Can we talk about prompts based on real crimes still in the news?

I just saw a writing challenge using details from an open missing person case. It feels GROSS to treat someone's actual suffering as creative fuel. Please think twice before making entertainment out of ongoing trauma.

3 comments

3 Comments

michaelnguyen1mo ago

Ugh, that reminds me of when my cousin tried to write a song about a local car crash before the police even finished their report. He was so focused on getting views that he didn't care how the grieving families might feel. It just left a really bad taste in my mouth, you know? What makes people use real pain for their own stuff like that?

hugo501mo ago

Stuff like that always feels icky... but maybe your cousin was just trying to make sense of it all in his own way. Still, rushing it before facts are clear is pretty bad. Artists should at least wait for the dust to settle.

willow73223d ago

Wait, he wrote the song before the police report was even done? That's... wow. I can't get over how fast he moved on something like that. It feels like he saw a tragedy and just saw content.