10 BEST Tips for Writing DARK FICTION

[@sxwriter8569]

Seriously, killing off characters is overrated. Let characters get beaten, lose, live with the horrors of their mistakes, and grow for better or worse.

[@cindybenforever7647]

You like Zuko don't you

[@ThanhTriet600]

Make them the immortal playthings of a sadistic goddess

[@alanguerin610]

@@ThanhTriet600 Isn't that what marriage is?

[@conanedogawa4798]

Exactly. The scariest you can possibly go is, in 4 steps, 1. Illustrate early on that death happens in this world by killing off some side characters. 2. Get the reader really attached to your main cast. 3. Start raising a bunch of "death flags" around some of your main cast. 4. Stop up shy of actually killing them, but DO have bad things happen to them. Once you have done those things, you will be in a position where the audience will just know you really do plan to eventually kill off a member of your main cast. However, they will really not be sure WHEN it might happen. This will induce a sick sense of tension any time they start seeing those "death flags" again, and they will be at the edge of their seat wondering if this is going to be the time. And they are going to be hoping and praying that it's not. Eventually, you are going to have to actually go through with the main cast member death once or twice in order to assure that the audience doesn't wind up letting their guard down. Since you have been investing time and playing this game with them for so long though, you can use that time to set up and really make the one or two actual main cast deaths matter.

[@Thisplaceisaprison3912]

But I like killing them off :(

[@JMObyx]

Without light, darkness means nothing.

[@Midknight0122]

And vice versa

[@warriormaiden9829]

Reminds me of a bit from the TfP fic I've been working on for the last 3 years... He raised an optic ridge at her enthusiasm. "Isn't this song a little dark for a friend of the Autobots?" he snarked. She cut off and shrugged. "Probably. But I think everyone needs to experience a little darkness every once in a while in their life. How else would we recognize and appreciate the light?" That brought him up short. "What do you mean?" "If you spend your entire existence in one or the other, no growth happens. You stagnate." She explained. "Look at Cybertron's history. After the Quintesson War was over, your race experienced a wonderful time of peace and expansion. Your home planet is proof of that. But eventually, that war was forgotten, innovation slowed, the culture languished, corruption set in, and the planet was torn apart through war once more." His faceplate clouded in anger. "Are you saying that this war was inevitable?" "I'm saying that change is inevitable. For good or bad, it cannot be stopped." Azure eyes flicked up to him for a moment. "Have you ever seen the aftermath of a forest fire?" "No." She sent him a mental picture. "Would you say that it was devastating?" KnockOut was confused. "Of course! Everything has been destroyed!" "And yet not. The top layer was burned off, the litter was cleared, seeds were activated, and the forest grew back, stronger and healthier than before. However, if the fire is delayed, things begin to pile up. Rot sets in, and trees begin to crowd each other. When a spark catches, it ignites a fire that burns hotter and longer than it should. It kills the trees, and the seeds that would normally survive are incinerated. The forest runs the risk of total annihilation, and will take decades, or even centuries, to grow back to its former glory." The cherry mech gave her a shrewd expression. "Why do I get the feeling you are not just talking about a forest now?" "Conflict is necessary. Differences in opinion are healthy. War is not. The latter does not determine who is right. Only who is left." "But…" He trailed off, trying to process her words. A full minute passed before she prompted, "Yes?" He shook his helm. "But the Decepticons fought to end the corruption. Bring us freedom from the caste system." She set her pencil on the pad and looked him full in the face. "Do you truly believe that? "What?" "Do you believe that the core membership of the Decepticons are still fighting under that banner? It may be what they preached at the beginning, but do you really think, that after all these vorns, that is still the reason they continue this war? The caste system has very obviously been abolished. Why do they still fight then?" He didn't have an answer. She hadn't expected him to. "There are two sides in any conflict. The question is whether you can see from the other's point of view and compromise. Those who are unable or unwilling to are the ones that spark war. And once a war is begun, it is everyone that suffers. Combatants and innocents alike." She snagged the laptop from the corner table and began scrolling through her music folder. "There's a song I'd like you to listen to, from a movie made in the nineties. The first group has come to a new world because their leader promised them riches and glory. The second group is defending their home. The scene for this song is sparked from misunderstanding, lack of communication, and a single man's ulterior motives and greed. Listen closely, and see if you can find anything familiar." The opening bars marched from the shop speakers. Internet cookies if you can guess what song she plays. 😆

[@JMObyx]

@@warriormaiden9829 That's also a REALLY good example of the failure of the modern green movement. Humans have performed controlled burns for centuries, even the Native Americans did it to keep their forests healthy. Ever since we stopped clearing the litter and plant debris, we get situations like California all the time!

