Settle in, let's get (un)comfortable
Dark TV, pyramid fringe theories, and the importance of subtext
In this roundup…
🤔 Why do we like watching or reading dark stories - especially in times of distress?
Keep reading (or scroll to each section) to learn more!
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter, open your veins, and bleed.” - commonly attributed to Ernest Hemingway, but this is debated
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit just over five years ago - during those weeks of wilderness between when rumors of a strange, fast-spreading virus had started to spread, and when the UAE imposed a night curfew and lockdown for its sterilization campaign - one of the first things I did was watch Contagion, and then Outbreak (the 1995 film about a fictional ebolavirus). Both movies are rather bleak - yet at the time, they felt strangely comforting.
It wasn’t that I wanted to watch the world burn - not at all. These films didn’t give me a sense of control, or reinforce my trust that everything would work out, either. If anything, they were pretty depressing. So why on our apparently soon-to-be f**ked Earth was I seeking solace through escapist stories that didn’t take me away from my angst and fear, but pushed me deeper into them?
Turns out I wasn’t the only one - and there’s a reason why we turn to stories that make us uncomfortable when life is making us feel unsettled.
🤔 The Perspective: Thoughts that make me go “hmm”
In the last season of Black Mirror, one of the episodes dividing fans turned out to be one of the most impactful in the entire anthology series, for me at least. 🚨 Mild spoiler alert ahead for Black Mirror Season Six, Episode 2: Loch Henry 🚨
In it, as per the official description, “A young couple travel to a sleepy Scottish town to start work on a genteel nature documentary - but find themselves drawn to a juicy local story involving shocking events of the past.” By the end, one of the characters realizes, with great shock, that the perpetrators of the horrific murders that gripped the town years before were actually a lot closer than originally thought. (Ok, that’s as spoilery as I’ll get). The story haunted me for weeks after I watched it, not just because of the disturbing and gruesome nature of the crimes in it, but because of what it was saying about the human cost of modern society’s addiction to true crime.
Many people in the current day are obsessed with true crime. Some reports state that 80% (or at least more than half) of the U.S. population is somewhat addicted to it. There are plenty of memes floating around global social media joking about how so many people’s favorite way to relax and indulge after a long day is to pour a glass of wine and watch or listen to shows about murder. And it’s not just in the U.S. But why?
Experts have put forth a variety of reasons: The novelty factor. The excitement or thrill of knowing that it’s real. The means to reinforce one’s own moral clarity. The chance to live out one’s feelings of fear in a safe and controlled environment. The ability to help us understand what drives some people to do what they do. I can understand the latter - it’s why so many of us are drawn to documentaries in general. But the thing about true crime is that it’s someone’s real life story. And watching too much of it isn’t just potentially harmful for your own mental health - like causing you to become more wary of others (developing hyper-vigilance or an irrational fear of violence), or putting your body through all of the sensations of heightened anxiety (when we already have more than enough of that!), or desensitizing us to crime, death, and violence. When it is so sensationalized, and killers are made infamous or famous - sometimes even glorified, it’s also harmful to the people who go through it.
True crime is not without its merits - particularly the educational aspects, like raising awareness or helping some viewers to feel more prepared with regards to their own safety - but it is important to differentiate between the type that prioritizes its entertainment value over the very real people in those stories, and the type that treats the victims and their loved ones with respect. Where is the line between where true crime stops being a chance to bring to light the terrible things that deserve justice, and where it simply becomes a form of appropriating and exploiting people’s personal tragedies? Is there an ethical way to consume stories about true crime?
It’s one thing to watch, read, or listen to an incredibly dark story in fiction - it’s another when it’s based on a true story. And while the latter is certainly a draw for our collective attention, the most powerful message of Loch Henry, for me, wasn’t the ghastly tale of murder within it, but how truly horrifying it can be for the victim(s) or the people who knew and loved them, when these stories are not treated with care and dignity. I love documentaries. They can tell important stories on various subjects, including true crime, and I’ll continue to watch them - but I now ask myself whether they’re treating the people within those stories with the sensitivity they deserve or not, and consider my own behavior in trying to act more respectfully. Because if we can’t remember to put these very real lives and emotions over unnecessary distress for the sake of profit, then another tragic part of addiction to that type of true crime would be how easily capitalism can destroy our humanity.
🗺️ The Scene
I enjoy writing from different cafés, hotels, libraries, and workspaces around the world - and rating them for their “writer-friendliness”. Taipei’s ArTree Hotel is a four-star boutique property themed around nature, that wants its guests to feel like they’re stepping into a “wonderland filled with fantasy, creativity, and novelty.” Its unique blend of nature and technology made me feel like I was staying in a digital art installation rather than a typical hotel, reminiscent of Pandora in James Cameron’s Avatar. The soothing atmosphere in my spacious room (with a comfy seat, clever plug sockets, and a decent-sized desk) and the wooden co-working desk in the lobby were lovely spots to work and write from. I’d happily return.
