Into The Darkness: Hook Your Readers

by David Wright

Create an army of rabid fans by telling richer, deeper stories that readers love.

David Wright has garnered thousands of avid fans by writing dark stories that pull his readers in and keep them hooked to the last page. He masterfully balances darkness and light to create gripping stories his readers can’t put down, with just enough hope that they are left feeling satisfied and dying to read the next book.

In Into The Darkness, Dave takes you into his world and shows you how he approaches adding darkness to his writing, while still always being able to return to the light.

You will learn how to...
Increase the tension in your stories to keep your readers hooked, give them a powerful emotional experience, and leave them wanting to read MORE of your books
Add depth and believability to your characters by layering in personal darkness
Mine your past and your own inner darkness to tell truer stories, without getting lost in your own pain
Add realistic darkness through research
Create more believable (and scarier) villains by balancing their darkness with light
Insert humor and hope to keep your audience going when things get too dark
Keep yourself feeling positive and hopefully, even when exploring dark themes If you’re ready to tell richer, fuller stories and create your own army of rabid fans… it’s time to go Into the Darkness.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

136 pages, Paperback

Published August 11, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.

Reviews

[Ellen Bard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a deeply personal and quite unusual writing book. David Wright, who is part of the successful and entertaining SelfPublishing Podcast, shares much of his own story and process in using ‘darkness’ - the harder parts of life - in writing. He also shares how doing this has helped him process some of his own difficult experiences. Having read a lot of books on writing, I really liked that this was quite a different take on the topic, coming from a very different angle. If you are a writer of fiction and you write any kind of villain or antagonist (which is probably most fiction writers, let’s face it), there’s likely to be some useful ideas in here in making them richer as ideas or characters.

[John Sheets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Channel your inner Darkness

Anyone who's ever wanted to crawl inside David Wright's head, this is your escalator ride down there. He lays his host of personal fears out there, fearlessly, in his true voice.

It's not quite a biography, not quite a self-help or writing craft book. But it is. It's a paradigm shift for any writer who can't seem to get enough tension or suspense in their stories.

It's a quick, light read, but it gets you thinking. I had to read it in smaller bites because my mind kept spiraling out into my own story ideas.

[Joanne Poyourow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if you don't write horror

I don't write horror or really dark stories. However Dave's book gave me many ideas about character backstory, villain motivation, and more. Plus the writing is engaging and the book is an enjoyable read.

[August · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really stellar reminders of how well-told stories are about characters and how they weather what happens to them, to show readers how to weather what happens to *them*. I wished I'd gotten a practical exercise or two out of this book, but the perspective was quite useful.

[Cyrus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good advice on writing well rounded characters

Dave gives good advice on writing characters with depth, stories that are better because they aren’t just an unrelenting slog. Give your heroes a little darkness, make your villains a little relatable, vary the intensity and pace of your story, and you will have a more enjoyable book.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a very good helpful information in this book that I didn’t find anywhere else – read about eight other books on the same topic before this one. That’s far, it’s at the top of my list. And I do recommend it if this is something you’re interested in.

[Peggy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark vs light

As a writer you must see all points and parts of the dark vs light, good vs bad. Thank you for explaining to us that it's there in all of us.

[Rachel Lightfoot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly quick read, and good food for thought. The second half dealing with crafting villains seemed especially useful.

[Meg Cowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thought provoking read, well written, well paced, and practically applicable, just a little on the short side.

[Juneta Key · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not exactly what I was expecting, but much better. I really enjoyed getting a look into Dave's life or maybe psyche. One thing that resonated the strongest with me is about feeling things "too much" and struggling to understand why and how growing up and as an adult. The mind-boggling of even believing humans could do this or be like this or accept and embrace the ugliness the way they do, ordinary everyday people. The little things that build and affect your life and outlook was so interesting to hear from Dave's perspective and how he used that in his writing.

Yes, Dave, I want more craft books from you. Yours is one of the best in an emotionally appealing way that I have ever read. I found myself thinking of one of my all-time favorite quotes. "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." ~Friedrich Nietzsche

It makes me want to go write about the darkness. I have always had a hard time because of my emotion expressing that but this book help me see ways maybe I can use it. Thank you, Dave.

I volunteered to read an ARC copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.

[Shu Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the writing book by Dave I’ve been waiting for, as a fan of the Self Publishing Podcast. Out of all the craft books I’ve read this year -- and it’s been a few! -- this is the one that has spoken most directly to me and my work, and pushed me to embrace why I write in a constructive fashion. He writes, “I write dark stories because they offer catharsis and hop that despite all the shit going on in the world today, you can’t turn away from the light”.

