[stylist] writing about blindness

Angela fowler fowlers at syix.com
Thu Nov 13 00:41:32 UTC 2008 

Research? What's that? (smile) 

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Donna Hill
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 8:32 AM
To: NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] writing about blindness

Makes sense to me.  After all, there's a little thing called research which
is a valuable tool when writing about anything.
Donna

--
For my bio & to hear clips from The Last Straw:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill

Apple I-Tunes

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Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
www.padnfb.org





Aziza wrote:
> It is also up to the author's level of education and understanding 
> about the disability he or she is choosing to write about. I do not 
> hold a lack of knowledge against an author, I hold the fact that they 
> chose to write about something they knew little about in a way that 
> suggests they know more then they do against them.
> If someone does not know about blindness it is not necessarily their 
> fault, but when they choose to write and make up facts in there mind 
> and try to persuade people that their "facts" are true, then it is 
> their fault.
> I'm not sure if that made any sense, it did to me. Lol. (That doesn't 
> always mean much.)
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: "NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 8:03 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] writing about blindness
>
>
>> It is up to the author to paint their character as normal.  There are 
>> many books that focus on issues surrounding the mentally handicapped.  
>> Is that because mental illness is more obvious, that some mentally 
>> ill people are more violent or because society has reached a level of 
>> acceptance of the mentally ill?  I think it is up to the author to 
>> create his characters in such a way that society sees them as equals 
>> rather than different.
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "helene ryles" 
>> <dreamavdb at googlemail.com>
>> To: "NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 6:11 PM
>> Subject: Re: [stylist] writing about blindness
>>
>>
>>> 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=25
>>>>> 9244
>>>>>
>>>>> 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 _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>> stylist mailing list
>>>>>>>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
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>>>>>>>>> 09%40gmail.com
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
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