“Darkness is the condition resulting from a lack of illumination, or an absence of visible light.”
 –Wikipedia

I have a confession to make. Please don’t kill the messenger, kill the guy that wrote the message. Wait! Don’t kill him either! A stern look should be sufficient. Or better yet, get a box of one dozen pimped out doughnuts and offer him one, just one, the plain one without all the frosting and sprinkles. Yeah, that should do it. And dough nut give him a latte to dunk it in, either.

Time for me to come clean. In these Super Secrets of Writing articles I’ve written for you over the years, I’ve given you the fundamentals necessary to craft working stories that have the power to sell and be published by respected publications like DreamForge Magazine. Grasp these fundamentals, make them your polestar, practice them by writing, and if you muster up the courage to send your stories regularly out to markets, in time, you’ll get published. I stand by that— I’ve seen it happen for multitudes of writers that were as green as Kermit the Frog when they started with me and are now professionally published writers, winners of prestigious writing contests, #1 bestselling authors, and even editors at professional publications.

But the truth is, there’s more to learn. Much more. But you can’t handle the truth! Heh, actually, you can, or you wouldn’t have stayed with me this long. You would have balked and walked at the first whiff of a suggestion that one must learn and practice and improve their craft to move from novice, to apprentice, to pro. Seriously, many, many writers cannot handle that truth. But you can— it’s why you’re still here. You recognize that I’ve focused these principles on the basics because we must learn to walk before we can run. Well, unless we’re Sonic the Hedgehog, but he’s special. And from another planet.

We’re only human after all.

But now you’ve built up your writing muscles, you’re up to speed, you feel like you could give even Sonic a run for his money. You bench press what your peers in the gym are able to handle. Look at yourself in the mirror. You’re seriously jacked, bro! You’re slim and trim, sis!

And that’s where it could get dangerous. We could become complacent, thinking there’s nothing more for us to learn, when in fact, we’re nowhere near our full potential. Those that keep training and developing and learning new skills? They’re the ones that are going to keep seeing results…while we might be left behind because we’re too busy staring at ourselves in the mirror.

Ready to get back in the gym and add another weight to your routine? This one will push you. As Marty McFly said, it’s heavy. But it’s a crucial element of stories with emotional depth and meaning, the kind of stories that readers keep talking about long after they close the book. What is this black magic, you say?

It’s called The Dark Night of the Soul.

Art Imitates Life

Before I explain the term in fiction, it’s important to understand where the term The Dark Night of the Soul comes from in our temporal lives. After all, ‘Art imitates life.’ Or is it ‘Life imitates art’? I’m so confused. Lets stick with the former, for without life and creators, artful expression cannot exist.

We create art from the deep well of our firsthand experiences and emotions. Not all of the emotions and experiences in our lives are about happy shiny people holding hands. Some experiences can be downright depressing, distressing, traumatic, even life-threatening. Some trials can send us deeper into our internal cavern, forcing us to deal with shocking betrayal or absolute loss like losing a beloved pet, friend, relative, companion, mate. And some experiences can cause us to sink like lead to our inmost depths, our soul’s Mariana Trench, where we can be crushed both by tremendous pressure and the sensation of absolute darkness. At such depths we could feel we’re complete failures, that all hope is lost, that our life is meaningless, that the light will never shine for us again. And if we’re a believer, we can feel that even God or the Divine has completely rejected and abandoned us, damning us forever in our own personal Tartarus.

Heavy!

While philosophers have discussed and recorded such a cave-like internal experience all the way back to Plato, the man that many have attributed the term’s meaning to is Juan de Yepes y Álvarez, a 16th century Spanish mystic and Carmelite monk canonized by the Catholic Church as St. John of the Cross. His poetic meditation known as “The Dark Night of Soul,” and his treatise on the subject plumbed the power in one’s soul while experiencing a symbolic shroud of darkness— the soul’s deepest tribulation before rising through purification, illumination, and liberation into the wonder of communion with God.

