[Ninjalawyer]

Originally Posted by E Ballz

Hey yall,

So I wrote this short story, Words Kill Me, months ago about a troubled mute teenager who went on a school shooting spree. Given recent events, I decided to promote the book through Amazon. Now, I knew this would be a controversial thing to do. Initially the book received average ratings because it was poorly edited and formatted (my fault entirely). It also received average ratings because some readers believed the premise (that bullying and mutism can lead to unconscionable violence) was a stretch.

I've been told that the book is 'exploiting' the deaths of the students. This is not my intention at all. My goal was this: To draw attention to the book by using the recent events as a call to awareness. I want people to read my book because I do not think it's far-fetched, and I think it does capture the fractured irrationality of minds that turn to such horrific acts. I am not attempting to glorify violence or killers. I am trying to delve into the psychology of a school shooter, to open readers' minds to a very real, very alarming evil that can and does inhabit our nations' youth. That being said, I realize the book will still offend many people... and so I ask an honest question to any potential readers:

Should I pull the book from Amazon? Is it wrong of me to want to draw attention to a character much like the real-life murderer? A character who has trouble with his parents, who suffers from an isolating condition, who lacks communication--is it wrong of me to want to bring attention to the mental health debate?

Thanks for listening, I appreciate any feedback. And if you hate me for doing this, no hard feelings... I always had good intentions

You are exploiting the controversy, you even say so yourself with lines like, "Given recent events, I decided to promote the book through Amazon..." I'm not trying to condemn you, but be honest; hoping that a tragedy will drive sales of your story is exploitive.

That said though, I think it could be an interesting story if it actually delves into the actual psychology of a school shooter and explores what makes such a person tick. When you say that you think your story "does capture the fractured irrationality of minds that turn to such horrific acts", what are you basing that on? Did you do some research on the psychology of school shooters, or did you guess at it? If it's the former, then the story becomes (to my mind) more defensible as it might actually be adding something to the conversation. If it's the latter, then it just seems crass and exploitative.