@WhiskeyLullaby I'd start with an overarching goal. What lasting effect do you want to have on your readers? Then I'd break it down into an outline, setting each line up like a domino, leading to the next piece. From there, it's just a fill in the blank as you expand each line into a paragraph and each paragraph into a chapter.
Sometimes sinking to a dark place is okay. At least there I know the darkness will reach its arms out, hold me close and caress my hair, whispering “this will only hurt a lot” and then I can finally stop breathing. We forget how alluring the darkness can be once they are inside of us making us scream.