Unlocking and Accessing the Darkness Within Article

Colleen Doran asked me recently to be a guest writer on her blog. Here is the result: Unlocking and Accessing the Darkness Within: 7 Keys for Comics Creators. The article discusses practical ways in which you can channel your own dark side into your writing. Here's a taste:

The actual argument in favour of it [introducing darkness into storytelling] is threefold:

– Without going into abject darkness how can a character experience the light in forms such as love, joy and redemption, which invariably accompanies traditional happy-ending plots?
– Without understanding the evil lengths an antagonist and his/her allies will go to in order to fulfil their objectives, how can we create obstacles and conflict for the protagonist’s journey?
– And without these stark contrasts, how can we get readers/viewers to identify with the lead character/s and in the process give readers a visceral experience that evokes a large range of feelings and emotions (which is one of my success measurement tools about whether or not a work translates into a rich reading or filmic experience)?

Go check it out!