1. KT Sweet says:

    Agreed, especially in that when we write dark, we mine our own truths, from our imperfect lives. Authentic, flawed characters touch readers’ hearts because they can relate. Most of us fear revealing what isn’t shiny. Me, included. But the best stories resonate with our complicated brokenness that may be transformed or drown us in life’s swamp. Thank you for the reminder. I’m re-writing several characters right now, seeking to infuse them with believable, sometimes dark inner conflict.tha

  2. HG Ferguson says:

    You nailed it. I could not agree more. There is one book that contains every single thing the “clean fiction” folks decry: The Bible. The Scriptures. God’s Story that’s not fiction, told the way He told it, as messy and as dark as it gets. You can’t read the Bible and avoid a head-on collision here. As far as other works go, you are also absolutely right — it takes discernment and care, but not shunning. What you read or don’t read thereby is nobody’s business but the Holy Spirit’s and yours. Why should my liberty be determined by another man’s standards I mean scruples?Someone said something like that, once.

    Great, great post. I’d love to see you expand on it!

  3. Love it, man. I agree on many levels. Although dark fiction is not always “unclean.” We need dark stories as long as there’s darkness in the world! Dark stories help me feel compassion for people who struggle with things I don’t, because it causes you to experience their perspective.

What do you think?