Journey to the Dark Side with @JaspersIzzy

Happy Black Friday! How fitting. 

So, here we are again, trying to make our way to the Dark Side of Twilight Fan Fiction. I hope some of you have been inspired to write at least something, and if not, hopefully it will come if you decide you want to travel down this path. 

I do want to stress a few things. First, I suck at grammar, and I am not beta, so please understand that I am not trying to give grammar lessons... I need them myself. Second, I am not a real writer. I write Twilight Fan Fiction and hold no degree. I am no expert in these things, so please do not think I am trying to present myself as one. This segment is just from my own personal learnings and thoughts. That is all. 

OK, now that is out of the way...

Last time we talked about setting your mood for writing dark, right? Now that are... in the mood (wiggles eyebrows) we need to start writing. I'm not going to go into detail about writing outlines and whatnot, because this is simple shit we should already know. 

I do however want to point out what I like to call DETAIL!!! I'm a very detail oriented person. I like to know what people are doing, what they're thinking, how they're feeling, etc and so forth. I think this is crucial in all story lines, but especially dark ones. You have to be able to build fear inside of someone while they are reading; slowly creep it in so they are expecting something to happen at any moment, but also have enough foresight to wait long enough that when it does happen, they won't see it happen. 

Perfect example of this is Toye by BrattyVamp. She give you horrific shit at every turn, disturbing images, fantastic foreshadowing of what we thought might and probably would come, but then just as she gets you comfortable that everything is going to work out... WAM!!! You're bitchslapped with the dark so hard you wonder how the hell you didn't see it coming. 

You can't just write a dark fic and expect people to just understand it's dark. Yes, I know that sounds odd, but this is what I mean. Forshadowing is a great way to build up the suspense. You have to keep people just enough on their toes with the little details, but relaxed enough with the bigger ones to not see the suspense coming. 

This can be done in how you describe the scene. (ie. It's a dark stormy night... etc.) Now of course let's hope you are more creative than that, but it's an example. (shrugs) It takes a truly talented author to make a sunny day in a daisy filled meadow creepy, not saying it can't be done, but hard nonetheless. So, describing the scene is crucial in my opinion. 

Feelings are important as well. I want to feel the fear the character is feeling. The hairs standing up on the back of their neck, their heart rate increasing, the overwhelming panic threatening to drown them. It adds to the dread and anticipation to know how someone is feeling. 

The actions of the characters is a big one for me. Is he breathing down her neck with an evil glint in his eyes? Is she laughing evilly as she shreds his skin from his body? Details like this are going to make a huge difference in how the story is is going to read. They are important and should not be left out. Now, of course depending on your storyline and how dark you want to take it will depend on the type of details you share. It's up to you, ultimately. 

These are just a few things to help you along the way to make your story more enjoyable and interesting. I think they are important in all stories, but especially in dark ones. These details are what will set your mood and draw your reader in. They do me. 

Now, that is out of the way, let's move on to this week prompts. I wanted to do these for a little inspiration in regards to the contest we are hosting, The Nightmare Before Christmas contest. I hope these help inspire you to write for it. Click the pretty banner over there for details...

I hope these help...

This is like creepy skinny Santa dude...

Nothing dramatic, just a few creepy thingy's. I hope something helps inspire you to write for our Christmas contest. We look forward to seeing what you come up with. 

Until next time kiddies,