[@warriormaiden9829]

@@JMObyx Exactly. I grew up in Idaho, and every year or two, they'd close sections of the freeway to do controlled burns for both sides and the median, and just work their way through the valley. Sure, it took a little longer to get somewhere during that time, but the results were worth it. I've lived here in Utah for the last 9 years, and have yet to see a single controlled burn. What I HAVE seen was a fire that resulted in the evacuation of some family members that wound up jumping the freeway several times.

[@abhitosharyanvlogs5097]

Is this a quote, or are these your words?

[@katyajohnson2299]

My teacher: Careful you don't want to make this too dark Jenna: lol

[@calliemaree2266]

Don’t want to scare the children… right

[@CHFafard]

@@calliemaree2266 It's good to scare children!

[@moonlight_haze]

my teacher will be reading my series when im done writing it. let's just say im probably gonna traumatize the poor lady and she's probably gonna be very concerned over my wellbeing :')

[@sillygooseenergy]

Writing dark fiction has me googling some things that definitely has me on a watchlist.

[@slipstreamstorm4473]

Just mix in 'name generator' every now and then and youll be fine

[@medoo7825]

​@@slipstreamstorm4473 And town or city name generator or map maker

[@chia2095]

I don't really read or write dark fiction but I'm sure I can still learn something!

[@expertionis794]

Same. It is wise to draw wisdom from many places.

[@snehapradhan5591]

literally my thought!

[@josiahklein70]

Me, too. I have a hard time getting through darker stories as entertainment.

[@kingpeedorah]

ONG ITS CORNEY ONG!!1

[@CircmcisionIsChi1dAbus3]

Anyone want a dark fantasy writer to discuss the topic with? It's hard to find people who care.

[@sailor.britters]

Back in high school I was writing short horror stories and I used my own fears and my friends fears for inspiration! that's a great tip!

[@thatsagibae]

ooh cool!!

[@isaiasherrero7889]

I would write comics about Godzilla destroying and eating all the worst teachers and bullies I had in elementary school. It got pretty brutal!

[@corenlavolpe6143]

Love moral greyness, all my major characters are some shade of gray and the main point is to show how each person, each faction, isn't evil or good. They just have their own values and principles and interests that interact in various (hopefully interesting) ways. It's less "good and evil" and more "allies and enemies."

[@Waspinmymind]

Something I absolutely love in stories. Small or large. ❤️

[@cheeseisjar3058]

I love that because the real world is like that too, I’m trying to write with the same sort of ideas too

[@CircmcisionIsChi1dAbus3]

You ever see the symbol for Taoism? Two sides, one white, one dark, but notice how each side has two small circles of opposing color? The light inside the dark and dark inside the light. It's your characters progression through those elements that I feel keep a story interesting.

[@mosesfrance3615]

Me 2

[@poppyto7273]

Jenna: Helloooou everybody!👑🤖 Me always for no reason: Helloooou Jenna!😀

[@warriormaiden9829]

Lol, you are not alone in your echo of her greeting. 🤣

[@demi_shin]

Oh, be careful talking about ‘morally-grey’ characters! The novice writers will see that as ample reason to make Organs McBrood slaughter hundreds under the guise of “moral-ambiguity!”

[@Shatterverse]

Murder porn! Splatterpunk! Ya'll are too squeamish. Blood and gore is fun. It might not be good, but it is fun.

[@demi_shin]

@@Shatterverse Hey, I love blood and gore. I just don’t like it being used for shock value. Having a protagonist kill hundreds because of their mental instability is good reasoning in my book. I can deal with a morally-ambiguous character who struggles with overcoming their past trauma. What I don’t like is seeing writers write in pointless gore scenes that don’t serve the plot nor deliver on characterization. It feels like it’s there for the sole purpose of shocking the audience. I would rather feel pain for a protagonist who kills out of fear and anger rather than one who kills because he’s a badass. It’s really all about execution here. Blood and gore is something I love to see written well, but when done poorly it feels like it’s just wasted lives. I’m not saying you’re wrong here. I feel a lot of writers are really squeamish for no good reason. I feel people should be more liberal with gore, but not to the point where it feels unnecessary if you understand what I’m getting at

[@Gloriaficent]

@@demi_shin I'm not sure on that's being pointless. Rem sleep dreams get to be random with a mix a match. Emphasizing on something to fill the enrichment of the experience. If it's just for the sake it's to indulge into the psychology on getting that far and turn back to reality. I love sleeping to dream like this, dreaming anything. It's not something real happening, same in a book. I have been disappointed when people don't make the most out of the work. A extra scene makes sense to embellish, sometimes it's not extra. It's another piece of conditioning to temper down the spirit. It's just part life to embellish and we can't control all of it. It's just fair to me to have a scene to not learn anything new. I feel worn out to finding conflicts everywhere. Learning something new is tiring work. Where's the low level effort to read something nice, without conflict, that's not 'kidsy', but care for the brain when it's worn out or burning out. I feel my brain should still be able to work, it hurts just to turn on or off the living organ doesn't work that way. People can't function when they run empty on food. Thoughts are constant.

