Thread: Bringing your world viewpoint into your writing?

I know the old adage is to write what you know, and I agree with that. Now, the problem (really for other people rather than me) is that my life experiences have turned me into a negative person; I admit that and I accept it, I actually like myself.

My first real short story that I have created on my own accord is done with its first draft, and when I sent it to a friend for critique, she began to become worried. Of course, when you tell someone who is worried about you that you're just fine, they tend to not believe you. But honestly, I was just writing something I thought was kind of a dark romp.

Not really the gutsiest thing to do, letting people bend my expressions and whatnot (especially since she has not even finished the story), but I would always be on pins and needles if I had to worry that my stuff is making people say, "what's wrong with that guy?", especially because I'm really into horror stories and morbidity. I would hope I'd have the right attitude to begin writing more stuff and putting it out there, but already, I'm feeling oogey about it.

As far as day-to-day living goes, I think you can be a "normal" person and still write morbid and disturbing things. Usually my stories involve pretty dark and terrible things happening to my characters and oftentimes there is a fair amount of violence in my more action-themed stuff. But do I actually live a life of violence and morbidity? No... I drive a minivan and live in the suburbs, and mine and my wife's idea of a date night is to drop our girls off at her parent's house and go to dinner and a movie. (Now if I were secretly a serial killer or something then I'd be the perfect cliche of "the guy you'd never suspect!")

I actually hope that when people read my more violent or scary work they will say "What is wrong with that guy?" because then I know I'll have done my job. Hopefully they will think I'm this creepy, long-bearded curmudgeon that lives in a dark, haunted mansion and kills small animals for fun, and not ever know a thing about the kid's soccer games and the family bowling nights.

Of course, if you really are that creepy guy then I guess I'd say that's fine unless you were actually doing the disturbing acts you describe in your stories. But I would think that making people question your sanity and well-being when you're writing something designed to provoke and upset people is a good thing.

The one problem with such a method is it can get you into a rut. You may want to give your world view to a secondary character in some stories. This might in effect help you to step outside yourself and take an objective look, especially if your MC's view is in opposition to the secondary.

There will always be someone who takes issue with your work, unless what you write is so vanilla that it doesn't leave an impression at all. You should be terrified of that ever happening.

People think you're weird. So what. You'll get over it or you won't be a writer.

Personally, my stories tend to be very dark as well -- hopelessness, isolation, madness, suicide, etc. Those emotions are very strong in my life. That is my experience, what I know. Some of the people who read my stories think I just need to knock back a few and "get happy", but that is not how it works and they don't understand that. That's okay; I don't write for them.

That's okay; I don't write for them.

Nail hit very much on head with this statement.

And so what, Andy, if people get spooked about your state of mind because of what you write. Maybe it's the writing that might just put the happiness back in you. I find it does me. I can get down and dark and a little bit to caught up in navel gazing at times and when I write it gives me a sense of restoring my equilibrium. I write for myself, and if others enjoy it then top banana, and if they don't I'll listen to serious critiques about the writing and try to learn, and you'll find on WF the people who read your stuff will comment on the writing, not the writer.

Let it bother you not.

Everbody has morbid thoughts and if anyone says they don't, that's when to worry. Maybe next time don't show a close friend your work. Come to a place like this where people understand that a trip to the dark side is like going to the shop for milk. If everyone's state of mind was judged on what their imagination can create there would be a hell of alot more mental asylums.