This content list contains several ideas for anyone running into a creativity block or hoping to find inspiration.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the content that Purely Dicta is looking for. In fact, if you’ve got a pitch or even a cold submission at the ready, send it through to the editors at purelydicta@mulss.com. In your pitch, please include the angle and theme of your piece, as well as a proposed word count and deadline.
FOR NONFICTION WRITING
Law School
Home Sweet Home: Have you had to move overseas to study? How have you navigated this change in addition to the challenges of Law School?
Quoting poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, “my candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends — It gives a lovely light!” How do you deal with the competitive nature of law school and expected dedication to the grind?
Fight the System: What are our responsibilities as law students to reform the deficiencies of the very system we’re trying so hard to be a part of?
Or, if you’re up for it, try writing up case note summaries on recent big cases like the bushfire charities situation in Macdonald & Or (2020) or the Black Lives Matter rally appeal in Padraic Gibson v Commissioner of Police (2020).
Culture
Lonely in Isolation: Have you had to live alone during the Melbourne CBD-wide lockdown last year? What were the effects of this isolation on your person and how did you cope?
What’s Wrong with True Crime? Does our cultural fascination with true crime perpetuate an image of the ideal victim? Can there be justice for those that are not the pretty blonde women we are used to seeing?
Is the imposter syndrome real? Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey from the Harvard Business Review argued that the Imposter Syndrome is often used to disguise legitimate feelings of systemic bias. What do you think? Please only respond to this prompt if you identify with a marginalised social group.
Invisible Labour: Tsedale Melaku from the Harvard Business Review said an “inclusion tax” is levied on professionals of colour for them to be included in social and professional spaces at the cost of extra time and energy. What do you think? Please only respond to this prompt if you identify as a person of colour.
Environmental Anxiety: Can we simultaneously advocate for each individual to take action and minimize their environmental impact while also advocating for big companies to finally be held accountable? Does the fight for one preclude or distract from the fight for the other?
Battle of the Nut Milks: What’s your favourite non-dairy milk and why? If it is almond milk, please defend your wrong opinion.
FOR CREATIVE WRITING
Poetry
Simply Lyrical: Write a poem based on the first song that comes on when you shuffle. If there’s nothing good, message one of your friends and force them to choose a song for you!
If you could freeze time for one moment of your life, what does that moment look like? Write a poem to cherish that memory.
Most see themselves as the hero or protagonist of their own story. But what if you’re the villain? Write a poem in honour of the bad guys. The antagonists deserve some love, too.
Our Many Firsts: write something dedicated to the ‘firsts’ in your life, both good and bad. Your first time drinking. Your first run-in with tram inspectors. Your first all-nighter.
Short Fiction
You Know My Name, Not My Story: Well then, tell us your story! Here’s your chance to share the thrilling coming-of-age tale that shaped you into the person you are today.
Drunk (Family) History: What’s the craziest secret you’ve uncovered during family meetings? The holidays have just come and gone, so make sure to share any of the juicy gossip you overheard at the dinner table.
What was life like for all the office plants left behind as we started working from home? Tell the story of how the fussiest things on Earth (indoor plants) are surviving this pandemic.
Have you seen her? Legend has it, the girl with the plastic water bottle on her head has returned to the Melbourne CBD. Who is she? What is her story? Will that water bottle ever fall?
FOR VISUAL ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY
Visual Art
Hate it, Love it: pick a colour or material that you usually avoid and use it in excess!
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: What’s the most detailed drawing you can create without your pencil ever leaving the paper as you draw? Here’s your chance to practice some continuous line drawings.
Think of the oddest Zoom background you’ve seen in the past year; from the green screen options to someone who was genuinely in a weird location, draw inspiration from our digital little square homes.
Character Design: If the Constitutional Law subject was a comic book character, what would they look like? And Torts? How about Corporations Law?
Photography
Street Art: This is what Melbourne is known for! Now that we’re leaving the comfort of our homes, make sure to bring your camera with you to explore the fantastic gems hidden in the Melbourne laneways.
A Tour for Our Online Friends: for the classmates that may be studying via Zoom, we’d like to feature some photos of the Law School and the community within it.
Old School: show off the best shots you’ve taken on your film camera, and show off the ones where your exposure was off or you got the speed wrong.
Purely Dicta 
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