This new book I’m writing? It’s dark, folks. Can I go dark? I mean really dark? As I wrote yesterday, tears streamed down my cheeks. (The one upside of knee surgery- I get to write the story I dreamed up six months ago. Captive audience, so to speak.)
It’s not romance. It’s Lit Fic, the kind of Lit Fic which is known these days as YA, a category of fiction I consider a marketing ploy. This may involve younger characters but it ain’t no YA.
This is a dark dark book.
How dark can I go?
Can’t wait to find out!
will there be blood gore and a trail of body parts?
Like I told you, m’dear. If you don’t feel it, why should the readers? So lay in a good stock of tissues and write/sob away!
Yes ma’am! I intend to! Thanks for your advice, Jaye.
There will be blood, Tom.
Thank you, Amber!
My one rule for writing this kind of thing (don’t remember where I picked it up, but it is well known) is that if the character cries, the reader doesn’t have to.
You want the READER (and yourself) to cry, suffer, be in terrible psychic pain - so pull it out of them.
If it’s dark, it will probably make a great YA.
Thanks, Sandra. As it happens it is YA, more or less.
Thank you, Alicia. Good hint. My characters aren’t crying. So I guess that’s good.