The film discusses some difficult and stigmatised topics surrounding mental health, including the lack of support for mental health conditions by the state and how people treat mental health compared to physical health. The Joker is seen to be a villain who has been failed by society regarding his wellbeing;  practically left alone with a neurological developmental illness that he is mocked for by others. The film itself stated by Todd Phillips focuses on the “character development” of the Joker instead of strictly following the comic books. This turns the film into a psychological thriller rather than comic book sci-fi.

Although the film focuses on the effects of mental health covering illnesses such as, psychosis and depression, it is not as accurate as it may seem. While watching the film myself a few times I resonated with the characters struggles with a mental health condition and how anyone outside of that will not understand. I enjoyed the way Joaquin Phoenix displayed not only the thought process of struggling but the physicality of rapid weight loss as an effect of a mental health condition. However, according to psychiatrists and clinical psychologist who have worked in the field the film is extremely troubling as it is misinformed or even give a negative and violent portrayal towards psychosis. The Joker in my opinion alludes to the fact having a psychological illness is related to being violent and extreme because each time the Joker murders someone or acts out of violence the next scene shows his mental health and provides sympathy. This creates a correlation between mental health and violence that is not accurate and very misinformed. The implications of this can reinforce stereotypes that people who suffer from psychosis or mental health illnesses are aggressive creating an unrealistic representation of illness.

There are scenes where the Joker stops taking his medication therefore pushing himself to become more ‘unstable’ if you’d like to say. This event leads him up to more violence and erratic behaviour but to the viewers who do not remember him stopping his medication it seems like the Jokers’ mental health condition led him to act out into violence instead of it being portrayed that he wants to cause chaos throughout the city as revenge on Thomas Wayne and the state.

Overall, the film tackled some hard hitting emotions and conveyed the rhetoric of a man defeated by society, extraordinarily but did not deliver an accurate depiction of psychosis which led to some troubling connotations.

Zahra Butt

Short story writer, Vicky Grut, shortlisted for her new book Live Show Drink Included by the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, 2019, came in and spoke to us about her writing journey. She also read one of the remarkable stories from her collection. ‘An Unplanned Event’, a personal account from a gardener, Eric, and his relationship with his client and acquaintances.  This story is accompanied by other shorts including ‘Debts’ and ‘Downsizing’. It is a real bundle of treasures, comprised of  ideas and characters related to her own experiences. Currently working on a new novel, she talked us through how she approached writing a short story.

Vicky told us that she tends to discover her story first through a character, then a moment of conflict or something which annoys that character, setting them on a journey. She explains that to progress with your concept, you have to keep asking questions about your character and work out the ‘why’ in your scene. This speaks a lot of truth for me. I would often have a concept in my head which I would ponder and if not written down, the idea would diminish. The process for Vicky is also about time and concentration, she takes her time to “excavate the world” which is a nice way of putting it. Taking that time to really dig down and discover more material. She takes the individual elements which may be her characters and subjects them to particular themes. 

Vicky Grut: https://www.hollandparkpress.co.uk/authors/vicky-grut/

Vicky started writing ‘An Unplanned Event’  in the nineties and it wasn’t complete for ten years. Originally, she had the characters Eric, Bobby and Thomas all in her head. Over time she gained more ideas for the story, encountering an ex-army man inspiring her character for Eric, the gardener. The long gap before returning to her work clarifies that it is okay to take a break from something you have been working on and return to it later because the concept will reappear fresh in your mind. Vicky also brought up the many reading materials available for students and writers out there and makes mention of the ideas you can gain from the style of  Robert Coover’s, ‘Going for a Beer’. 

In terms of editing and feedback, Vicky tests out her drafts in a writers group and finds that the process of editing her work is all about cutting. She makes an interesting point that each character produced should be uniquely important and is the starring character in their own life. Overall, I think what is to gain from Vicky’s visit is the importance of character and that we can never pay too much attention to the individuals within our stories as they are part of the vehicle which drives the plot forward.

James Hamblin

photo by Jordan Blanchard

Thinking about your writing in a more physical sense can help alleviate some of the stress when it comes to mapping out your piece. Lookbooks, vision boards, and thumbnails may sound like quirky Pinterest terms, but they can become a vital part of your writing process.

Sometimes these practices can help you clarify an image you couldn’t quite figure out in your head.

Visualizing a scene or a character can be hard. Try to think about what characteristics you can draw from real life. Literally. Even if it’s a quick doodle, the act of landscaping your imagination can help you say “Okay, I was imagining the coffee cup being here, but in reality, it’s in my character’s hand.” It’s important to reassess your images somewhere along your drafting to ensure clarity. I began practising this as a poet when I realized that my most common critiques were about clarifying the world I was building.

And yes, sometimes this can be very hard to do as an experimental poet or someone who works with a lot of abstractions. When in reality, mapping out even the most complicated or seemingly out-of-the-box images is important in grounding them for your reader. It’s easy to get lost in your head and say that you can see this image so clearly, but you have to step back and make sure it’s clear for your audience. Working backwards can be helpful too. If you feel like you’ve piled up your descriptions or haven’t yet focused in on a few fine details, try to draw out exactly what you’ve written on the page.

However, if drawing is not your forte, collages may be your thing. Although it isn’t always easy to collage what you’ve already written, you may find it equally instrumental to try. The difficulty in collaging, digitally and physically, is finding the most accurate source material to convey your image. Don’t be afraid to completely disrupt your original image. Craft a countryside landscape, save a clipping of a travel destination or model that inspires you, or even build a house from individual magazine clippings if you feel so inclined. Whatever helps you create your most coherent image.

Lastly, don’t follow the rules. None of these tips are concrete. If you find that you’re more productive when writing still life or cutting up your lines to reorganize them, do that! Sometimes I photograph the actions or poses I’m writing to give me an immediate reference. Whatever makes your image as it’s intended to be in your head.

Jordan Blanchard