[@maximeteppe7627]

@@Shatterverse I tend to prefer generally good characters facing corrupt institutions and misguided people; I have a hard time with deranged protagonists. The fight can be just as gory even if the main character is morally justified in fighting and in fact did his best to avoid the fight in the first place. the level of gore has nothing to do with why the fight is happening. Saving private Ryan is a movie example when the fight is chaos, blood, guts, pain and confusion, but the protagonists don't revel in it, they are just thrust in the middle of a very bad situation and they try to survive it and maybe do a bit of good as they see it.

[@darlalathan6143]

Yeah, for "moral ambiguity" I prefer "Druggy McOrgy" sleeping with 23,000 sexual partners and snorting cocaine off them.

[@theactualcanadian8300]

In the process of writing a dark fiction set in a “wild west” kind of setting, so good timing!

[@canada1529]

Imposter.

[@theactualcanadian8300]

@@canada1529 no u

[@bennysundance175]

ඞ

[@bennysundance175]

@@canada1529 ඞ

[@tigerwolf9565]

God bless you and Jesus loves you

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

Thank you. I mostly write dark teen stories. Like the one I’m drafting at the moment about a friends group who have to deal with the aftermath of one of them being murdered by a serial killer. It had a averted version of the lone with the lone straight

[@littlemissmatsuo39]

Damn Jenna, right when I was in the middle of a writer’s block for my dark novel! This is extremely helpful for me! (Also, I love the new studio so far ❤️ I can’t wait to see it when it’s complete.)

[@adamjscholte583]

I am curious as to what you are writing, would love an insight

[@littlemissmatsuo39]

It’s basically just a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde kind of story, but in the modern day, with the MC being Kaito, who is Dr. Jekyll’s nephew, and the anti-antagonist Len having some unexplained connection to Mr. Hyde.

[@ashenmyers2540]

Jena does this, she unknowingly knows exactly what you need. I once was thinking I wanted a inspiration for a romantic scene and i saw recent uploads and she did romantic tropes. Cyborg knows all 🖤

[@CircmcisionIsChi1dAbus3]

@@littlemissmatsuo39 how goes the story? If you want a friend who cares about the genre, let me know, it's quite difficult finding people who care about writing in general, let alone dark themes.

[@stephvandykeozzy]

I’ve written some dark fiction for my books and FanFics, and they deal with torture. It started since I read up on torture murders that it stuck with me. Hearing this from Jenna is great since I’ve worked on emotion, psychology, and gore for the stories.

[@L30P4RDCL0YD]

When Jenna uploads: *gogogogogo watch watch watch*

[@justanothercommenter4334]

My 14 yr old loves writing dark fiction. It's her fave genre!

[@poorme1art]

Anyone else is a hobby writer who won't publish, but wants to "do it the right way"? I love Jenna's videos, they're a lot of fun and very informative!

[@aoexbasment78]

me!

[@m.f.hopkins8728]

After watching this video: Yep... my writing is definitely darkish.

[@ActiveAdvocate1]

I don't know if my book/series could be considered "dark" fiction, necessarily: it/they contain dark THEMES, absolutely, like child abuse and racism, but does that intrinsically make it "dark"? Wait, I'm saying this before watching. Guess I'll find out. Good to see you're in your new place at last! You can finally settle in: that's grand.

[@kaishawna3753]

It could be considered dark fiction because it contains dark themes. If the center of the novel's theme isn't dark, then it isn't dark fiction totally. I'm just trying give an answer. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong.

[@ActiveAdvocate1]

@@kaishawna3753, nope, I get you, and no, the story is not INTRINSICALLY dark. Dark themes, yes, like I say, but at the same time, the inevitable message is hopeful.

[@UN-Seki]

If a story goes over some dark themes here and there but that's not the core of the tone and message, I'd say it's just being realistic more than anything. Real life has dark things every now and then. Your life isn't dark just because an accident happened once and so on.

[@babayagonetta1920]

Everytime I need advice in something, this woman swoops in a posts a video about the very thing I'm struggling with. Deadass, I changed the whole original material to a story of kidnapping, parental drama and darker themes, and seeing the source material, I was just like: "Maybe I went a little overboard?" And BAM, like magic, she comes in and saves my sorry arse. Thank you, Jenna, for being the hero without cape

[@Rice_Wolf]

This video was so extremely helpful!! I got drawn into writing horror by those grimdark MLP fanfictions and I hope to one day write a lot of grimdark as well as psychological horror, and maybe other spooky genres. I’m not as interested in writing about colorful horses getting chopped up per se, but I do make these colorful little characters I was to be able to harm right, and this video gave a lot of good advice. God bless you girl!

