Most Common Writing Errors

Don't Write Angst For No Reason

Read the disclaimer if you haven't already.

This chapter talks about angst and why it should be used purposefully instead of just kinda thrown in there for dramatic effect.

Angst refers to sadness, dread, and anxiety, such as a character death, that happens in a story. 

My entire brand is my angst. Any reader of mine knows that all of my stories, even the cuter and fluffier ones, have some form of angst.

Sadness and dark topics are important to the human experience. I don't mean to generalize, but I'm sure most of you reading this have experienced at least one major negative event that has stuck with you ever since it occurred. All of us have experienced sadness, dread, and anxiety to some extent. In stories, these types of emotions help you connect with the characters and narrative.

I may make jokes about wanting to torture my readers with angst (and, let's face it, I'm kinda known for killing off main characters like it's going out of style), but there is a very specific reason why there is so much angst in my stories.

My work is driven by concepts and humanity. Like Crazy is the biggest, and boldest, example of this, but Adrift is another example. Like Crazy has the most angst out of all my stories because of the raw horror the main characters are exposed to; however, you have to consider the world they are living in.

They are living in a dystopian world that is the personification of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. They have pestilence, famine, war, and death on their doorstep because they are in an intense war with the cruel Emperor who will gladly kidnap and torture children (Jimin) for his own gain.

TL;DR: It's not a fun story.

The angst in that story exists for a specific reason, and there is enough light and positivity in the world to give a sense of hope. The first chapter is dark and gritty and features Jimin decapitating an innocent man then smiling at the thought of murdering the main character. The next chapter is slower and calmer and takes the time to show the beauty of the birds and the serenity in the midst of madness.

As much as angst is important for a lot of stories, you have to keep in mind that constant angst is going to wear on your audience.

I'm not saying these stories don't work. A story that is constant misery can work depending on what you're going for. The popular horror/gore film Martyrs has like no light or hope whatsoever. It's literally a torture film.

If you've never heard of or seen the film, stay curious. Don't watch it. I didn't watch it, but I'm a film nerd so I've watched people review it, and from the few scenes I've seen, I don't ever want to watch it. It's gross.

Still, believe it or not, it's actually a pretty good movie. Despite the harshness of it, it does cover some interesting topics when it comes to survivor's guilt, PTSD, depression, death, etc. So even though it's all misery, it's good.

However, the misery in that movie was purposeful and not just thrown in there to force a reaction out of the audience. If you're writing angst only because you want the audience to comment and cry, I don't really think that's a great way to go about it.

I'm an author but also a reader. I think a lot of people need to understand that just because I'm an author doesn't mean I don't feel what you do when I write my stories. These stories are my brain babies; whatever you're feeling, I feel 20x more. The tears you shed, I shed too. 

When that character got their ending in Heartless, I probably cried more than you. When a certain character in Adrift got their ending, I definitely cried more than you since Adrift was my first major story and the first story of mine to have such an impactful moment.

What I'm trying to say is, I know how angst feels. When I write angst, I'm aware of how it's going to make you feel because it makes me feel like that too. Behind the scenes, I'm going through ten different versions of the scene to make sure it's giving you the reaction I intended.

But even though I know, in general, how people are going to react, I still don't write angst for the sake of getting a reaction. I don't think it's a great tactic. If it's forced angst, it's going to feel forced and it might not even get the reaction you were expecting. That's why angst should be purposeful and not overused (or if it is, it should be used purposefully, like in Martyrs). Most readers can tell when angst is used unnecessarily just to force a reaction out of them.

The Last of Us 2 is another example of a story that is almost constantly miserable. As much as I don't like that game and I think the storytelling is weak at best, I didn't have a problem with the constant misery like other people did. Considering the narrative (however sloppy it may be) the writers chose to go with, the misery at least makes sense.

My point is, if you're going to have angst, make sure it makes sense. Even if the reason is as simple as "They're in war and people die in war," at least that's a reason.

As a reader, sometimes the most frustrating thing is when bad stuff happens to the main characters for no clear reason. Whether it be unnecessary character death or another form of angst, having to sit through terrible events that have no clear purpose is annoying, not entertaining.

I believe angst helps make a story memorable. Obviously not in all cases, but there are many times a story will be elevated by its angst. Adrift fans, everyone's favorite part is part 3. I asked my readers what their top 5 favorite chapters were, and their lists were at least 3/5 part 3 chapters if not 4/5. 

Part 3 has the most angst. No one talks about the beginning of part 3 where it's fluffy and it's a nice cooldown from the previous part being really long and hectic. People talk about "Goodbye My Love," "The Funeral," "Farewell, Executive Jeon," "The Club," etc. 

Who are the three most beloved characters in Adrift? Jimin, Jungkook, and Namjoon. Who goes through the most angst? Jimin, Jungkook, and Namjoon.

Do you remember what happened in the chapter titled "Us?" No, probably not. I don't even know and I wrote the story (tbf I wrote it over three years ago now). But if I ask you what happened in "Goodbye My Love," you could write an entire essay about it. Don't even get me started about the "OT7" and "Young Forever" chapters. Y'all went feral.

Okay, admittedly, a good 40% of the comments for "Young Forever" are thirsting over sweaty, injured Jungkook riding on a motorcycle to save his lover but anywaayyyyy-

The difference is the presence of angst. The chapters that are fluffier are fine and all, but we tend to remember the angsty stuff more.

This is a long way of saying angst is good, just don't force it.

~ End ~

Upcoming topics: Style over substance, how long should a chapter be?, and worldbuilding. I also have some opinion chapters coming up about review shops and writing pet peeves.

I hope that chapter was helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will reply as soon as I can.

Please vote and follow for more tips, and feel free to request a topic for me to cover in a future chapter.