So I recently came across an interesting discussion topic by chance from one of my readers. I'm going somewhere with this, gimme a little here. ;)
As I was review replying, one such reader pointed out the level of dark themes in my story. If you don't know much about my one WIP fanfiction, I can tell you that I believe it to be pretty dark.
Here is my disclaimer, to give you guys an example:
"PLEASE NOTE: This is rated MA/NC-17 for a very good reason. This story is very DARK. If you can imagine it, drugs, physical and mental violence, abuse and rape along with thoughts/acts of suicide and murder, it's in here or going to be. Please understand that it's never my intention to offend anyone or contribute to negative triggers. I will also put this message at the beginning of chapters with specifically dark scenes."
Now I thought I was working on some heavy dark themes, I mean the story itself revolves around sex slaves in the Russian Mafia. But this reader pointed out that the scenes I chose to have the disclaimer for weren't necessarily dark at all.
After some corresponding with this reader I discovered that her interpretation on dark themes varied greatly from mine.
Here is a citation of Wikepedia: "A theme is a broad idea, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character, setting, and style, theme is considered one of the fundamental components of fiction."
In my mind my story was very dark because it was the exploration of ideas that were implied rather than stated explicitly. But to my reader she felt that these ideas needed to be stated more explicitly in order to be considered a theme at all. Now don't get me wrong, I don't consider her opinion on what she finds a dark theme to be wrong. I simply think that we both are coming from two different places. And that's what started this, because I wanted to get to know where others were coming from when they think of this topic too.
Then we got into the graphicness of writing certain scenes that is the general populace of fanfiction. Which was a whole other can of worms.
So these are my discussion questions to the campers:
What is a theme in a story to you? What is graphic content in a story to you?
How do you feel, as a writer or reader, that themes should be expressed across writing in fanfiction?
Are there any themes that you feel NEED to be expressed more explicitly than others? Do you need specific scenes to convey the intensity or level of them? Do you have examples in your mind where something works or doesn't?
Do you feel that dark themes in particular need to be graphic because it's simply the nature of the beast?
Specifically, when it comes to dark themes, what is "crossing the line" for you? How graphic, is too graphic? But what isn't graphic enough? Where is that line drawn for you?
Do you enjoy reading dark-themed fanfiction? Do you write it? What about it do you love? If you do enjoy reading, can you think of a specific one that you love, don't have to name it if you don't want, but what's the level of graphicness in the story? If you write it, can you use yours as an example? Do you think the level of graphicness adds merit to your theme?
Do you feel the growing trend in graphic dark-themed fanfiction has changed any of YOUR above answers? Why?
Do you feel that the growing trend in graphic dark-themed fanfiction has changed any of the above answers for the general reading population of fanfiction?
Come chitter-chatter with me please. I'm very curious about what others think on the topic of dark-themed fanfiction!