What topics should you avoid in an English creative?

[_OwO_]

Hey yall,
I just want to what subjects might be too touchy for school assessments/ the HSC.
This, hopefully, will be useful for others! 

(Also, is a description of a murder scene to elicit disgust in the audience ok?)

Thank you !!!

[owidjaja]

Hey yall,
I just want to what subjects might be too touchy for school assessments/ the HSC.
This, hopefully, will be useful for others! 

(Also, is a description of a murder scene to elicit disgust in the audience ok?)

Thank you !!!

Hey there,

Usually sensitive subjects such as assault, violence, substance abuse and self-harm are avoided. The reason is because a lot of your markers will interpret your story as a reflection of yourself, to a certain extent, and if your story involves touchy subjects teachers will actually call you up suggest visiting the counsellor to make sure you're okay (at least that's what they did at my school). Plus, a lot of teachers highly encourage students to use their own lives as a source of inspiration and so it's quite rare for a 17 year old to be involved in the mafia or something. Maybe if it was a historical setting like the Holocaust, markers might be okay with it but you need to check with your teacher.

Hope this helps!

[angewina_naguen]

Hey, _OwO_!

Good to see that you're considering audience with your writing! I'll add to what owidjaja has suggested. It's really important that as a writer, you acknowledge that using sensitive subject matter bears great responsibility. If you do want to write with more touchy subjects, make sure you conduct thorough research and are illustrating it from a neutral perspective. Even something like mental health is risky because the last thing you want is to portray the topic inaccurately, whether it be by romanticising it or failing to capture its reality. I would highly recommend doing your research so you know the limitations of working with that subject matter.

A murder scene described and executed well can be used! I would perhaps justify it in your critical reflection that it is intended to reveal to your audience a deeply disturbing experience which enables them to be more sympathetic towards the victim/enraged by the perpetrator. It would just need to be treated with care so that it isn't too graphic or gorey for a marker to read. I would definitely second showing it to a trusted peer or teacher so they can confirm if it's suitable for the HSC  Hope that helps!

Toodles,

Angelina