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Writing A Suicide Note For A2 Coursework ... a bit much?

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I'm speaking from personal experience too.
Living with my mother and myself.

As well as work experience in a mental health care home where I witnessed a particular resident's mood and behaviour fluctuate.

I'm sorry if I offended you. My experiences have evidently been very different to yours.

No worries, subjects like this just get my back up! I'm sorry to hear that you've had similar experiences, no matter how different they might have been from mine.

To the OP: I personally think your piece could make quite an interesting read if you're able to approach the subject tastefully and objectively, but I would seriously consider at least e-mailing your tutor to ask whether or not they think it would be a good idea. I know there were certain 'banned subjects' when I was at college - so it couldn't hurt to check out your options first.

Reply 21

Makubex

well i still don't understand why i feel pain on my head while i'm particularly into this thread...anyways i want to know if the op is going to kill himself after submiting the note. Quote me or i wont bother for another headach!

Reply 22

Wilzyy

Original post by mya369

Hmm interesting, I really llike the idea but agree it might worry people!

Could you write about a terrorist suicide bomber? I think the psychology of people that are drawn/pushed into becoming martyrs is quite distinct from that of people who are depressed and suicidal, according to research. By focusing on the religion side of it and maybe how the person doesn't want to die but is in fact after glory, you could make the situation as different from your own as possible?

omg this is what I did for my GCSE english lit original writing, I thought it might be too controversial but it got me an A*. I say go for what you want to do, if you can do it well, you'll get good results.

Reply 23

TWF

Cho Seung Hui did it.

Reply 24

Liam_G

If you can do it well then have a go... thinking back, for my GCSE English coursework I wrote a story about a kid who ran away from home, lived on the streets for a while, and when he made his way back home he found his house surrounded by police tape, and the bodies of himself and his mother in the living-room (which he vomited over), Oh, and a suicide note he had written (I think he was meant to be a ghost) . I have literally no idea why I thought this was a good idea, but i got an A* so it can't have been that bad...

Reply 25

big-boss-91

Original post by ihateyourhairstyle

Okay, hear me out.

I need to write an original piece of writing, on the theme of "identity" for my A2 Lang Lit. When i had to write a "proposal" for the piece i panicked (because i hadn't done one) and just blurted out some crap about cults.

Now i have to do one about cults but i had an idea - a cult member who is about to partake in a mass suicide and his final message. I am very strong at writing in first person / stream of consciousness and have a host of great ideas for the piece but do you reckon it is just a bit too much? I reckon i can make it not completely tasteless but you never know what they may think.

I dont want them to think im actually suicidal or refer me to some psychiatric help, i just want to write an emotional, somewhat disturbing piece of writing unrelated to my life. I asked my mum just now if it was a good idea and she stopped what she was doing, looked at me and said "you're not going to do something stupid, are you?". I do seem like a very morbid person and pretty quiet in this one particular class, so i dont want to think im ****ed up in the head for writing it or think i have some urge to kill myself.

I dont know! I reckon i could pull this off and make it an amazing piece of writing but i just dont want people to worry or think im crazy. What to you guys reckon, a bit too much!?

it may make alarm noises in your teacher's head thinking you're suicidal

Reply 26

ihateyourhairstyle

Original post by Makubex

Here is your dose of headache. I am not planning to kill myself. The story is completely fictional is not an allegory for my life - i can find no way in linking the character to me!

Original post by TWF

Cho Seung Hui did it.

Yeah but he sucked. :h:

Anyway, ive started writing a bit of it. Im going to tone it down a bit, its now from the viewpoint of a cold calculating cult leader describing what led him to amass his followers and plan the mass suicide and full of his warped ideologies. It wont be as good as the original suicide note idea but its definitely safer.

Guu fer it.

Id say go for it.

Go for it, but try and make it clear that it's not you, i.e. different age, gender, whatever.

It also depends on how well your teacher knows you. If you have a supply teacher, then no. But their expression on receiving the work might amuse... :biggrin:

Reply 30

lt001

It sounds like an interesting idea.

If you look at suicide notes (which you can by searching online) they can revolve around some very strong ideas or feelings that often don't make sense to those other than the writer.

Try and think about that when you write.

Those reading it would be worried about your mental health as it is clearly a piece of work. There are ways to go about disclosing information to teachers or others in a postion or responsibility and that isn't one.

Reply 31

merkatron

I'm slightly worried that if I say "Do it", I'll sound like one of those twisted freaks who stands under potential jumpers and encourages them to jump, but I reckon you should do it...write it, that is. If you add a covering note to your teacher and make sure the exam board know when it's submitted that it's a piece of fiction, you should be OK.

In terms of linguistic style, there is a whole chapter on suicide notes - fake and real - in a book called Wordcrime by John Olsson. It's only £5 or 6 on Amazon and I'd definitely recommend it.

Good luck.

Reply 32

letsdothetimewarpagain

I think you would need to go about this in a very sensitive and careful manner. As long as you are extremely careful in your writing it could be brilliant, there's a book I read called 'we need to talk about kevin' which follows a series of letters a mother writes to her husband trying to work out what had gone wrong when her son entered a high school and committed murder. It's a emotional book because she has gone about it in a sensitive manner and it's certainly doable to approach something so controversial.

Reply 33

Makubex

Sorry i take that back, please do not quote me beyond this cuz if you do so then i will get started with this pain again otherwise i myself start writing a sucide note

Reply 34

dog24

It's fine, your english teacher would have to be pretty narrow minded to formulate opinions based on a creative piece of writing, I always write about murderers/insane people etc. when it has to be creative, nothing to worry about, often the best creative literature is that which provides an insight into territory the reader is unfamiliar/uncomfortable with :smile:

As long as you're a good writer and it's not just blunt and unnecessarily melodramatic it's fine!

hope this helps!

Reply 35

infernalcradle

post it here/PM me when you have done it...

I really wanna read it as it sounds amazing (when you do it...)

I don't do english....so no worried about copying

Reply 36

Sprockette

You said you have a pretty cool teacher, but I'd still be careful. He might be duty-bound to report it and have you 'checked out' even if you tell him it's not real.

Reply 37

asdfg0987

Original post by Makubex

Yeah that's what he said :sadnod:

Reply 38

Makubex

Arggg...well here is another idea, make sure the sucide note has a separated space where it says special sorry to all the character's debtors.

Reply 39

SamiFFXIII

Original post by fist of the south star

Maybe they will appreciate you non-conforming subject matter and applaud your direct approach towards a sensitive issue.

This :Cool: I personall think it would be a great piece, think about it everyone will just end up picking the generic pieces, barring you do a decent job why not?! :colone: