Character Development: The Dark Room
What Exactly is the “Dark Room”?
The dark room is essentially the idea of a character’s house that exemplifies the different parts of them. The “dark room” is the room of the house that nobody is allowed into no matter what because of its deeply personal and vulnerable nature. It is the deepest and darkest aspects of a character, the “ugliness” of a character so to speak that underlines the harsh, unpleasant truths of reality. And it is usually not outright stated but heavily alluded to as we grow to better understand a character’s psyche. It can be difficult to both pinpoint as a reader and to execute as an author.
Nobody is immediately hyper aware of their own internal conflicts and flaws, so neither should the characters if you hope to tell an interesting story. What is inside the dark room is typically irrational or unsettling but with added context, makes logical sense for your character. The satisfaction in establishing the “dark room” of the characters comes from the ‘aha’ moment later on when the character comes to realize these deeper, messed up parts of themselves and make changes because of it.
Where Does it Come From?
Within the narrative the dark room reveals itself through the actions and decision making of the characters. The audience can infer what’s in the dark room because you take all that has transpired over the course of the narrative and come to the logical conclusion of why it turned out that way.
Childhood backstory is another way to explore a character’s psyche because it is mostly subconscious and children often model what they are presented with and adapt to their environments as a defense mechanism. Because of this, just like real people, the characters might naturally develop flawed viewpoints and opinions about the world.
For instance, if one grew up with an anxious attachment to their parents this means that they were likely emotionally neglected or abandoned, leaving them with an underlying instability. A natural consequence could be a difficulty in developing romantic relationships and an unhealthy attachment to a partner out of fear of that same abandonment and the need for constant validation. It is a direct contrast to a healthy attachment style which leads to the upholding a true sense of self confidence and trust with others manifesting itself in adulthood.
Why Does it Matter?
It cannot be overstated how important it is to character writing and storytelling to establish what the dark room is. The point of the dark room is that it is supposed to be personal and bring an element of realism to the characters. Implementing the dark room is a writing tool used to get the audience to care what happens and hold their intrigue. Without it the audience would likely no longer hold their suspension of disbelief and be taken out of the story completely.
The goal ultimately is to get the audience to feel immersed and care about what is happening because of who it is happening to. The narrative could fall flat and feel disconnected otherwise, playing out as a plot driven series of events that comes across as just boring. Remember, if the protagonist could be switched out with any other character and the plot beats remain the same, then he or she needs to be fleshed out more because their development is incomplete.
The Dark Room Could Stem From:
- Fear
- Guilt
- Unworthiness or lack of self worth
- Abandonment
- Rage
- Vengefulness
- Resentfulness
- Trauma
What Are Some Examples?
- One may argue they are trying to better themselves by burying themselves in work when they actually may be trying to distract themselves from the loss of a loved one and have not properly mourned.
- The reason someone may be quiet and unable to properly communicate with others could be because it feels painful to open up with others since they had previously been manipulated where the things they shared in confidence were used against them.
- Growing up in poverty could cause someone to feel constantly in danger or not in control so they yearn to be wealthy in adulthood and seen in luxury so that they never feel hopeless as just a product of their circumstances.
Remember that psychology is just as much of an important part of research as anything else when creating memorable characters for you stories.