Besides Dave’s personal journey towards writing on the dark side of fiction, there’s beautifully broken down character studies of highly relevant heroes and villains from popular television that most will know enough about to learn from easily. For those who haven’t seen the shows, Dave provides succinct breakdowns of characters to illustrate his points.

This is a book to hang on to when struggling with the emotional side of craft, but also a highly practical manual of craft itself. Highly recommend. I’ve been writing for twenty-one years now, and still learning and being prodded to better apply what I’ve already learned.

[Lily Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book

You know how they say great essences are kept in small bottles? Well, this is what this book is: short, but helpful. I loved reading this book and learning about the author's struggles in life, and in writing. It was great being reminded some things I knew about writing and learning more about it through the fresh pov of another author.

Looking forward to more books by the author.

Ps for the author: I was watching a podcast with Amanda Palmer and she went though something similar to your idea about the 'Christmas baby'. Not sure if it was actually Christmas, I think it was near New Year's Eve, anyway, around that time. It may indeed be much for some people to write a story about that, but it is your story. It might bring solace to some. There's all sorts of ways you could write about it, as long as it's honest (and after reading this book, I think that won't be an issue) I believe you'll be ok, if not better than ok writing it. Thanks for sharing this book with us!

[Jane Night · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recieved an arc of this book but my opinions are honest and my own.
I absolutely love the author's voice. I am a huge fan of the Sterling and Stone podcast and so naturally adored everything Wright shared about his personal experiences.
I loved chapter 12 which focused on writing well rounded villains. "Villains are almost never the villain of their own stories." I think as an author we sometimes shy away from writing fleshed out antagonists lest we make them sympathetic. In reality a fleshed out villain is more real and often more terrifying.
I loved the points made about how to write dark endings and how such endings must be earned for readers to appreciate them.
I also loved how Wright offers practical ideas and tools for creating tension in chapter 7.
Overall I really just enjoyed this book. The only negative about the book I can give is that it is a bit short. I could have listened to Wright for another 100 pages easily.

[Marcy Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good introductory book. Basically, it boiled down to a few simple tips:

(1) Mine your own life experiences so that the emotions you include will be believable. (This doesn't mean using those experiences. It means mining them for the emotions.)
(2) Make sure to include hope as well as darkness because that's what people are looking for the most.
(3) Give your villain qualities that allow people to care about him and give backstory so they can understand how he or she became the way they are.
(4) Be careful while doing that not to make your villain too likeable. Continue to show people why the villain is evil and scary.

I'd say it's a good starting place for beginning writers but that experience writers will wish there was more meat on the bones.

Also, be aware that there's a lot of profanity in this book as seems to be the case with any Stone Tablet book.

[Gwyn Haller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks David for writing this unique honest survival and thrive book

Over the years, people have said to me, "Why don't you write about your life?" And I've been tormented by the standard writing adage: Write what you know. My early life to teens was horror that would make Stephen King's heart beat hitch in his chest. I didn't find "horror" entertainment. I didn't understand the draw. I avoided situations and people that could stir that kettle of pain. But my best stories had "scary" scenes. I couldn't move forward or be authentic. Stories are to be entertaining. This book helps me see how to put it all together and not get lost in the darkness. Bravo David!

[Jim Wilbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic, to-the-point exploration of how to write horror, suspense, and tragedy into your fiction. Whether you’re new to writing fiction, our simply looking to add new tools for your writing craft, this book will help you write better stories.

[Angel Leya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Dave's perspective on writing. My favorite chapter was Let's Ruin a Life Together. Ummm, it's a fun exercise, and has some practical applications (for writing, of course). :D Seriously, the mix of humor and the perspective of adding darkness really helped bring one of my current characters to light. So thanks for venturing out of your comfort zone to write some nonfiction! You've helped at least one person out, and I think other writers looking to add depth to their characters and stories would do well to pick this up. Even writers of fluffy stuff. :D

[Dey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well-written and if you haven’t read much on writing, will be very helpful. Clear discussions of why the protagonist has to face challenges and what types of outcomes are most satisfying, as well as solid advice on crafting villains.

If you have been reading about writing, there’s not much new here.

I genuinely liked the authorial voice. I ended up feeling I wouldn’t mind hanging out with this guy. And I don’t think it’s bad to have heard this advice again.

[Reetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and personal writing guide

This book is full of personal stories and examples and they made it a fascinating read. You get good advice about writing villains and how to keep the darkness from being too overbearing. A useful guide for all writers, not just horror novelists because every story needs both, the darkness and the light.

[Daniel Kuhnley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book on writing about dark subjects. There were a few worthy nuggets in there, even for those that don't write horror or dark stories. A quick read at 92 pages.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good take on character creation

Loved the author's perspective on character, especially villains, development. Gave me another method to bring them to life. A good, quick read.