Controversial Creatives (1 Viewer)

doublecurry

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Helloo

I know it's a bit late to ask this, but how badly are controversial creative writings looked down on?

My creative is about a girl committing suicide, and I really like it but my teacher said that if I were to use it in an exam then it wouldn't be marked by the BOS. I've seen a few people who are writing about that kind of topic in their exam so I'm still planning to use it for my exam...
How screwed am I??
 

cbaldilocks

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You're not screwed but suicide is honestly one of the most cliché things to put in your creative writing. Along with bullying, depression, anorexia, immigration and abuse. They will absolutely still mark it, at no stage in the guidelines does it forbid any topic. However if you're going to do suicide you really need to think about how you are going to make it completely different from the thousands of suicide stores they have already read. Do it from the point of view of the gun, or be multiple people walking past wondering what that person is doing standing so close to the edge of the cliff. Just don't do the typical first person 'life is hard, I am lonely, sad sad sad, goodbye cruel world'. When dealing with disease and mental disorders markers like to know you've researched what you're talking about, and aren't just talking about a serious topic based on societal perceptions.
 

doublecurry

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You're not screwed but suicide is honestly one of the most cliché things to put in your creative writing. Along with bullying, depression, anorexia, immigration and abuse. They will absolutely still mark it, at no stage in the guidelines does it forbid any topic. However if you're going to do suicide you really need to think about how you are going to make it completely different from the thousands of suicide stores they have already read. Do it from the point of view of the gun, or be multiple people walking past wondering what that person is doing standing so close to the edge of the cliff. Just don't do the typical first person 'life is hard, I am lonely, sad sad sad, goodbye cruel world'. When dealing with disease and mental disorders markers like to know you've researched what you're talking about, and aren't just talking about a serious topic based on societal perceptions.
Thanks, that's a bit of a relief.
I know it's very cliche and its been done many times, but I think it's decent for its genre... I'm writing about a girl who's mentally ill and has an imaginary friend. Her classmates keep trying to convince her that she's crazy but she takes it as them trying to abuse her. In the end the imaginary friend goes away and she kills herself in hopes to see it again.
I'm not sure if its been done many times, but hopefully it'll work out in the end. :detective:
 

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At this stage of the game, just go for it. Don't worry about changing the idea, make sure the writing is as good as it can be.
 

cbaldilocks

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Thanks, that's a bit of a relief.
I know it's very cliche and its been done many times, but I think it's decent for its genre... I'm writing about a girl who's mentally ill and has an imaginary friend. Her classmates keep trying to convince her that she's crazy but she takes it as them trying to abuse her. In the end the imaginary friend goes away and she kills herself in hopes to see it again.
I'm not sure if its been done many times, but hopefully it'll work out in the end. :detective:
Why don't you do it from the point of view of the imaginary friend. Literally anything that shakes it up a little will grab their attention
 
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My tutor always told me to steer clear of stories to do with suicide etc Because not only is it cliche from the view of the person killing him/herself but when the marker is reading this, she/he must inform BOSTES about your story and an investigation can be conducted just to ensure that the person who wrote the story isn't having feelings like such or anything.

Same thing happens with rape stories as well apparently.
 

doublecurry

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Why don't you do it from the point of view of the imaginary friend. Literally anything that shakes it up a little will grab their attention
I've never thought of that, I just wrote it in third person because it was easier.
Thanks for the idea though :)
 

doublecurry

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My tutor always told me to steer clear of stories to do with suicide etc Because not only is it cliche from the view of the person killing him/herself but when the marker is reading this, she/he must inform BOSTES about your story and an investigation can be conducted just to ensure that the person who wrote the story isn't having feelings like such or anything.

Same thing happens with rape stories as well apparently.
That's what I was scared about the most. The last thing I want to happen is having the BOSTES informing my family that I may be having suicidal thoughts..
 
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My tutor always told me to steer clear of stories to do with suicide etc Because not only is it cliche from the view of the person killing him/herself but when the marker is reading this, she/he must inform BOSTES about your story and an investigation can be conducted just to ensure that the person who wrote the story isn't having feelings like such or anything.

Same thing happens with rape stories as well apparently.
I haven't anything to say to the OP (sorry), but do they seriously do the above?
 

doublecurry

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I haven't anything to say to the OP (sorry), but do they seriously do the above?
No worries! I know that they have to inform BOSTES if there's something "abnormal" with the paper. My teacher who used to mark the HSC once got an exam with blood stains on it so he had to report it to the BOS.
 
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No worries! I know that they have to inform BOSTES if there's something "abnormal" with the paper. My teacher who used to mark the HSC once got an exam with blood stains on it so he had to report it to the BOS.
Hehe, the first time I read that I thought "who gets murdered during the HSC?" o_O

Poor guy probably got a paper cut or something
 

BLIT2014

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No worries! I know that they have to inform BOSTES if there's something "abnormal" with the paper. My teacher who used to mark the HSC once got an exam with blood stains on it so he had to report it to the BOS.

oh wow...
(Glad I changed my controversial/concerning story (Year 11) to a non concerning one for year 12)
 

Chocolatebubble

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Well at least it's not about paedophilia or bestiality. Then they might actually inform your parents

I knew a person who tried to create erotica in yr 11 for ext eng, then tried to recreate Lolita for his AOS
 

doublecurry

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Well at least it's not about paedophilia or bestiality. Then they might actually inform your parents

I knew a person who tried to create erotica in yr 11 for ext eng, then tried to recreate Lolita for his AOS
Oh wow ahaha I wonder what the feedback from his teachers would have been like..
 
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Oh wow ahaha I wonder what the feedback from his teachers would have been like..
Well, legend, I have to say that your language control is good, and at the very least your idea is certainly original . If I were you, I would provide more detail about Dolores - how does the molestation make her feel? How does it impact her sense of belonging to her family?
 

Chocolatebubble

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Oh wow ahaha I wonder what the feedback from his teachers would have been like..
She told him to go talk to her and something about 'Inappropriate'

I remember him writing about cannibalism too! Something about the incident when the hikers were stranded on a mountain and ate each other, it was a true story. I never found out what he settled on for his creative though

Well, legend, I have to say that your language control is good, and at the very least your idea is certainly original . If I were you, I would provide more detail about Dolores - how does the molestation make her feel? How does it impact her sense of belonging to her family?
LOL
 
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Damn, disappointing. And the teachers had such a good opportunity to be snarky and make puns! About how he marrowly escaped writing a distasteful story, because then she would have to chew him out...

I'm so very sorry.
 

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