[@taniahylian3799]

This video helped me realize I'm writing a dark science fiction novel instead of just science fiction lol. Thank you!

[@lisaanderson1695]

If you want your readers to experience an emotion, have tour characters experience it. Jenna mentioning tone made me think of "Salem's Lot." That book gets under my skin like no other, and makes me feel anxious over the days or weeks that I'm re-reading it.

[@malindashumpert7956]

In the middle of watching Ghost Adventures, let's just say that I can write a dark short story 😈

[@stephvandykeozzy]

That’s awesome! 😎

[@abenakhi]

I SWEAR TO THE CYBORG GODESS you gotta have access to my search history, i've been struggling with this topic for the last week great video as always, love u

[@RiveroftheWither]

Mmmmm yes, Dark Fantasy and High Fantasy are my bread and butter. Earthsea, His Dark Materials, Wings of Fire, Guardians of Ga'hool, Deltora Quest, Wicked Lovely, love those books.

[@thejadedcommenter7371]

His Dark Materials is such a wonderful series. Are the other series you listed similar to His Dark Materials?

[@warriormaiden9829]

*Deltora Quest!!* Glad to find another person that read those! 😆

[@MusicalErika]

Oh my word, I LOVE dark fiction!! The Girl From the Well, The Last Apprentice, basically any ghost story or creepy curse and I'm in! Love me some fantasy and I'm excited to read TSC. I clicked that link and bought up every book. I'm salivating! This will be so fun. You're great to watch, Jenna. I'm not a writer, but I'm a musician and I respect what you do. Rock on, cyborg queen!!

[@andeeharry]

3: Plenty of blood in my world and stories. The thing drips from the disembodied things that leak puss, ooz out slime, a ghoulish deformed creature that is hunched over. It's blood pooling out, guts hanging out, head lopsided, the flesh just hanging there, dripping and oozing, as it squelches through the place. A creature of pale eyes, half the face missing, a long swollen tongue, a smell so terrifying, that it puts corpses to shame. Anyway, blood is always spilled. The world has a long blood history of war, bloodshed and violent murders. Since my MC has befriended the Wendigo...it does get rather violent.

[@ASmartNameForMe]

Sounds nice, where can I book a holiday?

[@andeeharry]

@@ASmartNameForMe I see...it is a rough place since it is a toxic world about 75,000 miles away, and sorry the portal hasn't opened yet

[@sadweeb35]

there are no words to describe how grateful I am that I've found Jenna's channel

[@limmmm.2095]

Yess

[@andeeharry]

503: My world Terrellium is a scary place, your talking to someone and they transform into a giant spider, or a big huge bulging monster comes out of the shadows. Or old men turn into hulking mega creature that crawls along the walls. People are scary, and so is the toxic world. Vampires are scarier now, but hey, in the shadows, strange shadowy creature lurk within, steal anyone who wanders past. You have your vampires, werewolves and hags, or you could have something that is very terrifying, something that echoes from your nightmare. Imagine your favourite thing, as twists and turns into something pure evil.

[@bria1648]

The "good" guys in my story litterally say "let her die" when the main character is about to get hanged. She's really lucky she has awesome coworkers

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

It might be worth suggesting on some level that "ego indulgence" writing is alright at the 1st rough draft territory... JUST remember what it is for what you were doing at the time, and edit it OUT BEFORE you move toward something you want to actually publish. As much fun as you might have writing it, nobody else is going to enjoy reading it. I say this as a GM, who has created whole worlds full of history and political dynamics and all the elements of legend, lore, and the reasons behind various festivals, rituals, and how everything ties together... ONLY to have Players roll their eyes and groan when I'm even delivering a reasonably trimmed down version at the Table... Why??? Because (in short) the Players come to the Game to KILL STUFF AND GET LOOT... That's it. That's what they want... and they don't care who's the seventh son of a seventh son of the daughter of the moon goddess. They want the bastard dead so they can steal that sweet sweet silvery moon blade and go after the clan of werewolves next! SO okay, write your self indulgent crap... Nobody needs stop you, and it might even flesh out the world and story in your own mind to make it clearer later what needs to actually happen to get on with the plot. JUST understand where the ego lies, and be ready with the red pen to circle and edit it out for the self indulgent crap it is. Your entire publishing chain of supply and resource will be grateful to not have to argue about it with you!! ;o)

[@BlackReshiram]

thank you so much for your wisdom, esp with this vid as its relevant to me specifically, writing mom. hope you and cliff are doing great

[@dans.9404]

Jenna, your new room has a lot of echo. Probably need something to absorb on the walls. (great content, as ever)

[@JVovk2002]

Well, someone had to Her favorites are 6 and 9, nice

[@warriormaiden9829]

*snicker* As my friend says, "We all have the mentality of a 4 yr old giggling over fart jokes here..." 🤣

[@JVovk2002]

@@warriormaiden9829 ah, so true

[@grimkitty3]

Congrats on the move!!

[@spencerv5275]

These videos help me a lot

[@gamewhipess]

Definitely my favorite youtuber. Not only very helpful but her humor has me coming back. Congratulations on your new home!

[@herbertn.oafallas3565]

I'm currently writing a Dark Fantasy book series and this is the perfect video to write down notes of your tips on how to improve the other stuffs that I problem in my writing... Thank you Miss Moreci.

[@elenabraconnier4558]

i needed this too!

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

8:16 I wish I had this advice when I wrote the torture scenes for one of my latest fanfics

[@warriormaiden9829]

Oh? 1: you have piqued my curiosity with that statement, and 2: wouldst thou mind sharing ze link for your fic? I'm always on the hunt for new fanfics. 😁

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

@@warriormaiden9829 maybe. It’s for pokemon. Specifically detective pikachu

[@warriormaiden9829]

@@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155 If it has words, good paragraph breaks, and decent grammar/punctuation/spelling, I'll read it, and probably enjoy it. 😄 I read waaaaaay too fast (like, all 4 Eragon books or the entirety of Harry Potter in less than a week fast), and thus am always in need of new things to read. 😭

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

@@warriormaiden9829 felt

[@cascsiany]

Great advise as I write a dark short story

[@DY2727]

Thanks Jenna I needed this and btw I love the new room

[@KregonsDarkWorld]

I started a channel for dark horror fiction. I never get tired of making videos. Its a hell of a dark world. this great video suspense and ambiguity is the key introducing a paradox to the character is how i write my stories.

[@franciscoojeda8986]

I enjoyed your segment for many reasons: first, I appreciate your segments, even those I do not have a particular interest in regards to my work. Secondly, you found a way to be relevant and entertaining not found in some other KZbin video on writing. Finally, the segments that are "in my wheelhouse" have assisted me greatly. Yet, I had to listen to your #10 of this video several times. I do admit I am not the typical writer who publishes their work. I could not wrap my head around what your saying since I publish but do not focus on whether I am in the market or pleasing whatever audience I may have. I publish because I can with no regard of whether anyone would read my work. I do not publish with any anticipation of revenue or criticism, good or bad. I respect your opinion and insight. I appreciate the information you provide. Thank you.

[@CowboyIdiot-n7t]

I know I only write fanfiction, but I try to have my works be quality works, and you've definitely helped! Thank you, Jenna, for giving my readers a better experience!

[@cindybenforever7647]

Beautiful, exceptional, unique, never done before, ovongaurd

[@stinkycheese6666]

Avant-garde ❤️

[@TheAssez]

*Thank you.* 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@Nikki_kms]

i was writing a high fantasy novel but i had a change of heart and wanted to added darker tone so i came to this video

[@KileyKeeling]

I’m obsessed with the new set up 🥰

[@harperlcarnes]

Thank you for the video. It’s some great advice for me to consider since I predominantly write dark fantasy.

[@laughsingay]

"It better be the latter or I'm *c o m i n g f o r y o u* "

[@andeeharry]

welcome back Cyborg Queen. I know that I don't write Dark Fantasy, but hey, not heard from you in ages and want to hear you

[@animatorireenie8319]

Yep, perfect video before continuing writing my (dark) crime story, my favorite stuff))

[@thejadedcommenter7371]

Okay, so I know that killing off characters isn’t always the way to go about it, but what about this; The main character and her friend/love interest, L, are working together to find L’s childhood friend that has been missing for two years. When MC finds L’s friend, he’s in a horrific, half-dead state and being kept alive by the main villain, and he can’t be saved. MC mercy-kills him, and has to be the one to break the news to L. A lot of people die in the story, but it’s in order to establish how wicked and cruel the villain truly is, and the deaths get slowly worse and worse as they progress, unveiling the true horrors that the villain is capable of.

[@warriormaiden9829]

Bonus points if L is desperately suggesting different ways they think the friend could have been saved (despite the suggestions slowly getting a bit more disturbing with each one) as they sit there and sob, while MC has to insist there was no way to save the friend.

[@thejadedcommenter7371]

@@warriormaiden9829 That was exactly what I was thinking of doing. Augh I’m so looking forward to writing this scene.

[@warriormaiden9829]

@@thejadedcommenter7371 Oh goody! Mind sharing when you're done? 😁

[@HOLDENPOPE]

*L's theme plays--* Sorry in advance, couldn't resist.

