I’m writing a suicide scene in my story and I dont know if it breaks the guidelines.
Here are the guidelines regarding suicide and self harm:
Suicide & Self-Harm:
a. No graphic / explicit / detailed descriptions of suicide / self-harm / etc.
b. No depiction of suicide / self harm that is depicted as feeling good, being a relief, or a means of escape
c. No depiction of blood, wounds, gore or bodies resulting from suicide
What I am not sure about is for the “b”.
Here is what my character is saying before commiting:
-I don’t want to keep living like this.
-I can’t do this anymore.
-My life is terrible.
-I don’t have anyone to rely on and there’s noting I can do to change a thing.
I also put a warning at the begining of the story:
This episode contains content that could be upsetting, such as bullying, rape, harassment and suicide. If you are a victim of any of those, please seek help you are never alone and you are loved.
Do you guys think that it is violating the content guidelines?
Technically, you shouldn’t be breaking the guidelines, as long as you don’t show the actual attempts of self-harm or suicide. Avoid detailing what happens, even if it’s mentioned in a text box. As for the content warning, I’d reword it. Also, I highly recommend a skip button. Readers that find certain topics triggering will usually want to skip it, and not having the option to could make them stop reading.
How about…
“Content Warning: This episode/chapter includes mentions potentially triggering topics such as (include the type of content here). If any of these topics are upsetting to read, please skip the scene.”
Content warnings should be straight-to-the-point about the topics include, so that readers fully understand the content included in your story.
I do want to say that I appreciate you including a content warning for your readers. I’ve read many stories that include triggering topics, but didn’t include a proper content warning, if there even was one. Thank you for taking the time to do so! : )
I don’t think it’s a good idea to make a story with this topic!!
My first story was about suicide and the Episode Team immediately removed it from the platform and deleted it. I did put trigger warnings, skip button, even the choice to show the scene with or without blood.
But Episode Team still deleted my story.
I don’t know🤷
I recommend you to not show many details about the suicide’s course of action, or over-talking about this matter.
Sorry to hear about your story being removed, but blood is a big reason why stories with darker topics get removed. If a scene is too graphic, it breaks the guidelines. I don’t want to assume, but that could have been the reason your story was removed.
Maybe.
It was 3 years ago, so I don’t know if the rules now are more lightened.
I have two stories now published that I’m very careful with them, but still if I put blood effects they’ll give me a warning to change that part.
I believe, sometimes they’re over dramatic, but at the same time it’s their rules and I love writing here, so I just go with the flow.
The suicide scene is the character jumping off and since I couldn’t find any animation that resemble it, I juste show like 1/4 of the character when she jumps. I don’t know if it makes sense
So there’s no blood and we can barely see the jump
Thank you for your advice on the warning, I will rework it!
The story is not all about the suicide even if it is a very important event, also there is no blood and I barely show the suicide scene so hopefully it should be fine! And I’m sorry about your story getting removed
I think they will probably remove your story. Honestly even the warning says that your story contains things that go against their guidelines. The thing with episode guidelines is that they are incredibly vague and open to the interpretation of whatever reviewer your story happens to land with.
If you are going to show them jumping, don’t have the narration - maybe a short clippy montage of ‘memories’ but no narration or dialogue - just the actions in the memories and the jump.
IF you are going to have the narration, don’t show the jump at all - you can show them standing at the ledge or bridge but not the actions and keep the narration to maybe a sentence or two - as much as you want the emotional resonance from the thoughts - you don’t want a reviewer to see it and go ‘glorifying!’ and delete your story.
Personally, I still think even trying to bubble-wrap your story - this is an app catering to 12+ and topics like suicide and rape are probably going to get your story taken down.
