The key to writing a “dark” story is…

...Probably either variable or non-existent, but it makes for a catchy (if a bit misleading) title.

I should admit right off the bat that I’m the kind of guy who prefers something that isn’t dark and edgy, even if that’s only because I’ve been burned — and badly — by a lot of semi-recent video games, movies, TV, etc. There are times when I’ve said “It’s all the same boring stuff with nothing to say!” or “They’re just going for shock value!” or to paraphrase a friend of mine “It’s just a bunch of pessimism porn!” I have my biases, BUT that doesn’t mean I think that anything dark can’t be done well. And as a would-be writing hero, I know there’s merit to telling a darker story — and I wouldn’t mind writing one myself one day.

So I thought I’d come here for a bit of perspective. I have my opinions, yes, but I know there are people who not only like darker stuff, but people who have written/are writing stories that someone probably wouldn’t want to show to a younger audience. That in mind, the central question is pretty obvious: what do you think makes for a GOOD dark story? Granted there are some arguable follow-up questions — how you think your story’s handling being “dark”, or some of the traps/challenges a darker story might face — but for now I’ll let anyone with something to say go on ahead. And I’ll probably pipe in too somewhere along the line. I’d be a terrible person if I didn’t. And slightly more silly-looking.

Anyway, the floor’s all yours, fellow Tropers. Have an opinion/idea? Then it’s showtime.

edited 11th Jan '14 9:39:37 PM by Voltech44

Define "dark"

Aye, you'll need to be a bit more clear on what you consider a "dark" story to be.

I can say one thing, though: if you want to pull off a "dark" story successfully, the most important thing to ensure is that the "dark" aspects seem natural and are sufficiently subtle. You really don't want to hammer the viewer over the head with the fact that your story is dark - they should reach that conclusion themselves.

For me, at least, dark = has a bad ending.

To clarify, by 'bad', I mean 'has a downer ending'. I want the heroes, at least some of them, to survive and/or win, and for the villains to be punished. I don't know why, but if the story ends 'well', that goes a long way for me towards avoiding Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy. You can pull off an ending well that involves everyone except the most vile villain dying, at least for some readers- just not this one.

The other thing that helps is not making your story monotone. This should actually go for all writers: if your story consists of entirely one mood in one strength, you're doing something wrong. Even stories, for example, where the point is leaving the reader with a sense of horror, usually build to that point, starting out fairly normally. If your story is residing in happy rainbow land, well, you're probably having problems with conflict. Add some drama, serious consequences for your protagonist, hints that they could maybe be in over their heads here.

Likewise, if your story is ridiculously dark: add some hints that not everybody in the world is miserably unhappy, that the villains don't always win; throwing in some Pet the Dog moments for your thoroughly unlikable protagonist or some Black Comedy banter between two side characters could go a long way here.

Lightness. If you want to make something dark, give it something to contrast against.

Congratulations for summarizing the point I was trying to get across in in two sentences.

A dark story is one where all the budget was spent on other things than lighting and lighting crews.

Crap, you had to make the insufficient light joke.

I agree with Kesar. You need a variety of tones and situations in any story.

But I mostly write darker stuff, and for me, the key is to be saying something. Most shitty grimdark works fail because they're using the violence as the end, instead of a means to an end.

Gore, rape, Crapsack Worlds, etc., have to be used to make a point, desconstruct an idea or philosophy, or accurately portray something horrible that happens/happened/will happen in real situations like the one in your story.

Schindlers List was a brutal and depressing movie, but it's perfectly justified, because it's an accurate portrayal of a brutal and depressing event. And not just that, but the point of the movie was that one determined man was able to rise above it to save people in a very touching way, leaving it with an almost optimistic message.

1984 was a thesis on why totalitarianism doesn't work. Bioshock used violence and a Straw Dystopia to show how horribly unrestrained objectivism would work when mixed with technological advances Rand and her followers couldn't have predicted. The original "dark" fairy tales were usually written to scare people into learning a life lesson.

The difference between those and, let's say... Dark Age comics, is that they had a real message. Violence was one of the many tools they used to build a structure, instead of the structure itself.

Edit: I also think that those things should be portrayed realistically and accurately if you're going to use them for dramatic effect. For me, things like High-Pressure Blood and Ludicrous Gibs can turn a serious work into an accidental comedy. Isn't the whole point to reflect the darker side of life? If you're not going to do that, and are instead just making shit up to make your story Darker and Edgier, don't bother.

edited 12th Jan '14 1:53:23 PM by Wheezy

This. Tolkien was a master at writing dark stories using this method.

