Editor,
I'm writing in response to Thursday's article about how creative writing programs may be affected by the tragedy at Virginia Tech. As a creative writer, I am appalled at even the thought of implementing any sort of policy regarding what we write.
Violence in a work of fiction is simply something writers use to create an interesting story. Few things are more interesting to write about than life-and-death situations, and if we write something that makes our audience uncomfortable, it is a good sign that we have created a story that has done its job effectively.
Beyond that, one of the first rules that we learn in creative writing of any sort, as well as something we frequently learn in literature classes, is to make the distinction between the author and the characters of a story. It is as much a fallacy to assume that because I write something violent, I am a violent person as it is to assume that because I write a story from a female point of view, I want to get a sex change.
Finally, one can look at any time in history and see violent works. Should one of the greatest writers in history, William Shakespeare, be personally criticized for his violent plays, such as "Titus Andronicus"? Should we recommend current writers like Stephen King or Bret Easton Ellis to therapy or report them to the police?
All I ask is that the English Department at UNM consider that we fiction writers are not what we write.
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Mike Von Dreele
UNM student