Later, Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, transferred the concepts of the “The Dark Night of the Soul” into the realm of psychotherapy. Instead of associating the term purely with spiritual darkness and a religious awakening, he saw this condition that both he and others had experienced, not as an existential crisis, but a period necessary to achieve individuation— his term to describe transcendence into a more self-aware and whole individual. The disintegrated self fuses into the integrated self. The fragmented self rises reborn into a strong, self-aware, harmonious self, becoming more human than human if you believe the Tyrell Corporation (winking at you Bladerunner fans). Well, at least rising to become a transformed human with an illuminated state of consciousness.

The point is, descending into the Dark Night will most certainly be painful, but this trying experience may not be all bad. The thinking is if we survive the process, the forge will burn off our impurities and bring forth purified qualities, like refining raw ore into metal, maybe into an alloy like Beskar steel. That metal is tough! Armor made from Beskar can withstand blaster fire and even repels lightsaber strikes—bet those Imperial Stormtroopers wished they had Beskar armor instead of their cheap white plastic junk that can’t even repel Ewok rocks!

This description of the process people go through in The Dark Night is akin to ancient descriptions of the mythical phoenix, where the firebird bursts into flame and dies to its former life, only to rise from the ashes reborn. Death of the former self; rebirth into a new self, our souls a distilled and purified essence of our true nature, giving us new insight, guiding us into a more purposeful life.

I need to make a disclaimer here. I’m not talking about clinical depression, nor chemical or hormonal imbalances where it may be necessary to seek medical attention. Nor am I prescribing or endorsing therapy. A troubled mind and mental health issues are personal, complex, and can be serious, even life-threatening. If you or someone you know is questioning whether they should go on with their lives, please seek help. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 800-273-TALK (8255), or simply dial 9-8-8 if you or another you know is experiencing a crisis of this nature.

What I am sharing with you are opinions by psychotherapists on this human experience, and how they define The Dark Night of the Soul. It’s useful when we try to incorporate this trying real life event into the fictional lives of our characters. Thomas Moore, psychotherapist and author of the New York Times bestseller Care of the Soul, referred to the experience this way: “I reserve the expression ‘dark night of the soul’ for a dark mood that is truly life-shaking and touches the foundation of experience, the soul itself.”

Moore went on to say: “Faced with a dark night, many people treat it like an illness, like depression. They may take medication or go into counseling looking for a cause. It can be useful…but in my experience the best way to deal with it is to find the concrete action or decision that it is asking for.”*

Perhaps you’re thinking that’s a cavalier way of looking at a complex mental and emotional problem. Or perhaps you’re thinking, “Been there, done that.” Or maybe life has dealt you a miraculous hand and all the cards kept turning up as aces for you. Some people do seem to live charmed lives. But one thing is certain. We are going to face trials in life, and eventually, one or more of those trials will shake us to our core. Some individuals will have a challenging time escaping the gravity well of their black hole. Sadly, some may never escape. But for those that do, taking that concrete action or making that tough decision required to rise from their Dark Night will transform them.

And that rise and rebirth is where we change cars in this article and take this train into fiction. All aboard!

The Essential Elements of Story

If you’ve been reading these Super Secrets of Writing articles from the beginning, you have the basic principles necessary to create working stories. If you’ve gotten my book How to Write a Howling Good Story, you’ve received the full set with detailed techniques to help you implement what’s there. My premise has always been that if a writer grasps the importance of these principles and trains in building them into their stories, in time they’ll start crafting functioning stories that will sell.

What are these principles?

In simplest terms, a story involves a promise to the reader. It’s about someone that wants something, and someone else is trying to keep it from them. The end of the story is the delivery on that opening promise— either the protagonist got what they wanted, or they did not.

To make all of this happen, essential elements are required. You need a main character —who the story is about— called the hero or protagonist. You need to put that protagonist somewhere in time and place, called a setting. You need to state what it is that they want, what I’ve dubbed a heart’s desire. And then you need to rip that thing desired from them or at least put it in serious jeopardy— what’s known as the inciting incident that will lead to the opposing problem.

From there, your protagonist goes on a journey to beat back whatever is opposing them from getting their heart’s desire. They usually seek some item of power or way to achieve power —what I’ve dubbed a magic sword— to help them defeat the enemy that opposes them. And there must be escalating tension —what’s often called try/fail cycles— or your readers will get bored and your protagonist won’t be tested to prove they are worthy of receiving the thing desired.