[@galvanizeddreamer2051]

With your first point, I think something that would help a lot of people is to realize that "dark fiction" and "grimdark," while related, are two separate entities.

[@Writergal1]

I love your videos!!! I needed this too!!! How do u know???

[@Thegrayhairedwriter]

great video as always and congratulations on the new house, looking forward to the live stream on Wednesday, off work that day so can attend at 6pm my time in Nova Scotia

[@adrianghandtchi1562]

Hey Jenna, if this is the best tips, would you be willing to share the flip side of the worst tips in a future video? I live for your worst List rants.

[@warriormaiden9829]

Lol, same! I *love* those rants. 😆

[@vitotamito]

You wanna talk dark fiction, I got an ad for wheel of fortune before this video!

[@warriormaiden9829]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Arkylie]

I like the viewpoint expressed in Scalzi's "Redshirts": Nothing wrong with killing off characters, that's normal, but make those deaths count; nobody should be just a throwaway, there just to be a body or *purely* to motivate the other characters. Dunno how much that meshes with the dark fiction aesthetic, but it's a good principle in general, and one I intend to cling to.

[@ourmaddworld3326]

Jenna you are a warrior Queen! Thank you for this! ❤️❤️❤️

[@cosmicprison9819]

If you're gonna make it dark, make it Nobledark. If it's Grimdark, with people just treating each other like crap on top of the darkness of the setting, that's just an excuse for misanthropy. And misanthropes are just people who understand enough about humans to judge them, but not enough to forgive them. And that's coming from an introvert - i.e. someone who "hates" people 😂. But only when they get too close.

[@tavleen25]

My kpop fanfic "A love so dark" got the best rankings in dark love on wattpad so i m trying to start up with the another one . But ran short of ideas . Hopefully your ideas will work for me . Thanks a lot sis for your innovative ideas 💜😘

[@TyrniSprocket]

I feel a lot better about what I am writing now. Thank you so much for this.

[@scallacore]

I'M WRITTING A DRACULA STROY TO TRUN INTO A SCREENPLAY CAN U TALK ABOUT TO WRITE AND GOOD DRACULA BOOK OR At LEAST SOME TIPS THIS WAS VERY HELPFULLY !!! LOVE YOU

[@Snarflelocker]

3 minutes of self promotion that's when an ad kicks in me: still giddy that i get all this knowledge for free. You're a blessing Jenna, thank you.

[@tylerharrell9862]

"Dive deep into your characters' minds," Yes... I too mind dive fellow human 😉 Another great 10 Best

[@Gearthepunk]

HAH I, too, am absolutely terrified of the deep sea!

[@charvi999]

This helped me a lot when I wanted it the most! Thank you!

[@authorangietournado6988]

Can't wait to write my dark paranormal series. love Jenna videos

[@ActiveAdvocate1]

1. Nah, not too much of a sinister feel to mine, unless they're with their dad. Mine's realistic fiction, which, yes, CAN be dark, but like I say, I don't know if it would qualify specifically as "genre dark", shall we say. 2. Like I say, I've got dark themes, but they GO somewhere. The kids don't just sit around and wait to be beaten up by their loser father: that is actually a plot-relevant element. And I don't kill people left and right. I only have one death planned so far, an that's not till book 2. 3. Got it. When the shit hits the fan, MOST of what you see is the emotional fall-out of it on all sides of the equation. I don't linger for too long on the actual violence. 4. Got this one too. Like I say, not TOO much gore, though my leading lady does end up in hospital, but it's the situation surrounding how she got that way that really speaks to the darker side of my story. She's unconscious for a good chunk of this, unfortunately--nasty head wound--but all of her family members are freaking out, as well as her then-to-be boyfriend, who (falsely) blames himself for what happened. 5. I don't hold back. The first part of the climax is from my leading lady's POV, so you're RIGHT in her head when said head is being rather...umm...brutalised...but a lot of what you get is from the perspective of her siblings. Her younger brother blames himself, too, and he has REALLY bad depression, but he's never had a spell this bad. So yes, I also lean into thee "sulk", but at least Stephen is sulking for a good reason. His entire life has gone upside down, too. He's not weak, or, rather, he's a lot stronger than he's been allowed to be, but he doesn't know how to cope yet. 6. Ooookay, character rap-sheet: Adam, the older brother, gets PISSED and won't talk to his siblings, Stephen, like I say, has a bit of a mental breakdown and doesn't get out of bed for a while, Kayla, th youngest sibling, PROBABLY has it together the bet out of anyone, but she's still super shaken up, Lauren, the mom, is catatonic, and Jeremy (the soon-to-be boyfriend and my leading man0 VERGES on catatonic but his brothers basically force him out of it. I know you can't take someone out of depression by force--trust me, I tried that when I had depression as a teen, and I know it doesn't work--but he basically dulls his own feelings for the sake of helping out all the siblings. As to the dad, well, actually, he's behind bars. I had to research this, but child abuse is just one of those things in Florida that you are NOOOOT supposed to do. Considering the overt and intentional nature of it, he's got a minimum five-year sentence. And I'm okay with that. Christopher Alexander is a piece of crap. I can't believe I was capable of writing such a piece of crap. Oh, and when Victoria finally comes back to herself and is out of hospital, she says to Jeremy, "If you blame yourself for this ONE MORE TIME, I swear to God I'll slap you." She's mad, in other words, but not at him. I want to give her as much agency as I can, though, since Jeremy is a BIT of a Christ figure. I don't want to make her worth less than him in this relationship. 7. Okay, despite having literally just said that Jeremy is a Christ figure, the ONLY character on my roster who is basically purely moral is Kayla. She's only 14, though, so she hasn't really learned not to be yet. And even she can be petty and kind of whiney. he was spoiled growing up, though: the whole family is messed up. 8. Got it. I'm good at this one, thankfully. 9. LOL, I gave my Jeremy MOST of the fears that I have myself (i.e. heights, open water, and losing people), but that last one is the most prevalent in this story. He lost his dad at a young age, eh, so he can be kind of...clingy? He's not the only one, though: Stephen is a narcissist because he doesn't have a spine, and he's afraid of being hurt by the world, so he can swing back and forth between aggressive and reclusive. He's one of my more interesting characters, and he IS a good boy when you get down to it, but you have to get through all the layers imposed on him by his father first. 10. Oh God, I REALLY had to yank this one back. In my original draft, Jeremy was basically a walking sex symbol with perfect integrity, no fear at all, and maximal leadership skills. GIVEN...that he's kind of a self-insert...oops...I took a good look at myself and went, "Yeah, honey, you KNOW that's not realistic. Dial it back, Jesus!" So, needless to say, he's calmed down a lot. Still the story's hero, but not ACTUALLY Jesus with biceps. XD

