Eray: Rated R

If there is one concern I have when I am typing it is that I am writing about things that are unacceptably dark. My writings are certainly not an excerpt from the screenplay of "Elmo in Grouch Land" but they aren't exactly the most light-hearted of stories either. This is fantasy for teens and the odd young adult so I shouldn't hold back too too much. The youth of today don't give a crap when the good guy punches someone in the face or if someone gets killed with a sword. All five books I am working on have death and blood in them to some extent.
I am not afraid that the violence is too dark, by books are no darker than Lord of the Rings in that respect. But there are some parts that are worrying to me.
The first one is Rook the anti-hero. He's a GOOD guy for pete's sake and he kills with impunity, is apparently sadistic, and betrays, degrades, talks down to, and even attacks his friends.
The second part is going overboard with the violence. While being killed in no big whoop in a book, talking about men bursting into flame and turning to dust might bring about some sickness in the younger readers. Tripping over a dead man in battle only to realize he's mortally wounded but still alive and screaming for help (something that happens in book 3) might be pushing it for the weak-stomached.
The third are some particularly frightning examples that I had to be careful with. I had to be careful when writing about the torture of a 13 year old boy (book 5) the execution of that same boy, sexual themes (most prevelant around book 3) and the systematic extermination of civilians (book 3).
I have an antidote for all three.
For Rook I have my characters remind him (and therefore the reader) that his actions are unacceptable and he sometimes has to atone for them.
For the second, I try to make such brutal descriptions of violence only during the largest fights, when it it stylish to depict the gritty nature of warfare. Instead of the fairytale battles where a bonk on the head slays the orc, I write about the realistic fight where a gutted soldier takes 23 hours to die. ONLY WHEN IT IS STYLISH. Meaning very rarely.
The third varies from case to case. The general idea is I merely imply that the thing has happened. In the case of torture, I showed the prelude and aftermath to the ordeal but not the "interrogation" itself. In the case of sexual themes, I keep it so modest that you have to know what you're looking for to notice or I imply the possibility. Cause how will anybody know that Anar had sex during that twenty minute gap of time when he was parting with his woman in book 3 unless they are thinking about it? For things like extermination of civilians I merely state that it happened and showed the aftermath (but not the bodies) as well as some accounts of the destruction (withholding the actual killing).
In conclusion, I can merely say that the best way to keep myself from writing about things too dark is to avoid them. I only write about dark themes if it is absolutely needed for the plot, unlike vampire stories and the fluff for Warhammer 40000. And I don't personally think my stories are too mature in that way either. At least, I don't think they are...