Writing grim dark fantasy with self injected main character

[DanGreen]

I have recently begin feeling selfconcious about the fact that in my novel feels very intimate to me. What I write is somewhat dark.

It was never my intent to make the maincharacter based on myself, that just happened. But to me when i read my own writing it brings me back to the very traumas that give me the experience that makes me good at depicting the scenes that are the most emotional and sometimes horrible.

My questions are these.
Am I rediculus for worrying that I will be judged?

Does anyone else feel as I do?

Should I take care not to inject my own experiences into my writing?

I kind of feel stupid just asking. But in my experience that is a selfdefense mechanism designed not to bring it up so here it is anyways.

 

[ludwig1beethoven]

I think it is fine, as long as they are not an untouchable Mary Sue, but actually an interesting character that doesn't have plot armor and everything given on a platter. I wouldn't particularly care if the main hero is a self-insert when the story is captivating and cohesive.

 

[DanGreen]

I think it is fine, as long as they are not an untouchable Mary Sue, but actually an interesting character that doesn't have plot armor and everything given on a platter. I wouldn't particularly care if the main hero is a self-insert when the story is captivating and cohesive.

Hah. That trap is somewhat avoided as the main focus of the first half of my novel basically is his abusive childhood filled with violence and psychological marginalization. While the rest is about living with and showing how he adapts and manages the trauma.
That said its still a fantasy with action. But my mantra for writing power is. "Power has a cost, what will he have to pay this time"

 

[ludwig1beethoven]

Hah. That trap is somewhat avoided as the main focus of the first half of my novel basically is his abusive childhood filled with violence and psychological marginalization. While the rest is about living with and showing how he adapts and manages the trauma.
That said its still a fantasy with action. But my mantra for writing power is. "Power has a cost, what will he have to pay this time"

With that turn, you should also avoid making him a walking stereotype of the dark mysterious traumatized guy. He should still feel realistic as a person and not romanticized as well as the violence should feel realistic, not exaggerated.

 

[Penpilot]

Should I take care not to inject my own experiences into my writing?

Every writer uses their personal experiences to bring their stories to life. Sometimes it's a dash here or a dash there. Other times, they're ripping the package wide open and pouring it all in. The key is to have the characters be genuine characters, and not some idealized self insert. And that the story is not just a way for you to live out some sort of poorly executed power fantasy.

Am I rediculus for worrying that I will be judged?

I can't say for anyone else, but there was a time I would feel quite self conscious about my writing. But then, I took a writing class and had to share my writing. I realized regardless of what someone thinks of my writing, the world won't end for me. I won't implode. And some people will make assumptions. Others won't. And there's nothing I can do about that.

You see in media all the time, someone will write a story with a despicable character who does despicable things, and despite the story being about this character's downfall and them getting their comeuppance, some will assume that the writer holds the same values as the despicable character. This is something that can't be avoided, regardless of if you're using your personal experiences or not.

If you write a story about a character stealing candy from a baby, there's going to be be someone who reads it and is going to assume at some time during your life, you stole candy from a baby.

 

[DanGreen]

With that turn, you should also avoid making him a walking stereotype of the dark mysterious traumatized guy. He should still feel realistic as a person and not romanticized as well as the violence should feel realistic, not exaggerated.

I am doing my best in that regard. The violence as far as my experiences tell me are real and the MC is not actually that dark or mysterious as the entire novel is written in a true first person perspective. Well at least that's the intent.

Every writer uses their personal experiences to bring their stories to life. Sometimes it's a dash here or a dash there. Other times, they're ripping the package wide open and pouring it all in. The key is to have the characters be genuine characters, and not some idealized self insert. And that the story is not just a way for you to live out some sort of poorly executed power fantasy.



I can't say for anyone else, but there was a time I would feel quite self conscious about my writing. But then, I took a writing class and had to share my writing. I realized regardless of what someone thinks of my writing, the world won't end for me. I won't implode. And some people will make assumptions. Others won't. And there's nothing I can do about that.

You see in media all the time, someone will write a story with a despicable character who does despicable things, and despite the story being about this character's downfall and them getting their comeuppance, some will assume that the writer holds the same values as the despicable character. This is something that can't be avoided, regardless of if you're using your personal experiences or not.

If you write a story about a character stealing candy from a baby, there's going to be be someone who reads it and is going to assume at some time during your life, you stole candy from a baby.

Thank you for saying that, it actually settles my nerves somewhat.

 

[Mad Swede]

Am I rediculus for worrying that I will be judged?

If your story gets published you will be judged. You may not want that, but it will happen. All you can really do is choose whether to read those comments or not. What you never do is reply to them.

Does anyone else feel as I do?

Should I take care not to inject my own experiences into my writing?

All writers use experiences from their lives in their writing. Sure, we can do research on things like how swords are made and how you use them. But when it comes to characterisation and (sometimes) plot it's our own lives, the places we've been, the things we've done and the people we've met which form the basis for what we write. We might not think we have chosen to do this, but these things creep in anyway. It can and does make our writing more personal than we might have intended, but it also gives depth to our writing.

The way I deal with this is to just write. I know these influences creep into my writing, and I know they often (usually?) make my writing more personal than I intend. And yes, this can and does lead to some tough questions from my readers. They don't intend their questions to be tough, but because my writing often ends up being more personal than I intend the questions become tough for me to answer. Answering those questions is a choice I make, just like writing is a choice I've made.

So make your choice. Just make sure you're aware of the potential consequences and be prepared for them.

 

[DanGreen]

If your story gets published you will be judged. You may not want that, but it will happen. All you can really do is choose whether to read those comments or not. What you never do is reply to them.

All writers use experiences from their lives in their writing. Sure, we can do research on things like how swords are made and how you use them. But when it comes to characterisation and (sometimes) plot it's our own lives, the places we've been, the things we've done and the people we've met which form the basis for what we write. We might not think we have chosen to do this, but these things creep in anyway. It can and does make our writing more personal than we might have intended, but it also gives depth to our writing.

The way I deal with this is to just write. I know these influences creep into my writing, and I know they often (usually?) make my writing more personal than I intend. And yes, this can and does lead to some tough questions from my readers. They don't intend their questions to be tough, but because my writing often ends up being more personal than I intend the questions become tough for me to answer. Answering those questions is a choice I make, just like writing is a choice I've made.

So make your choice. Just make sure you're aware of the potential consequences and be prepared for them.

That sounds like a healthy way to do it. In a nutshell: be aware of it and only engage if you are ready to handle it.