[@everythingcoffee8901]

seems like a good story but you haven’t answered the essential question: is there gay

[@ActiveAdvocate1]

@@everythingcoffee8901, yes. My golden boy Jeremy is bisexual, and WAS in a relationship with his best friend Austen, who is actually gay. They cooled down without ever having a big scene over it, so it was a "friends to lovers, back to friends" narrative, and the youngest of my four protagonists, Kayla, is gay too, but she doesn't know it yet. She's only 14 and has lived a VERY sheltered life in a VERY conservative Christian family.

[@everythingcoffee8901]

@@ActiveAdvocate1 okay i'm totally gonna wanna read this lmk when you're done lol

[@ActiveAdvocate1]

@@everythingcoffee8901, I do need beta readers and sensitivity readers, eh. Would you like o help me?

[@everythingcoffee8901]

@@ActiveAdvocate1 not sure if I have the time rn tbh, sry

[@silvermoon9186]

Just got both books! I'm super exited to read them!

[@eternaldarkbrin]

some thoughts of my own as a learning writer before the death of a character occurs, what I've been learning is that there has to be that set up that makes the audience give a shit! and that set up has to tell us how the death is going to effect things in the story going forward. And when it comes to the death itself, if you rush past it, your audience will not feel it at all, one of the reasons death makes a story good is because it makes the audience feel somthing, and that is what you are supposed to do as the writer. make your audience care, make them feel, learn how to grab their emotions using their humanity and pull them in short pushes in the direction you want them to feel, using events that they can connect to properly.

[@writerbyday]

I really needed to hear that last tip thank you!

[@Gloriaficent]

What is life before conflict? Normal? Simple? I am trying to make a list of one column being 'simple' the other conflict. What is happening and what happens.

[@Vivsvoyage]

It going to take loads of time getting used to the white background... loved the video , i was so stuck with the misbalanced personalities & this was just BOOM!😍😍

[@lunarshadow5584]

I have two stories I'm going to be writing that takes place in the same world. One is more light hearted compared to the other, while one is more of an introduction to the world and the good parts of it, the other one is deeply entrenched in the more realistic day to day lives of the common folk through the eyes of someone who isn't "plot armored" but is as important if not more so. Where one is epic fantasy, the other is dark fantasy and I pray I have enough motivation to finish both because the dark fiction is very enticing but I want volume 1 to be finished first before I truly get into it. This dark fantasy starts with a fanciful beginning with very few lines that scratch under the surface of what's really happening. Many live but others do die and they are people close to the main focus. Even to the point a Biography turns into an Autobiography.

[@AleksandrPodyachev]

In my story, the main theme is the dangers of power hungry politicians, so in the backstory, the empire is an authoritarian police state because the politicians refused to give up power. Any ideas how to drive it home?

