’s ok to write about it! I dealt with guilt a lot too throughout my childhood too, which was complicated by what I believe was mild depression. Best described as a continual rock in my stomach 😅 (Not all the time, but at periods of my life it was pretty constant).
Don’t worry about being too raw, I was hoping people would be comfortable sharing here 🙂.
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
- Rank: Chosen One
- Total Posts: 8156
@mineralizedwritings. You’re welcome. I’m glad. <3
I agree that writing about darkness particularly can help people who are trying to figure out the things that happen in this world, and it can help to clarify why wrong things are wrong. I agree that it’s ok to write about it!
Yeah, I think it really depends on audience and convictions and things. 🙂
I dealt with guilt a lot too throughout my childhood too, which was complicated by what I believe was mild depression. Best described as a continual rock in my stomach 😅 (Not all the time, but at periods of my life it was pretty constant).
It feels pretty constant right now, honestly. I just can’t seem to shake it. I want to talk about it, but then I also…don’t. I’m someone who tries to carry things on their own because I don’t want to burden my parents or other people with my problems and emotions and I don’t know how to overcome that. (another struggle of Riker’s…man, me and him are just way too similar…I think it’s why I love him so much…) Here I am talking/ranting again…thank you for always listening. Everyone on here is soooo kind and caring. <3333
Don’t worry about being too raw, I was hoping people would be comfortable sharing here 🙂.
Okay, good. I think sharing about our struggles is important. None of us are perfect. 🙂
@freedomwriter76
Yeah, I know how it feels. During like 7th grade for me, I came to the realization I had not been living like a christian in some pretty major ways. It hit me like a wall of bricks, and I would start breathing hard any time I remembered. The only way to shake the feeling was to overshare to my mom, which was good because it kept me accountable, but also terrifying. Maybe good for a short period of time, but I had a hard time stopping and would remember slight details I just had to tell her or I practically couldn’t live with myself. Around the same time, I started to get ocd. Now I didn’t just feel guilty about my own sin, but other people’s too. Idk how to explain how that works, there’s always a way to make it your fault if you think hard enough. So I did have reason to feel bad, but I felt bad for way too long and couldn’t shake it for awhile. I would get literal stomach ache sometimes I felt so bad. I think God used a health problem (ocd) to crack some really bad sinful habits of mine. I always think back to this older lady at our church who had told us something like that we should pray God could use my bad health for his good. I didn’t think much of it, but forced myself to pray that because I new it was right. I think that was it, as painful of a time as it was. I could not ignore the extreme guilt, even if some of it wasn’t natural guilt people should be getting.
That’s just a part of my story, it made me different, whether that be for the good, bad, or neutral ways. Don’t feel like anything I said has to apply to you, just sharing and everyone’s situation is different. I’m not like ‘glad’ I went through that, but it was pretty humbling. <3
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
I understand about being ‘overly sensitive’, although I’m not sensitive in the same way. I pick up emotions around me, both from real life and characters. And I have quite a vivid imagination, which tends to not forget the images I read. I understand this, and am accordingly careful. I was also raised with a stricter idea of what is inappropriate, to which I still agree, so there’s that side of things as well.
(Plus graphic writing makes me sick to my stomach)
Remember, being sensitive is a good thing. Not only can you understand other people better, but the impact of the gospel is greater. We need to be careful or we will begin to see the cross as common place. We will lose touch with the absolutely undeserved love of God.
And that’s what I want my books to point towards. So I need to be sensitive.
I’ve noticed a lot of child abuse in writing around KP, and I do have a side character who was neglected/abused by his father before the book, but it is only alluded to.
I suppose I do have forms of abuse in my books (such as a public beating), but I don’t describe what it looks like, but rather what the characters are thinking and feeling.
My books are around middle grade to youth, but I want them to be clear enough for older children, and deep enough for adults. If you come across anything in my writing which you think is too much/not appropriate, then please point it out!
And cheerful, fluffy writing is one of my favorite genres! (I mean, I have The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic on my wishlist) We need more stories like that around here.
First Grand Historian of Arreth and the Lesser Realms (aka Kitty)
Fork the GorkYeah, I would agree there are good things about being sensitive, I just never felt like society lined up with that. I tended to be that one kid who wouldn’t go to church youth events because I couldn’t handle the movies they watched, LOTR. It was a bit painful and made me feel more disconnected then I already was. Instead of being patient and accepting that’s just who I am, I thought maybe I was just supposed to ‘take it’. Like I perhaps needed to toughen up. I knew that wasn’t true, but I also knew other people did not understand what I felt that made me unable to watch stuff like that. I really like that you are trying to have deeper but clear books for middle grade! My favorite movie is ‘up’, which I feel is a perfect example of that. It’s emotional and sad at times, doesn’t make you feel disturbed, and shows a resolution.
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
There’s nothing wrong with being more sensitive to dark things! I really respect you bringing this whole thing up a not ignoring your instincts, yet still being so respectful to everyone. Honestly I noticed all the traumatic writing when I first joined too, but I dismissed it as teenage angst or just different writing styles XD
“Nothing says autumn like slurpin’ apples.” -my uncle
Yeah!
I thought most of it was teenage angst too, which tbh, I was tired of. It’s all over the place in public school. So I figured I’d ask people about it, and I’m glad I did! Not to say none of it is teenage ansgt, I don’t know if it is, but I’m glad to get to see some of the deeper reasons people write the way they do.
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
As I’m reading through this conversation, it’s opening my eyes to some things I didn’t realize before. I used to be more of a sensitive person, but because I thought I would come across as “childish” or “wimpy”, I created a tough outside shell and concealed a lot of my emotions. I think that hard/tough shell is affecting my writing too. I used to write stories that had more of that happy, homey feeling and not as much fear as I do now.
Thank you for sharing, and for being open and honest! Reading this is helping me to see where I have changed and where I need to be myself and not give in to the pressures of a society filled with darkness. Society tries to tell us that darkness is good and thrilling, and tries to shame those of us who are sensitive into thinking we’re weird.
While the above paragraphs were more from my personal perspective, I am open to other opinions. As @freedomwriter76 mentioned, some people are called to write about hard things. I respect that calling, and encourage them to stand up to the challenge and go for it. When we stay close to God, He will warn us when we are heading in a wrong direction, and encourage us when we are on the path that He has chosen for us.
I understand and can relate to where you (mineralizedwritings) are coming from. But at the same time I think there may be times in my life, especially as I get closer to adulthood, that I may write about something dark.
I think it’s important for us all to remember that God has created each of us in unique, special ways. Everybody has a different personality, and everybody can handle different things. We need to be considerate of others: if something offends someone, we acknowledge that and seek to keep the peace. We also need to be careful not to hurt ourselves by reading/writing things that will harm us.
Now I know everybody is friendly on here and no one would want to offend anyone. No matter what we believe about this subject, we need to be confident in who God made us to be, and understand that our personalities are special and, no pun intended, personal. 😀 As Christians we are called to put others first and have a brotherly/sisterly love for each other.
So, please let me know if something I write in my story is too dark. I will put warnings at the tops of posts if there’s something questionable, just so everything is clear.
Also, cheers to @whalekeeper for starting the happy moments topic! I’m going to be posting on there pretty soon.
I think this is the longest-winded post I’ve posted so far. Deep breath. Whew.
He must increase, but I must decrease.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.