Writers Can't Be Afraid of the Dark Side
There is a wonderful quote by the Roman, Seneca. He says, “Nothing human is alien to me.” I think that is such a powerful quote for writers.
If we are to find our true voice as writers, we cannot be afraid of the dark side of the human condition. What is really powerful writing is writing that explores the shadowlands of the human soul. We all have dark and we all have light within us. If you’re afraid to write about sex or you’re afraid to write about violence or you’re afraid to write about homosexuality –– if you’re afraid to write about anything, anything at all, then that’s stopping your creativity.
All aspects of the human condition have to be open to us. You can choose not to write about something, but there’s a big difference between choosing not to write about something and being afraid or actually unable to write about something. As creative writers we need to explore all the primal passions; only then can we make choices in our writing.
Need help in opening to the dark side? Explore Emily's book, The Art of Fiction Writing or How To Fall Down the Rabbit Hole Without Really Trying
If we are to find our true voice as writers, we cannot be afraid of the dark side of the human condition. What is really powerful writing is writing that explores the shadowlands of the human soul. We all have dark and we all have light within us. If you’re afraid to write about sex or you’re afraid to write about violence or you’re afraid to write about homosexuality –– if you’re afraid to write about anything, anything at all, then that’s stopping your creativity.
All aspects of the human condition have to be open to us. You can choose not to write about something, but there’s a big difference between choosing not to write about something and being afraid or actually unable to write about something. As creative writers we need to explore all the primal passions; only then can we make choices in our writing.
Need help in opening to the dark side? Explore Emily's book, The Art of Fiction Writing or How To Fall Down the Rabbit Hole Without Really Trying
posted by Emily Hanlon at
1/31/2007 10:16:00 AM
2 Comments:
How very true. But sometimes, very hard to manage.
Great blog! It's my first visit, and I see all sorts of interesting things...
By
Lauri, At
10:57 PM
I second that. a writer shouldn't be held back by fear.
But personally, i also think it's important to explore comedy within a book. We should be free to make jokes and be absurd and silly. We use humour everyday in order to understand the darker side of life and i think that humour sometimes tends to be pushed to the sidelines as people create serious stories... but what do i know, i've only just started writing!
By
Victoria Hume, At
11:24 AM
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