[@everythingcoffee8901]

Have a tone of fear to everything. There’s the constant threat that the characters will be [killed, thrown into jail, beaten up, etc. depends on the police state in question] if they step out of line even slightly, or if they’re accused of doing so. If at least one POV character is part of some group with less political power in this state (whether due to gender or race or class) that would likely increase this feeling a lot

[@warriormaiden9829]

I'd suggest watching *V for Vendetta* and others like it for inspiration. Research a bit of history and study the dictators; how they ran things, their motivations, etc. Ask a few people who survived domestic abuse growing up if they wouldn't mind speaking to you of their experiences, or talk to a therapist if you can't find someone with firsthand experience. The power dynamic in that relationship is incredibly similar to what you are looking to establish in your story, just on a larger scale.

[@hushhush143]

I legit paused the video to buy two books! Sales are pretty, Book Sales are gorgeous! Especially for people who spend half their money on books.

[@Marinanor]

8:20 "Bitch" lol. Hearing Jenna call me a bitch has been the high light of my day.

[@viktoravarkonyi4570]

I want to write horror, but im not sure if it should have gore because for the first half the main character dosent know if the murders actually happened or if shes just being paranoid. And when she figures it out is when they try to kill her but she survives. So basically there would be barely any gore. Once she finds a dead body and thats it.

[@jvcscasio]

Her favorites are 6 and 9, nice

[@TheNovelNana]

ha! Loved this video and topic! I write dark and I appreciate books that get it "right". Congratulations on the new house! Hope you and Cliff and the precious Buttercup are all settling in and doing well! Thanks for another awesome video!

[@Damnedone667]

Love when you said, "A person who picked up a horror book probably knows what they're getting themselves into.'

[@august8679]

I'm writing a fanfiction that could probably be qualified as dark fiction, but I still am writing a lot of happier chapters, because the story is about finding joy in dark times.

[@KallichoreMoth]

Always coming in clutch, Jenna!💖💖💖

[@E2010Gency]

What I love about some dark stories is when they can balance moments of light and dark - the tragic and terrible can be contrasted with moments of lightness or good feelings, also it always gives a great break from all the terrible feelings so that you can be revved back into them for the next scary scene!

[@bettykhosa7948]

Thank you for your advice, it really helps young writers who want to write dark fiction.😁💖

[@McFarlaneLaw]

I like your lists but would appreciate one or two examples for further information

[@Learninglotsoflanguages]

#8. Looking at you, Pierce Brown. I get so exhausted reading those books from the second on. No rest, so much death and fighting. Phew. I mean, they're good, but I have to take breaks from reading it. It's so much.

[@bajirayagameplays]

Starts at 03:35

[@dawnmoore9122]

Jenna: "My personal favorite points are numbers 6 and 9" Me: nice

[@DarkFictionFactory]

NIce advice, enjoyable video!

[@RainWelsh]

One MC of the most recent thing I’ve been working on was a) basically raised to believe everyone was out to get her, and b) was trained to be able to kill them first. And the world the story’s set in is shit enough that when she’s out on her own for the first time, she willingly kills everyone she meets, at first, all before they even know she’s there. The fifth one hears her coming and they get into a big fight, which she only wins by reaching into the stab wound she’d just given him and ripping as much of his intestines out as she could get hold of. And while the encounter leaves her fucked up, it’s made pretty clear that she’s not upset because of the gore involved (she’s had any squeamishness trained out of her a long time ago). It’s because right after she first stabbed him, the guy looked her in the eyes and said “why, kid? Why would you...?” Because that’s the first time she’s recognised people outside her family as being, y’know, people. She spends the rest of the story trying to help a group of others survive, and it was interesting to write someone who’s morally grey because they’ve been raised, essentially, by wolves. Having to look at how her ‘parents’ saw the world, how her new friends see it, and splitting the difference in a way that still keeps everyone alive, because maybe if she does that it’ll balance out the five innocent deaths she’s got on her conscience.

[@paulaunger3061]

Great tips - looking forward to seeing your bookcases back up :D And just wanted to say how spectacular the voice actor doing TSS! Marvellous range :)

[@hypnometal]

I think the new setup looks good! Congratulations! :-D

[@mrnonsense1031]

Just when I thought my case of writer's block was hopeless. 😀 Now back to crafting my vampire cult. 😁

[@riverdaisy4215]

some of the universal fears of all people is death (including sickness and injury), abandonment (including rejection and isolation), failure, the unknown, loss of identity and purpose, loss of autonomy (like being paralyzed, tied up in ropes, imprisoned, etc.). you may add other fears but these are the universal fears nearly every reader will share.

[@susanbuckminster282]

Thank you!

[@bfastje]

Walking through a bunch of spider webs! I hate that so much, I'm worried about getting bit for hours afterward