📍Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan
⏰ Check-in time is at 4pm, and check-out time is at 12pm. Early check-in is subject to availability, and depending on how many hours you’ll need, subject to extra charge - otherwise, the reception floor (with a co-working desk and free tea and coffee, and quiet relaxation areas) is open 24 hours.
🍴☕ There’s one restaurant - Forest Restaurant - open for breakfast from 7am to 10am. Other meals can be booked to order. There’s a 7-11 across the street.
💰 Rates change seasonally. I paid NT$9,420/night, last-minute, in high season.
⭐ Writer-friendliness: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
✈️ The Setting: Destinations to help your mind (and body) wander
One of the craziest things I’ve heard in recent weeks was news of a shocking new discovery found underneath the Pyramids of Giza. Using new pulse radar technology, scientists from the University of Pisa and University of Strathclyde claim to have made a surprising discovery underneath the Khafre Pyramid: a series of multi-level structures connected by geometric passageways, and eight vertical cylindrical wells and pathways that travel 648 meters beneath the surface, suspected to be part of an underground system that is thought to have had a mechanical or energy-producing purpose. For context on size, the Burj Khalifa is around 830 meters tall. The scientists published their findings in a scientific paper, alongside a press release, on March 15.
Cue the fringe theories. Yes, it’s all very Graham Hancock.
The news made me think of my trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina last summer, where I visited its mysterious valley of the pyramids. Claims have been put forth that this cluster of hills in Visoko, a small town northwest of Sarajevo, is not a natural formation but the world’s largest and most ancient pyramid. Underneath them is a labyrinth of caves, and beneath that is a series of springs said to contain healing waters - the powers of which have been espoused by none other than tennis legend Novak Djokovic. I swear, I’m not making this up! While these pyramid-shaped mountains undoubtedly exist, the big question is whether they were formed by nature or made by humankind. Are they a history-changing discovery, or are they a hoax? It’s still under debate, and I decided to go see for myself…
🙂 The Character: Inspiring people with a story worth telling
Lily Lawes is a self-love coach and freelance copywriter who helps anxious creatives overcome internal blocks. Currently based in Essex, England, she's also writing a novel about prehistoric teens, and loves gathering with witchy women.
Lily specializes in trauma-informed coaching and a type of holistic therapy called Quantum Energy Coaching - and my work with her in this regard has helped me immensely. The phrase “holding space” has become widely-used these days, yet I still personally find that few understand what it really means. Essentially, it is the ability to create an environment where someone feels safe, free from judgment, where you are not only supportive but also clearly present with them, in a way that makes them feel seen, heard, and understood. This doesn’t have to come from a coach, but as a coach, Lily’s natural compassion, empathy, and gentle energy has held space for me during some of the most challenging times of my life. She has a wonderful ability to blend the “hippie woo-woo” with a deep, neuroscience-backed understanding of human emotions and behavior - and with that in mind, I’m incredibly excited to read her book someday, since I just know her character work will be sublime!
Outside of her writing - which she also does as a creative copywriter - Lily is also a passionate freediver. During the course of her career, Lily has worked as an assistant to a literary agent for children’s books in London, as the field officer for a rural school income-generating project in Uganda, as the editor of travel and lifestyle publications in the UAE, and more - and she always inspires me with her approach to living a creative and fulfilling life. I spoke to her about self-love, treating people (including yourself) with compassion, new-age wellness, storytelling, and more.
✍️ The Process: Insights on the craft of writing and editing
I once took an excellent workshop on dialogue with the wonderful Greg Mosse - who is as good of a teacher as he is an author - and his wife, international bestselling author Kate Mosse. Something Greg said that day has stuck with me ever since, in my writing as well as, sometimes, in the rest of my life: “The most important thing in dialogue is the thing that is not said.” The power of subtext is real. It’s an effective way to show not tell, and can add tension, depth, complexity, emotion, and so much more to to your writing. I used to struggle with writing good dialogue, but one of Greg’s other tips - to think about how you can make a reader feel like they’re actually eavesdropping on a conversation - really helped me. It’s still a work in progress, but the more I learn about writing good dialogue, the more I learn about reading subtext in the daily conversations in my real life, too. Click below for Greg’s advice!
🧠 The Idea-Sparkers, Thought-Stirrers, and Conversation-Starters
Researchers at Dartmouth College have completed the first clinical trial on the Therabot - an AI-powered therapy chatbot - which was surprisingly well-received by participants. Not sure how I feel about this…
A UAE-based company has proposed plans for an underwater high-speed rail system that could take passengers between Dubai and Mumbai in just two hours.
Black Mirror Season 7 begins on April 10! This installment of Charlie Brooker’s dark, thought-provoking speculative/sci-fi/dystopian series will have six episodes.
Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Yi-Hwa
