I guess some context is needed to set up what your about to read...like a guest on a talk show sets up a scene the audience is about to endure or enjoy depending on preference...I'll leave my name out but i wrote this two days off years of drugs and hours before a suicide attempt...The recovery people want me to share...Hi my name is ____ and im an addict and failed suicider. MY SUICIDE LETTER -Where to begin....Can i even be a writer?? I don't know ill leave that to the judgement of simple readers but listen to them with more weight than any PHD holding creative course hosting professor all that they ever utter is "Pick something else" no boo radleys will come from your pen. -What makes you a good writer?? Is a Best seller who hasn't endured struggle since his first week on the list better than a 21 year old suicidal heroin addict with only now decided to pick up a pen? Only cause he thought after suicide he wouldnt be around for the criticism. Criticism cant travel threw 6 feet and a wood box...Someone who is so broke this was written on reused computer paper. with someone elses words on the back And constantly flipping back and forth measuring their words to his, But for all that creative authors words he only sees one line " Put the pen down and Pull the trigger" But i am at a point no with no one to talk to, no family to care for my lifes absence, But i hear no criticism from this 8 by 11 paper so i tell it to him. Using a pen for vocal cords. Take my words as you will But know that i had to reach absolute zero to even write them -Addict
Are you in a safe place/head space right now? Coming off drugs is tough but once you struggle past the worst of it, things do get better.
Hi AbleArcher, welcome to the forums. That’s quite a lot to put into a new member introduction post. Most of the time people share a little about themselves, which I guess you did, and talk about why they want to write or how they want to improve their writing and how they hope this forum will help them accomplish their goals. I certainly can’t speak from personal experience as I haven’t gone through the same things as you, but it sounds like you are working on recovery and I’m glad for you. If I understood your letter correctly, it seems like you want to write but worry about criticism. Trust me, we all feel that way to varying degrees; when we create something it’s only natural to want others to like it. Even myself, and I write solely for fun and because I enjoy the creative process, not because I dream of being a best seller someday. I would encourage you to take a look around the forum, especially the Workshop and Art of Critique threads. There are a lot of very talented and helpful people around here who can give you some great advice. No one will bite (but if they do, don't worry, all the posters are current on their shots!) A lot of people treat criticism as a bad word, but it doesn’t have to be a negative thing. It can be very helpful to you in improving all aspects of your writing; from the initial brainstorming to the final editing of your work. Most of the posters who critique on here try to be very gentle in their advice, and all of them try to be helpful. I hope you like it here and I look forward to seeing you around.
Hi, AbleArcher, and welcome to the forum! Please read the New Member Quick Start Guide - it'll get you going around here. Sounds like you hit rock bottom. I hope things are going better for you now. I also hope that writing will help you, and I know this forum can help with writing! Best of luck to you! Enjoy your time here on this forum - lots of great people here.
I think i will like it here I have just been surfing the forum reading everything i can...This site will be good for me all replies have been insightful, Last 18 months i spent in looney bin as they call it, I look forward to posting my memoir for lack of a better word shortly.
I understand the darkest part in your life. I had my own dark moments a few years ago. I didn't have the same reasons as yours but my thoughts were still heading in the same direction. But then one of my best friends committed suicide and that's what pulled me away from those thoughts. I didn't want to cause the same pain in my friends and family that my friend did. It took me months after that to pull myself together, I still have my dark moments every now and then, but my life is getting better now that I've taken control of it. I know how it feels to be close to the limit of what you can deal with, and I went through it alone because I didn't want anybody to know about it (turns out my parents knew all about it, they were just waiting to see how close to the edge I got, they were waiting to see if they had to step in). My writing keeps me grounded, it gives me somewhere to escape to when things get difficult to handle. Welcome, from somebody who mostly understands Amanda
That is awesome to hear someone who can get it, and won't hit you with the same "just dont be depressed, just dont take the drugs" no judgement just understanding...that's appreciated. This is my first month out after my date with 100 aspirin and a state hospital and i have alot to get off my chest. should be fun times ahead ha.
I think I'm a pro at getting depressed. I spent about two years of high school depressed then another six months trying to break out of the depression, then I had about another six months of depression last year, and all the while I was still acting all happy around friends and family. I never got anything or anyone to help me with it, so I am proud of myself for getting through it by myself, even though it might not have been the best (or safest) thing to do. Feel free to pm me if you want to talk Amanda
