Writing Dark

Image by David Ho

I've been struggling with my writing this month. I have a great outline. I have plenty of time. When I sit down to write, the words come easily.

So why do I struggle?

The piece that I'm working on - Fluffy Bunny, book 2 of the Runespells series - is really dark. There's physical abuse, mental abuse, psychological torture... And the character arc is all about overcoming what's in her own head, first and foremost.

I love my main character, Nicola. She's a great character.

So, I sent her to be brainwashed by a cult and killed her.

Yeah, she was brought back, but she experienced death. And her self-identity has been under fire. Her pro-active nature has been suppressed. Her love and loyalty has been co-opted.

I've been struggling to write because my characters are going through such a hard time, I can barely hold myself together in the face of their hopelessness and anxiety.

It isn't often that people really talk about the psychological effects of writing from a personal, in-the-moment perspective. I'm sure that my natural empathy for characters (mine or others') isn't helping my plight. In a way, I'm losing myself right alongside Nicola.

The thing is, I write what I experience, even if the experience in only in my own head. So, to write this psychological suspense, I have to make myself experience it. I have to create the situation in my head and figure out the emotions and the details of how that works.

It's draining me, little by little. But I think it will be worth it.