I can go to some really dark places in my mind. Really. Dark. Places.
For the past year and a half, I have been writing a series where Death is the narrator. In doing so, I had to think up ways for people to die, and not all of them could be pretty, neat, or convenient. Which meant I had to go to some very dark places and dig out some extremely gruesome things. -- And sometimes it scared me, to know I was capable of thinking such thoughts.
I decided to write the dark stuff anyway.
In person, I'm pretty even-keel, pragmatic, and polite.
In my head, it's a chaotic hot mess. And lots of it isn't polite or fit for human company.
I had to embrace all that, as a writer. Great stories have to be more than just vanilla, and the best flavoring comes from the dark places in our minds and our souls. So, despite the fear, write it anyway. Whatever it is. Even if it is never use it in a story. You'll be a better writer for having explored the depths of the darkness within.
Go forth and write!
For the past year and a half, I have been writing a series where Death is the narrator. In doing so, I had to think up ways for people to die, and not all of them could be pretty, neat, or convenient. Which meant I had to go to some very dark places and dig out some extremely gruesome things. -- And sometimes it scared me, to know I was capable of thinking such thoughts.
I decided to write the dark stuff anyway.
In person, I'm pretty even-keel, pragmatic, and polite.
In my head, it's a chaotic hot mess. And lots of it isn't polite or fit for human company.
I had to embrace all that, as a writer. Great stories have to be more than just vanilla, and the best flavoring comes from the dark places in our minds and our souls. So, despite the fear, write it anyway. Whatever it is. Even if it is never use it in a story. You'll be a better writer for having explored the depths of the darkness within.
Go forth and write!