As writers, we can kill off our characters with a fictional flourish.
We wouldn’t have our heroine receive a mysterious call in the middle of the night, or get a desperate text at 2 AM, or craft a dialogue with something as boring and unoriginal as “I want to kill myself”. Why? Because it’s cliché. We edit, revise, polish, and proofread. We make sure it. Is. Fantastic.
But suicide happens here—outside of books and stories.
A call comes in at 2 AM because nights are notoriously difficult.
A text reads, “I need you” because, sometimes, people actually do need you.
A partner says, “I can’t take it anymore” because there are times he feels that he can’t handle life one more minute.
A friend confesses, “I want to kill myself” because she wants to die.
These things happen. They happen because there are people in pain who want to escape and can see no other way out. And, because, when it comes to real life, clichés are not forbidden.
Show your semicolon.
Because it’s not over.
Pay attention to cries for help. No matter what they say or when they arrive. Don’t assume anything.
Sometimes all you have to do is listen. Sometimes you have to act. Sometimes you have to seek help to help another.
Reach out. Your hand is powerful. It can hold, lift, or comfort.
It can make a statement.
Join the movement to honor, encourage, and support those who have kept going.
The Semicolon Project brings hope through a symbol of continuation.
“A semicolon represents a sentence the author could’ve ended, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life.”
Wear your semicolon tomorrow: April 16, 2015.
Show your support.
Tell the world your story is not over yet.
#ProjectSemicolon
#SemicolonProject
#TheSemicolonProject
#SemicolonProject416
Lemon Shark 