After a couple of failed tries where the protagonist hopefully learns from the school of hard knocks, the protagonist confronts their antagonist again in a climactic face-off known as, wait for it, wait for it…the climax! In a positive ending story, the protagonist conquers their adversary in the climax. Then, there’s the wrap up known as the denouement. The reader is shown proof that the protagonist has grown from the experience, has been rewarded by receiving their heart’s desire, and the reader should see some hints that the protagonist’s normal life will be restored, likely even better than it was before.

So where does this crisis of belief called The Dark Night of the Soul take place in the story?

Descending Into the Abyss

Since art imitates life, let’s look at our own lives. Have you ever desired something so desperately that you felt your soul would be crushed, that your life would break into a hopeless shambles if obtaining it didn’t work out? I know I have, more than once. One of those monumental moments occurred after leaving college. I was asked to join a group to help a young lady named Jules and her roommate with their things when they moved to town. We later worked together on a volunteer project and everything clicked from day one. That’s when I knew she would be the one— kind, lovely, intelligent, she was everything I desired in a mate. The funny thing was I hadn’t been looking, but I couldn’t deny the reality of what I felt. So I made attempts to get to know her and, the other side of that coin, to get her to notice me.

I made one of these proactive attempts after I learned she liked to play chess. So did I! And my roommate had this huge wooden chess set with giant carved pieces that came in a case that was the board —even when folded it took up the space of a large desktop. So I told Jules about it and challenged her to a duel. Certainly, she would be impressed with my strategic gaming skills.

Ah, the vanity of youth. She routed me, and when I demanded a rematch, she routed me again. I packed up the set and with tail between my legs went home with my ego badly bruised. But hey, I still had moved the plot forward. I had gotten in the door and by some miracle her roommate had stayed out of our way in that little efficiency apartment. I had the opportunity to communicate with Jules one-on-one. She seemed to like me, or why have me come up? All was not lost!

I volunteered for more events that put us together, and Jules shined whenever we talked. Certain that she felt the same way about me as I felt about her, I asked her out to dinner. There I shared my true feelings for her. Honesty is the best policy, right? This was twoo love!

That’s when the shoe dropped. Jules told me she had only ever thought of me as a friend. She made it clear she had no romantic interest in me whatsoever. What’s more, I later found out she was interested in a guy we both knew, and while they were not engaged, all of our friends assumed it was a done deal. But he was wrong for her! I knew this in the depths of my soul. I was the right one! But if she married this guy, my heart’s desire would be crushed. Our future together?

Erased … from existence.

Devastated, I entered The Dark Night of the Soul. I ate little for months and lost so much weight people asked if I was sick. I had to force myself out of bed to go to work, and did nothing with friends knowing she and her boyfriend might be there. On top of that, her lack of interest in me triggered abandonment issues from my childhood when my mother had left us for a boyfriend in Germany. I felt unloved and unlovable, just like I had when I was a kid. These dark feelings buried me in an abyss of molten lead for many months. I kept hearing rumors that Jules and her boyfriend were getting more serious. Then my roommate told me he was certain they were about to get engaged.

And if that happened, my chances would be completely over.

I knew Jules was the one— a truth within me as real as the sun. And here I had accepted defeat and given up. After all, Jules had told me she had never seen me as anything more than a friend. She had been quite clear on that point.

Bull puckey. Okay, I’m sure I said something stronger— hey, it was The Dark Night of the Soul! But I recognized I had been locked in limbo, resigned to reliving her words in the darkness of my soul when I should have pushed back to find out if those words were really true. It would not matter if I confronted her and she told me the same thing again. I knew this guy. I knew in the depths of my soul he would not make her happy. Whether Jules chose me or not, whether she was interested in me romantically or not, I would speak from the heart and tell her what a mistake she was about to make.

When I finally made that decision? I sensed destiny moving me forward like a freight train. All of that negative energy that had been boiling within me became positive energy, energy with purpose. I might fail in my Hail Mary to get her to see the real me and what we could become, but at least I would spare her from falling into an unhealthy relationship that I knew would destroy her.

