RESEARCH OPTION: DEATH, DOOM, DESPAIR

Step One--Brainstorm.  Write, list, map, or cluster for ten or so minutes about the basic issues in the topic area you have selected. Stop as little as possible.  You might want to break up your brainstorming--do two minutes of listing to explore options and then eight or ten minutes of clustering or freewriting.

PROMPTS.

Consider some the most mysterious deaths--ones that remain controversial sometimes even decades after they occurred.  Was John Kennedy killed by just one man?  Why did Jack Ruby kill Oswald?  Did James Earl Ray have assistance in assassinating M.L. King?  How did he get to London?  How did the kidnapping and later killing of the Lindbergh baby change America? What evidence is there that Hitler is dead?  Did drugs play a role in the death of Celtic player Lewis?  Were Jane Goodall or Silkwood killed because of they or their work were a threat to someone else?  What happened to Jimmy Hoffa?  What's behind the "death of Paul" rumors among Beatles's fans?

The reasons behind suicides are especially hard for many people to grasp, but looking at them closely can teach us about what is important for a happy life or the power of controlled substances or mental depression. Think about some of the more famous suicides--Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, Hitler, Foster, Van Gogh, Sylvia Plath, Hemingway, Judas--were they suicides?  What do they tell us about people and pain?  How could they be prevented? To what degree did any of the following people whose deaths were ruled accidental commit suicide: Hendrix, Morrison, Ricky Nelson, James Dean?  Can murder charges be filed against the drug dealer who sells an overdose to a person intending to commit suicide?

Many Americans have a maudlin interest in mass murderers--how they reached they distorted view of the world, what strategies they employed to convince others they were justified in their actions and how their actions changed the world.  Interesting papers have been written on Charles Manson, Son of Sam, Zodiac, Richard Speck, Jack the Ripper, John Wayne Gacy, Bundy, Dahmer.  If you choose this area, please remember I'm looking for a big picture statement (The Ripper was probably never caught because his social position protected him; Dahmer's killings revealed the deep discrimination that still exists against the gay community).

STEP TWO--Discovery.  Look back over the brainstorming that you have done and locate a sentence or idea that interests you--maybe it makes a very clear point or inspired a rich cluster or details and thoughts or maybe it recalls an image or scene that is very sharp, dramatic, and significant in your mind.  Consider what additional information you will need to get your reader to understand the significance of the event you are writing about.