July 25, 2008
Drawing a line between danger and creativity
At Goucher College in Towson, author Madison Smartt Bell has been teaching creative writing for nearly 20 years. That's a lot of short stories - which often are long on drama and depressing themes.
He once had a student who "got his jollies" by shocking the class with pornographic and violent writing. He was harmless, if annoying. More common are writers who reveal their own problems.
"When I get convincing suicide stories, I try to intervene," Bell said. "You want to go up to that person and say, 'What's up with this?'"
The massacre at Virginia Tech University this week perpetrated by a student whose violence-laden writing was viewed as a warning of his mental illness has raised alarms and anxiety for writing instructors elsewhere.
They have long had to make judgments about whether a student was pushing the creative boundaries with graphically violent prose or signaling a cry for help.
"It's difficult to know what is being imagined and what is autobiographical," said Stephen Dixon, a longtime creative-writing professor at the Johns Hopkins University. "Many want to write exciting stories to prompt exciting responses from other writers."
In the case of Cho Seung-Hui, reading between the lines wasn't necessary. The Virginia Tech senior's writings crossed the line with professors, who were alarmed enough to refer him repeatedly to university counseling services.
Students avoided classes with Cho, who was removed from one English course.
For writing professors, drawing the line between creative and dangerous fiction isn't easy given the artistic latitude allowed for the form. Suicide is a recurring theme in poetry. Mock horror remains a popular genre. Writers are encouraged to push the boundaries of their emotions and imaginations.
Students' writing, though, is often a slightly fictionalized account of their experiences and emotions.
More accomplished writers attempt to create truly imagined characters committing or contemplating truly imaginary acts. But all fiction writing, some instructors say, ultimately comes from a writer's experiences or perceptions.
Writing reflects the most basic of human emotions, and subject matter is important. President Bush, among others, said yesterday that the mass shootings in Virginia should be a reminder to be vigilant about abnormal behavior.
In his experience, he said, students who have written stories with themes of depression were experiencing similar emotions. They also tended to keep writing stories with disturbing themes. In such cases, the students were advised to seek counseling. One student was hospitalized immediately after leaving his office, Davies said.
"If there's a silver lining from this tragedy, this reminds us that plays, poetry and fiction aren't beside the point. It shows human expression that can be dangerous," he said.
Creative writing seems to invite expressions of human nature's darker side. Under the blanket of fiction, writers feel more comfortable expressing emotions otherwise kept private.
Get home delivery of The Sun and save over 50% off the newsstand price
Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun
 Carroll County photosSee what's going on in your neighborhood > More photo galleries • Useful phone numbers and Web sites |
 Recent news |
Popular stories: Maryland News
- Gunman opens fire at intersection, kills 2
- Police investigate suspicious package near City Hall
- A step back in hopes of a leap forward
- Fla. man gets 10 years for driving heroin through Md.
- Dan Rodricks: Quit thinking small, people of Baltimore
Carroll County photos
 | |
My MarylandSubmit photos from around the state and view those from other readers Also see: Charm Cityscapes | |