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A couple years ago I wrote a very short story about how a Christian parent and her friend were discussing the suicide of her child "Jimmy." The story was called it worked out for the best and was deliberately dark short and to the point.I was in a very low point in my life little did I know it would get worse but I'm still here and don't plan on going anywhere for a while.Here's the thing I'm thinking I should bookend the story with a short story from jimmy's perspective about how he feels and what drives him to commit suicide.I know for me it will take me back down that dark and ugly road but I believe I can handle it. But I'm concerned about all of you, can you accept and handle this if I dare go there? Honestly before I attempt to write this I'll probably talk to my therapist about it because I know it will take a toll on me emotionally.I don't want to harm any of of you, I just feel Jimmy needs to speak to complete the story.If I do write it, it will be equally as short as "it worked out for the best" and equally to the point.
Lisa
Comments
be careful
hon, please be careful. we dont want to lose you. go where your muse takes you, and as long as the caution is there, it will be ok. but take care of yourself.
"Treat everyone you meet as though they had a sign on them that said "Fragile, under construction"
dorothycolleen
Sometimes...
... you just have to. As long as you can handle it and you label it accordingly it should be fine. Might not be a best-seller but that's fair. I've written a couple of things dealing with suicide as have others, there is an audience if it's handled well. One of mine 'Progression' sounds not dissimilar to your intended, check that and the comments to give you an idea. There are others if you search.
Not a fun topic but something that does need looking at now and then, but as Dorothy said, be careful.
Kristina
Listen to Your Muse, If You Are Ready
Writing can be very therapeutic, often times more beneficial than time talking to a trained therapist for your muse can take you to those dark corners of your mind that need to be explored and overcome, places most people are afraid to share with others, even their most trusted friends and confidants. If you have the courage and determination to deal with what you find there, the exercise will well be worth the risk and resulting psychological trauma, for you will have taken on your worse demons without a crutch or a safety net. This is not about being macho or trying to prove you’re tough. Rather, it is about overcoming an obstacle that needs to be mastered if you are going to be honest with yourself and able to go a little further down that winding, twisting path we call life.
Having been where you are, I can safely say the effort is worth it, provided of course you’re ready to see it through.
Via con Dios, my friend.
Nancy Cole
"You may be what you resolve to be."
T.J. Jackson
I re-read the original and ...
It stands as it is and needs no follow-up BUT it is your baby and if you feel you must then you should.
Pretty wishy-washy, huh?
What I mean is only you know if it is right, if it is something you must do, something you must get *out* of you. If it is anything like the origninal it will be a treat for us readers, though a dark one.
But then your dormant serial about the young man mutilated in a motorcycle/car crash is also quiet intense.
I hope you can return to it someday. In any case happy to see you back.
John in Wauwatosa,
John in Wauwatosa
Cathartic
You and your professional are in the best spot to say if you should write it.
One of my best stories is called "It Brings On Many Changes". It deals with suicides. Unfortunately it never has received much in the way of hits or attention.
Many on this site can't deal with the topic. Others are here for pure escapism and avoid anything that seems to challenge them to think. Don't be disappointed if your work isn't wildly accepted if you write about suicide.
Often when writers write about suicide they make the mistake of writing in first person or use the person who commits suicide as the point of view character. In either case if the character actually commits suicide the reader feels cheated because it would be impossible for the someone who died to be the narrator. This can be avoided by having them narrate from their after life, which has to be exposed early in the story. Of course this reduces the suspense in the story.
Good luck. As you've suggested walking the thin gray line between your darkest thoughts and reality may be painful. Maybe what your muse wants is for you to take those feelings and build them into something that doesn't involve suicide. Perhaps a story in which a person with dark thoughts runs into an eternal optimist who is struggling with many of the same issues. A contrast of how they handle themselves when forced to blend their personalities might be interesting.
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)