Jules agreed to meet with me. It was appropriately a dark night, a freezing below-zero Minnesota winter night, so we sat in her car, away from the prying ears of her roommate. I told Jules that even if she didn’t believe I was the right one for her, this guy was not. Instead of bashing him, I shared my heart with her, the light that glowed within me, more powerful than ever now that I had pushed off the shackles of doubt, abandonment, and fear. I am considered a good communicator. I have won many awards in public speaking. But in that moment, my forged truth spoke through my lips and I could feel my words shining with conviction. They did! They literally glowed silver in the air! I stand by that … although the illumination from the dome light as it caught my frosted breath might have helped a little.

It was the most powerful speech I have ever given. I poured my soul into it.

A week later, Jules told me she had had a talk with the guy. Their relationship was over. For many months she still didn’t make it easy on me, but she didn’t turn me away, either. I had my opening; I had proved myself. In time she confessed she had liked me from the first moment we met. From that first time we had worked together, she too had realized I was her soulmate. The feeling had been so powerful and absolute, it had scared her. Her fear had caused her to push me away.

Wow. I had almost given up while being crushed in The Dark Night. Like Thomas Moore said: “[I]n my experience the best way to deal with [The Dark Night] is to find the concrete action or decision that it is asking for.” Forty-one years later with my wife and soulmate, I know that pivotal moment of recognizing what I needed to do and taking concrete action lifted me out of my abyss, filling me with power and light that empowered me to do the right things to succeed in my quest.

And they all lived happily ever after. Not quite. This is the real world, after all. But I lived better ever after. We both did, through all the ups and downs.

Because we had one another.

Where Do You Place the Dark Night?

That’s easy. Just before the climax. If you’ve made your hero’s heart’s desire critical to their existence, after they’ve made a couple of tries in a short story (more in a novel), it’s going to appear that they never will get their heart’s desire. If it’s something they’ve lost that will leave them shattered and incomplete for the rest of their lives, their soul will be crushed. They’ll see no path forward. All light in the form of hope is lost. Their ship that they’ve been so carefully navigating around the deadly rocks in your story will become rudderless, ready to be dashed into oblivion. They might find a way to go on with life, but without their heart’s desire, they’ll never be whole again.

That’s heavy. But heavy, soul-shattering trials make for emotionally powerful stories. Think of Scarlet O’Hara in Gone With the Wind. Her character started out in the story as a coquettish young lady, no depth, but quite aware she had the looks that men desired. She used that power selfishly to get whatever she wanted. In the end, she even got her heart’s desire by capturing Rhett Butler, but her selfishness and immaturity destroyed their relationship and he left her. Alone, without the man she finally realizes she loved, Scarlet sinks into The Dark Night of the Soul. All is lost. What a fool she discovers she has been.

How about Clint Eastwood’s The Man With No Name character (whose name is Joe). In A Fistful of Dollars, gunslinger Joe rides into town, confident that he can pit two feuding families against one another and make himself big money as a gun for hire. For several cycles he succeeds (these are the rarer try/succeed cycles), but all the while we know it can’t last. Finally, Joe makes a mistake, gets caught in his game, and Ramón Rojo beats him nearly to death. But Joe crawls to the old carpenter that’s friendly to him and the carpenter sneaks Joe out of town. Where does he take Joe? To a dark cave. And there Joe deals with his bad decisions as he slowly heals. A healing that will lead to an eventual epiphany, and The Man With No Name (whose name is Joe) will rise to his triumphant climax.

So here’s how you play it. Heart’s desire. Failed attempts to get it. A soul-crushing failure on the last attempt that makes your character lose all hope. And then you send them into the abyss of their soul where it appears there is no way out and they wallow for a time in darkness and despair. It’s not all bad. Great failure needs to be processed. It’s the only way to figure out what we did wrong. Tremendous loss demands a grieving period, and The Dark Night of the Soul provides for that. But there is a way to rise from the ashes. There is a method to create a shield from Beskar and rise up one last time to sally forth to the last battle.

I call it The Epiphany.

What is an epiphany? I’m glad you asked! It’s another element of Story that gives readers a satisfying emotional punch as they see your hero rise from the pit of despair and shoot toward the heights of ultimate triumph.

Tune in for our next episode!