D is for Dark Side

Some of you reading this might know that I'm currently undertaking the A-Z Blogging Challenge and today Day 4 is the letter D. As it is almost 9 pm and I've had a day of it, including interviewing staff, management meetings and friends dropping by this evening, D almost became Desperately trying to write this Darn post! However instead I've decided to take a visit to the dark side. Would you like to join me?


It seems that we have a fascination for the darker side of life. Book shops are filled with fictional tales of murder and mayhem and stories of  people who've had their hearts broken in one way or another. Often in such books, we want to see good overcome evil. We want to see the killer get their just desserts and we want to see the broken main character find happiness with someone new. A lot of times that happens and sometimes it doesn't.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is in my opinion a good example of this - a portrayal of two dark main characters and no Hollywood happy ending. (Sorry perhaps I should have put a spoiler alert ahead of this post). But I loved this book and the threatening nature of both characters and how their lives interweave.

Since I've been writing, I've also come to embrace this darker side. In life I'm a pretty positive and upbeat person. In fact I've even chosen to be a Coach in my professional life, a role that encourages, supports and helps others to achieve what's important to them. And yet often when I sit down to write a short story, it's the dark side that comes to the fore and shows itself. I've laughed with others in my writing group that perhaps it's life's natural way of balancing things out. I've got to let some of these darker emotions out and so they appear on paper.

Do you embrace your dark side in your writing or does it scare you to go there? I'd love to hear from you and find out your thoughts on this subject. Let me know how you feel.

And now I shall bid you goodnight and sweet dreams...




Comments

  1. The dark side definitely comes out in my writing. Evil mothers and drunk fathers and the like. Ironically I had great parents. I'm discussing Greek myths over at my blog--where the darker side never fails to turn up!

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    1. Hi Tamara, thanks for stopping by and commenting. Evil mothers and drunk fathers for you. I've had evil husbands and betrayed wives and again am in a wonderfully happy marriage!

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  2. The dark side often comes out in my writing too. People who read my work probably think I'm crazy!

    http://lgkeltner.blogspot.com/
    http://warpednerdiversity.blogspot.com/

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    1. Took a look at your site and loved some of your stories. Crazy - no, hugely creative - yes. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. the dark side is the only side worth cultivating! The other sides are there for the world to see anyday! :)

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    1. I think you're probably right. We show our normal side everyday and it's great to have an excuse to let the dark side out.

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  4. My stories are full of the dark and sinister. Like you, my job involves spending time with young people and helping them develop their strengths. Love the post! rsmccoy.blogspot.com

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  5. Thanks I appreciate you stopping by and commenting. Heading over to your site now to take a look at your dark and sinister stories.

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  6. Stopping by from A to Z here, my blog is The Next Chapter and in writing my own A to Z posts (all flash fiction up to now) I've found that as much as I want to write rom com kinds of stories...so far all I've written is creepy and chilling.

    Loved your little commentary on the dark side. I'll be sure to come back!

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  7. I think people are scared of the "dark side" - but there is a lot of strong energy there - the question is how to use it. Anger, stubbornness, determination, drive, ego, ... all these allow you to ignore others and put yourself first. In many ways that can be bad; on the other hand, many of us could let a more of our dark side out. The question is how to find the balance, and books let us explore the line between accomplishing the impossible and being impossible while accomplishing.

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