1475894
People seem to underestimate the completely devastating power that death itself holds. From what I've noticed since I've joined this fandom is that writers in particular seem to not understand the weight that death has. Grim dark in particular focuses on the ability to instill fear and confusion in readers due to this.

People write death as an everyday occurrence, where sometimes it is, but how often they do it destroys the credibility and quality of the darker fan fics. I've spoken to people who do everything in their power to avoid the dark tag because they either associate it with unnecessary gore and sex, or negligence of death.

I enjoy dark stories, but I too run into the problem that some people can't grasp that death and other mature subjects must be handled with experience and knowledge. Death such as suicide has driven close family members of people who have committed suicide to depression and other mental illnesses.

I dislike the stories out there that feature mass murdering with no motivation or reasoning. Writers claim insanity or crazed characters will murder for fun, and yes sometimes they will, but it is fucking overused. Be original. You call yourselves authors when really you are selfish people struggling for attention, be it positive or negative for derive only pleasure at the expense of the name of grimdark and writing itself.

Characters can be villains without use of murder. They may drive others to insanityor tear down society through the use of corruption or drive people apart from one another or bring about devastation through horror and illusions or try to correct the wrongs of others through unethical and irrational ways.

DEATH is a part of the natural order and is, in most eyes, terrible thing. However it is not a tool or shortcut to better writing, in fact if anything it is the opposite. Incompetent use of death and murder shows a writer's inexperience, insecurity, and inability to use other tools at their disposal.

My stories feature death. Yet, surprisingly to most of you, it does not occur in every chapter, as I have seen done in some fics. If you excessively use death as a shortcut to better writing and attention you will not only disgrace yourself and taint your image, you will ruin the image of those you are associated with. Such as the dark tag. I've seen dark stories that contain nary a single drop of blood. How do they do this? By being writers who know what they want. Knowing their story can be great without gore or sex or death.

I will be coming out with a trilogy reeking with death and darkness, yes. But not once will I neglect their power. The catalyst is my story, death and darkness is the result. NOT the other way around. Death and darkness does not make my story, my story makes death and darkness. There is method to the malice, there is reason to my usage of these tools. But amongst the death and darkness, there is hope, light, and victory.

A story deserves the dark tag. You coming up with a pointless plot as an excuse to use death does not. Death is money. The more of it there is, the less important it becomes. If you have the perfect mix of economy (plot), government (characters), and money (death), you have a successful society. If there is too much of any of these and neglect of another, the society (story) will crash and burn.

Ponder this, and before you write that next awesome story about a serial killer, look back and see how you could do something for yourself. Don't fade with the crowd. Don't give in to the ignorance. Be yourself, write what you want.

And for the love of all things dead,
USE FUCKING COMMON SENSE!

That is all. Equestria is ours.

1476196
This rant should be posted on this site's blog, instead of those stupid interviews.

1476378
Indeed.

I had my dad read 2 chapters of My Little Caboose: Blue is Magic and Fallout: Equestria's intro (both were featured)

He said, "That's considered writing nowdays?"

Then I showed him two paragraphs of Past Sins and he told me to leave him in peace while he read the rest of the first chapter. He said, "That's writing."

But it just urks me how some stories on novel grade level don't get featured because they're 'walls of text' and they don't have enough dialogue. People should read a fucking book once in a while.

1476402
That is all. Equestria is ours.

I think death is often used because it's all something we have experienced at one point or another in our lives. From that first death in the family, death of a pet, or death of someone close to us, we have seen it and it is painfully familiar. We also know that our own mortality is inevitable, which creates a whole host of emotions. That familiarity tends to be a fallback for some writers.

I'll admit, I used death in my story The Private Scrapbook, but I spaced it out to show celebrations of life as well. I wanted the death to have weight to it, giving the reader a chance to invest in the life of one of the characters and how that death would effect the main character.

1476402
I hear ya on the novel bit.

1480663
After posting this I've met so many more intelligent people

That is all. Equestria is ours.

I agree on the first part that Death is overused and usually doesnt have a realistic impact on the persona who are in the story.
I have to ask, how is death such a big deal to so many people? My pet hamster died at the start of winter, i didnt shed a tear(and then held the corpse all through winter in a box on the balcony).
How?

1483086
It's more when someone close to you dies and you have no power to help them. Just to see them laying there and knowing that tomorrow they won't open their eyes or breath another breath brings you closer to them.

I know. I saw one of my dad's customer's wife on her literal death bed. She was at peace (especially with all the drugs in her), but there was something I couldn't get over. A feeling that I wouldn't be able to talk with her in a long while.

And maybe a reminder that one day, I would be lying on a bed with my own life fading.

Powerlessness is the worst feeling you can have. An no man has power over death (except, you know, Christ).

1565311
So? I still don't get the fuss about all this, someone lives, someone dies, you live, you die, so what? Those confessions that you never had the time to talk about? That you never got to know someone? Or(in some way) heal them? How does everyone give so many flippady-fucks. :P

1572015
Stories are all about emotional extremes. That's why it's important. Besides, I didn't rename this group "Mad Authors" for no reason.

1572069
Stories are not only about emotional extremes.
I'm only mad, Cruz SCIENCE!!

1572128
Do I even need to point out you haven't any stories on your user account?

1576739
EMAHRGERDZ! Someone found out >:0 So?

IM STILL MAD! >;O