Today, my new creative writing teacher informed the class that we should consult him before writing anything "dark or disturbing." I only took the class because my therapist recommended that I join the class so I could freely express my darker thoughts without her help or a fear of being judged. FML
Collection
Fall
Dead leaves, the first cold of the season and an umbrella flipped inside out: fall, the season of grace.
Today, my teacher read my story about a haunted house for a class assignment. She liked it very much and turned it in to the office to be sent into a state writing competition. An hour later, I was called to the office where the guidance counselor called my work "disturbing" and said I "need help". FML
Today, I forbade a student in the writing seminar I instructed from continuing to present his disturbing poems about demons. He responded to this by convincing nearly every other student in the seminar to write and read out loud several of his poems. FML
Today, in my psychology class, the professor had us write down our name and birthday on one side of the paper and on the other side put down a mental disorder we would like to know more about. I was going to write 'Social anxiety disorder' but I was too worried about what people would think. FML
Today, my therapist asked me if I’d been journaling as he suggested. I had to tell him that I don’t trust writing down my innermost thoughts anymore, because when I was younger my mom read by diary multiple times and beat me for what I wrote. So did my ex-boyfriend. FML
Today, I lectured my second-grade class to be more descriptive in their writing. I gave them an assignment to describe something in the classroom. I was grading their work later, and one student wrote, "My class is taught by a fat teacher with gray hair." FML
Today, I woke up to a bloody nose. Instead of rushing to the bathroom, I creatively dripped the blood over a knife for photography class because the assignment was to show emotion. So many of the students and faculty were disturbed that I'm now forced to talk to the school psychologist. FML
Today, I gathered the courage to participate in a class discussion. My professor laughed at me. FML
Today, my university professor asked us to submit anonymous course feedback. I wrote three paragraphs criticizing his lectures. Ten minutes later, I realized I'd left my full name at the bottom of the page. FML
Today, after complaining that I had nothing to write about in my weekly journal for college, my professor suggested in front of everyone that I should get a girlfriend. FML
Today, I got up the courage to go to my very first voice lesson. I thought I did alright, but at the end my teacher told me, "Now don't worry about grades in this class, I grade on effort, not on talent." FML
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Top comments
Palirose 22
Write what you want anyways. Don't let some teacher stifle what you have to express!
davincidasecond 24
You can always start your own blog and write your own stuff.
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Comments (94)
Palirose 22
Write what you want anyways. Don't let some teacher stifle what you have to express!
dalink 24
Depending on the nature of your "dark" thoughts, I would suggest keeping your dark writings to yourself. Regardless of the class policy; if its dark enough you might get unwanted attention... from the cops... with a warrant to pull up your floorboards. So save yourself the trouble of having to relocate your skeletons; keep your writings under lock and key.
Enslaved 38
Sound advice. Looks like you are warning the OP not to put her "Tell-Tale Heart" into her public writings. (:
Palirose 22
I mean OP could just explain the situation to the teacher. Im sure they would understand...but personally I wouldn't care if the teacher said not to. I would anyways
Roskie 16
The police station wouldn't issue a search warrant just because OP has a creepy imagination.
esines 9
^ its a judge that issues search warrants, not the police station
Awahso 25
Yeah but the cops write them for submission
Snazzy_Snaz 17
he said to consult him, that doesnt mean he said it's an absolute no no
kaitlynjane 28
Haha I took a creative writing class a few semesters ago and for our final assignment I wrote a screenplay about a female serial killer and one of her victims. It was loosely based off of the comic "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac." It was pretty disturbing and half the class had to critique it as part of the final. When it came time for them to do so, there was an awkward silence and I got more than a few worried looks from my other classmates. It was a pretty awesome screenplay though, in my opinion. Write what you want. The teacher shouldn't be able to tell you what you can and can't write. It's a CREATIVE writing class, for goodness sake!
davincidasecond 24
You can always start your own blog and write your own stuff.
ex_stripper_jk 20
Absolutely!! I have two blogs, one of which I use to talk about my struggle with alcoholism.
Fedezzer 20
It's CREATIVE writing; **** him, and be creative in your own way.
Caitie_kid 8
I know this is what I was thinking!! What kind of creative writing teacher would censor their students?? Sounds like a terrible teacher.
TheDrifter 24
Consult usually means he wants to remind them to keep it PG, or talk with them about seeing a therapist. Disturbing pieces in creative writing classes are often only noticed as a pattern after a suicide, he's only being proactive about helping his students.
Fedezzer 20
(They don't have to know that, you're ruining my inspirational message.)
KayleighS14 8
If you can't write it due to the class, then use a journal. Use your therapist, that's what you pay him for.right ?
joopjoop 19
that's what I was thinking too, OP should share their writing with the therapist!
courtney680 17
Just explain that to your teacher?
JustStella 28
I don't think this teacher is worth the time. I would suggest that if it's within OP's means that they find another class.
Spajina 3
Likely just from a liability standpoint, he did say "consult" not "don't do it". If you want to write about taking down another NYC landmark with a plane he might have to report it; if you write about disemboweling homeless folks he might have to point you in the direction of the Saw producers.
profoundkisses 18
Write whatever you want!
Donnakar 20
How can the teacher tell you what to create? That's unfair I agree with #3 be creative in your own way :)
blackonblight 33
Tell HIM that. You may have a very different idea of what the line is, or he may simply be trying to make sure the class is a safe environment for all the students and someone isn't unknowingly going to trigger PTSD or one of many anxiety disorders in their peers.
TheDrifter 24
Teen suicide is also a major issue in many areas, the way students express themselves can show them to be at an increased risk. Or like so many college professors, he simply wants a creative justification for the dark twist on the assignment, to help assure the students understand what was assigned and that he's not going to have to grade some off topic 50 shades knockoffs all year.
jenn1808 16
He probably just wants to have a discussion so that he doesn't get something disturbing and have to worry about whether you need a therapist. Explain your situation and assure him you don't want to hurt yourself or anyone else, and you should be fine.
blackonblight 33
Or that it doesn't cause one of the other members of the class undue stress. You may be fine writing your story about the Victorian woman who, after being stopped from killing her child, threw herself off a bridge, but your classmate, whose mother had postpartum depression after her second child and committed suicide, leaving them to parent their sibling..... Yeah.
starile 20
Wow, 23, YOU should be in the creative writing class.
blackonblight 33
I'm a walking panic attack. I go nowhere without my sedatives, and I go nowhere 6 days a week anyway. Coming up with ideas for things that might cause a panic attack? That's easy.