Just from the initial premise, I find that a lot of writers need to do shadow work. A lot of the terribly bland stuff on this site comes from people utterly failing to dredge up any of their own emotions from their shadow to create characters and scenery that are complex and interesting. Shadow work is something that makes my writing far better than it otherwise would be (I would be trash without it). It is an absolutely all-important part of writing, and for the genres of horror and psychological that I and others work with, it is even more vital to make an actually intriguing work of them.
Those who don't do shadow work, if I'm honest, suck as creators.
This is something I've thought about myself a lot. ...I mean, it's part of why I made this video and said what I did.
I wouldn't say they suck so much as just inexperienced still though. And I can fully understand if someone doesn't want to go this route. As I've thought about it, it leans a bit more to literary fiction techniques than genre/commercial fiction, which, as said, is a valid route to take even if I'm not 100% it.
To note my personal route of preference, I like to walk in between genre and literary fiction. To play with genre conventions and find depth within that. But that's just me.
For those who do want to do their commercial fiction/straightforward idea, that's how I'd recommend going about it. Like, play with the tropes and concepts you like, but do more to inject yourself into it.
Like, for instance, if I ever were to write an Isekai, I'd still inject my interests into it like a delinquent character or ex-yakuza or something who gets sent to another world and sees it as a chance for a fresh start, but stuff from past life does still impact identity and how he goes about things as he's trying to survive. So torn between operating in this new system and trying to survive and maybe thrive, but also doing his best not to fall back into old patterns.
I imagine someone has come up with something like that, but that's part of how I'd do it. This is something I have thought about since I did once consider throwing away my actual passion and voice to write something meant purely to appeal to web fiction audiences so I could make money.
As for why I don't, it deals with stuff I've found in my own shadow work. But that's a whole thing in itself.
Ye. Thanks for the video. I will try to implement the teachings. I started writing again. Ahaha. My previous work that I showed you called journey to Eden prime. Your videoes helped me thanks Marc.
Hmmm, i had never heard of shadow work as a concept, but i was already doing some of it in my work. Other things, i had no idea about.
nice video, as always
Happy to deliver!
I wish I could've gone more into how to practice it in this one, but... eh, you all saw how long this one already is and it was more about presenting my argument for why people should do it as opposed to how. I feel something on "how" should be a follow-up video in the future, though I'll note there are many paths for it. I might blend examples in fiction with the techniques.
Huh... I just realized, my favorite story of all time, the one that made me truly want to become a writer, has shadow work in it... Like, it's not outright said, but it's 100% what goes on when the protagonist has to be rescued after the 6 month time skip... And the shadow work is literally key to accessing the higher levels of power...
Anyway, as supplement, I want to share a great example of how amazing shadow work in fiction can work, using my love of Tales of Crestoria.. Chapter 8, The Power of Sin, is 3 of the leads forced to do shadow work after a lot of what was built. Misella's example is especially beautiful given that it hits deep at things like why she openly loves Kanata, yet wouldn't progress their relationship. I timestamp the video below right to the moment where it has it in action.
Oh and for those wanting context for what the crimes mentioned in this are, the story's conflict starts because
Kanata murdered his father to stop him from selling Misella. His father was the head of their village and took care of the orphanage. Kanata didn't know his dad was a child trafficker and, when he learned and saw his best friend/crush was going to be sold, one thing lead to another and he stabbed his father in a fit of rage. After that, he stayed behind when arrested for the murder and told Misella to get out of there. She left... though only to get what she needed. She gathered up all these flowers that are combustible, evacuated the other orphans, and set the building on fire to get the adults to leave, so she could go in and rescue Kanata. She succeeded, but what she later learned is that one of the orphans went back inside to try and get a toy and they suffocated. At any rate, Misella... well, I'll let the scene when it reveals her shadow spell it out on what she's kept locked inside.