For me, a "dark" story means a story with a serious tone and high stakes. Not that it has to be serious all the way through, but if it lacks enough seriousness the audience won't take the conflict and characters.....seriously, and if the stakes aren't high enough there won't be enough drama and tension to capture the audience's attention and invest in the characters' fates.

edited 12th Jan '14 2:41:46 PM by shiro_okami

Then again, I don't think we should necessarily imply that the term "dark" can be summed up as "serious". To clarify (and simplify, probably), a "dark" tone can perhaps be summed up as a tone in which the seriousness extends beyond simply being non-comedic and becomes strikingly apparent and hard-hitting. Like...well, the example that always comes to my mind is The White Ribbon, which was so dark and hard-hitting primarily because it so strikingly mirrored the corrupting nature of excessively tyrannical authority in the real world. If there's one thing a "dark" story needs to be, it's believable.

edited 12th Jan '14 3:49:05 PM by NolanRBurke

In a relative sense, yes. A dark style fantasy can't be believable in an absolute sense, but at the same time the themes, causality of the story, and the actions of the characters have to be believable for continued Willing Suspension of Disbelief.

edited 12th Jan '14 6:00:03 PM by shiro_okami

I had a feeling that the first thing someone would ask in this thread would be "define dark". But I figured I shouldn't turn the OP into a novel, so I guess I'd better give my thoughts as quickly as I can.

For me, a "dark" story isn't necessarily about how much blood, destruction, or adult situations there are. Those things can help, sure (to an extent), but for me making a story dark is about the content behind it. The depth, so to speak. Example: AMC's The Walking Dead may have lots of zombies, but it's a show that's not always about the zombies. It's about an exploration of ideas via a more brutal world and characters willing to be brutal — or NOT brutal, so that their worldviews can clash and make for a good story. Granted I feel like TWD has some major execution problems, ergo this post (though as always, YMMV), but the intent is there.

That in mind, I don't think you need something like a zombie apocalypse to be dark. As long as ideas and themes are explored fully, regardless of the negative potential or implications, then it's capable of being called "dark". I consider Toy Story 3 to be dark, for example, because of all the nasty stuff that's in it — popping up in the first 5 minutes, IIRC — but what's more important is that it has lots of ideas in it. Loyalty, saying goodbye, life and death, all of those and more get poked, prodded, and put under the microscope BECAUSE of those darker elements. BECAUSE the toys are put through their paces, regardless of impressionable children watching it.

That's kind of a complicated (and likely flawed) definition, I know, but I hope you get the idea. Probably should have said something sooner, but whatever. Looks like you guys are filling in the blanks, as expected...aaaaaaaaaaand of course, pretty much everything I said here is just parroting Wheezy's sentiment, but whatever. You want words, I've got plenty.

In any case, thanks for the opinions thus far. By all means, keep going if you've got more to say. Don't let me stop you.

I think what makes a good dark story is to use sex, violence, rape and destruction to cause drama in the characters lives.

No.

Grey-and-Gray Morality is always something that makes a story a bit darker

I agree with 9. Using elements of darkness can be a powerful tool in conveying a message or an idea, but pursued for its own sake, it tends to end up hollow and meaningless.

Not necessarily. For example, spectator sports run entirely on the idea of presenting two morally neutral sides and letting the fans decide who to root for, but I wouldn't call them "dark."

edited 13th Jan '14 7:48:16 AM by Wheezy

Guns

Can't put my finger on it, maybe The Lethal Connotation of Guns and Others but when proper guns are involved then things usually get darker.

edited 13th Jan '14 7:53:27 AM by LeGarcon

Can't tell if serious.

edited 13th Jan '14 8:19:31 AM by Wheezy

I would probably guess the #1 thing that makes a story dark is that a sense of absolute hopelessness sets in and is sustained at many points.

edited 13th Jan '14 8:22:18 AM by ohsointocats

Grey and Grey Morality is "all sides are morally neutral" in the sense that neither one is completely or overwhelmingly Morally Good or Morally Bad, that there are Good and Bad aspects to both of them. Sports is not about morality.

There's no law that says stories have to be about morality either.

edited 13th Jan '14 9:48:52 AM by Wheezy

My thoughts?

I like work that is categorically dark, but I find forcing tragedy and misery into dramatic works that do not need them very irksome. Some works are supposed to end badly—tragedies, certain kinds of horror stories and black comedies, the pessimistic parables of Kafka and Cioran—but just ending things on an ugly note because darkness has "more weight" is just stupid and insincere. The same goes for treating serious issues like pithy plot devices to pull heartstrings: If you are going to use rape in a story, for instance, treat it with the respect deserved the subject.

Absolutely in agreement with you. I'd like to think that I've seen enough "superficial darkness" to know how to avoid it, but it's good to have an opinion like yours up for future posterity...or so I can copypaste this thread into a Word document for reference. Anyway, I suppose that ties in with the general consensus here AND the main reason for a dark story — it's all about exploring those ideas and circumstances, be they good or bad. I imagine that adding rape into the mix and leaving it at that is one of the WORST things I could do as a writer, for example.

You know, it's funny. I've actually been thinking hard about the whole "hope vs. despair" angle — thanks to a couple of choice products — and how I could use them effectively. They're both powerful concepts, but you bring up a good point; despair is an important part of the equation. I should look into it a bit more. (Also? That quote in your sig is amazing.)

In any case, let me go ahead and thank you guys again for the responses. Seriously, I appreciate it.