[stylist] writing about blindness

Wed Nov 12 20:10:51 UTC 2008

Just for the record, that reading percentage goes for the sighted world as 
well as the visually impaired community.  Judith
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
To: "NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: [stylist] writing about blindness


> Helene,
> Agreed.  Also, to put things in perspective, publishers don't accept well 
> over ninety percent of everything they get.
> Donna
>
> -- 
> For my bio & to hear clips from The Last Straw:
> http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>
> Apple I-Tunes
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> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374
>
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
> www.padnfb.org
>
>
>
>
>
> helene ryles wrote:
>> My book has blind characters in it. I think that there are so many
>> negative examples of blind and disabled characters in fiction that it
>> would be a good thing if blind authors with possitive views on their
>> blindness would educate people by including a character or two in
>> their novels.
>> As for me. I write to make sense of my world. If I was told the
>> publishers wouldn't accept disabled characters I would still include
>> them and hope that one day that would change. After all Van Goth
>> didn't have any of his paintings sold in his life time. But they are
>> famous now. Maybe people will be more open minded about the disabled
>> in the future?
>>
>> Helene.
>>
>> On 11/11/2008, Angela fowler <fowlers at syix.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I wonder if writing about blind characters who are just ordinary people,
>>> maybe even having a minor role in the story and publishing it mainstream
>>> would help to transcend that divide?
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>> Behalf Of Judith Bron
>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 2:37 PM
>>> To: NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List
>>> Subject: Re: [stylist] writing about blindness
>>>
>>> If you are going to write about a minority, be that racial, ethnic or
>>> handicapped, you  might want to try publishers or periodicals that are
>>> dedicated to that particular genre.  Yes, there are times that you can
>>> transcend the divide, but you have to write with the audience you are
>>> writing for.
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
>>> To: "NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 4:34 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [stylist] writing about blindness
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Jim,
>>>> You make a couple of good points here.  I am very conscious that, if I
>>>> intend to market a short story, having it be about blindness may turn
>>>> off a publication.  I do have several ideas that I've been sitting on
>>>> which are about the ironies of how blind people are viewed and
>>>> treated, but, as I say, I'm sitting on them.
>>>> Donna
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> For my bio & to hear clips from The Last Straw:
>>>> http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>>>>
>>>> Apple I-Tunes
>>>>
>>>> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244
>>>> 374
>>>>
>>>> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
>>>> www.padnfb.org
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> James Canaday M.A. N6YR wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Aziza,
>>>>> that's one problem we're up against as blind people in this society:
>>>>> very very few examples or role models in the media, the books, etc.
>>>>> whether to write a character as blind or not is honestly not the
>>>>> first thing on my mind because I'm more interested when I have an
>>>>> idea, I want to write a story about some particular struggle, some
>>>>> puzzle to be unravveled.
>>>>> it is also important to remember that sometimes having a major
>>>>> character who is blind makes your story harder for some readers to
>>>>> get into, have the verisimilitude, because they don't experience
>>>>> blindness and don't know a blind person.
>>>>> so there is also a catch-22 about it.
>>>>>
>>>>> ***
>>>>> personal update:
>>>>> by the way I seem to be getting sicker with more of the flu-like
>>>>> symptoms getting very bad: headache; other aches; stiffness; etc.
>>>>> apparently I will get worse before I get better.  last thursday I
>>>>> started the once-a-week shot to treat my autoimmune disorder.  thank
>>>>> you for praying if you do.
>>>>> jim
>>>>>
>>>>> Jim Canaday M.A.
>>>>> Lawrence, KS
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> At 01:14 PM 11/11/2008, you wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I suppose I could write about blind people better, but I read a lot
>>>>>> of fiction books, and most of them have sighted characters. I draw
>>>>>> from those descriptions, also in class, you don't see the teacher
>>>>>> teaching many texts with blind people in them. I think I can write
>>>>>> about fiction sighted characters as well as I can blind fiction
>>>>>> characters. I may of course be wrong.
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Angela fowler"
>>>>>> <fowlers at syix.com>
>>>>>> To: "'NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 12:07 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [stylist] writing about blindness
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I guess it depends on your frame of mind at the time of writing.
>>>>>>> While blind fiction writers can depict blind characters obviously
>>>>>>> far more accurately than sighted fiction writers, we limit
>>>>>>> ourselves if we stick exclusively to blind characters or blindness
>>>>>>> issues.
>>>>>>> As for articles, I've been writing about a lot of blindness related
>>>>>>> stuff lately. Its funny, I went into my historical research and
>>>>>>> writing class vowing I was going to write about anything but a
>>>>>>> blindness issue, and ended up writing about the way the ADA effects
>>>>>>> blind people. Go figure.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>>> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Aziza
>>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 10:00 AM
>>>>>>> To: NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [stylist] writing about blindness
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I don't write about being blind either. I mean unless it's my 
>>>>>>> articles.
>>>>>>>             But
>>>>>>> when I write storries, all my characters can see, and have other
>>>>>>> problems they must overcome in their lives.
>>>>>>> I don't think it's denial at all.
>>>>>>> Aziza
>>>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>>> From: "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
>>>>>>> To: "Stylist" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 8:51 AM
>>>>>>> Subject: [stylist] writing about blindness
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I'm not in denial nor do I ignore the fact that I do have a 
>>>>>>>> handicap
>>>>>>>> that I have to overcome on a daily basis.  However, when I am 
>>>>>>>> writing
>>>>>>>> I seem to go into a different world.  I write about people who are
>>>>>>>> ill, some of my characters die and others fall into the clutches of
>>>>>>>> bad people.  If I say that blindness bores me, you might come out 
>>>>>>>> with
>>>>>>>> an arms length of causes for my symptoms.  However, a person does 
>>>>>>>> not
>>>>>>>> necessarily want to write about those things they live with and 
>>>>>>>> rise
>>>>>>>> above on a daily basis.  I am fat.  Writing about being fat falls
>>>>>>>> under
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> the same category as blind.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Live with it.  Fight against it as much as possible, but it 
>>>>>>>> shouldn't
>>>>>>>> dominate every facet of your life.  Again, you may think I'm in 
>>>>>>>> some
>>>>>>>> kind of denial, but I'm not.  I won't drive a car into a crowd, try
>>>>>>>> sewing a garment while it is on the back of my would be victim and 
>>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>> won't pretend to read the paper when I can't even make out one 
>>>>>>>> picture
>>>>>>>> in the blasted thing.  Judith
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