[stylist] What you experience verses What you read?

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Helene,

Really great questions!  Through the NFB lists and other dog-related lists,
I'm getting to know deafblind people who are really great writers!  I love
reading their informal e-mail list stories of their daily activities and
challenges -- usually based around how they train and use their dogs, of
course.  /smile/  Just as I have been learning to re-experience the world
with less and less sight, I find myself experiencing it without hearing
through their words.  Funny how losing senses we take for granted can
actually enrich the ways in which we perceive the world around us.

I don't have any useful advice to offer, but I think your putting a
deafblind character in a mainstream work is a great one.  Technology and the
occasional advancement in social enlightment are breaking down the barriers
between the "blind community," the "deaf community," et al., and mainstream
culture.  The more we all understand and can relate to each other without
being frightened of the differences (and that can work both ways!), the more
enlightened we all become.  So keep up the good work.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of helene ryles
Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 7:00 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] What you experience verses What you read?

Hi John,
Thanks for the incouragement.
Their are a few books with blind characters that I like. For example
'Annerton Pit' about an independant blind boy who goes with his
brother who is being held captive by eco terrorists. The blind boy in
that is really mobile and independant.

However, for deafness, it doesn't seem like their are any mainstream
books with deaf characters since most writers seem to portray the deaf
even more as sad characters then the blind do and their isn't too much
about deafblind at all. There is nothing at all about a deaf person in
a fantasy setting. Which is why I felt the need to fill the nich.

"A deafblind girl" is differant in another way too. Part of it is set
in Darthrilia. A country that is run by Dragons. In the fact the
opening scene is described from the point of view of a dragon. He over
hears this wizard making a curse to make his ex wife and all her
future generations deafblind and female so their are actually several
female deafblind characters in the novel.

Helene

On 19/04/2009, John Lee Clark <johnlee at clarktouch.com> wrote:
> One reason I keep on encouraging writing about blindness is because, right
> now, there is not much precedence in English language for describing the
> blind experience.  True, the lexicon is rich in words and phrases related
to
> sounds and music, and hearing blind people certainly have a lot to draw
from
> if they want to express and describe voices and things like that, but
> there's very little for tactile stuff and other aspects of blindness.
This
> is a wonderful opportunity to do truly creative writing and make
significant
> contributions to English literature as a whole.  Not only the content is
> cool and interesting because it's different, but your breaking new ground
> will help sighted people appreciate things they have never noticed
> before--you're giving them a new language and a new way to understand
> themselves and the world around them.
>
> So, no, it's not easy writing.  But if it was easy writing, your work
> probably would be less significant, less original, and more like many, too
> many other books.
>
> One possible technique is to use common verbs and nouns but in new
contexts.
> Take the word purr.  Most people would use that for a cat, maybe a car.
But
> you can use it in a tactile context for something totally new.   Or take
the
> word sing.  Most writers would use that strictly for music, but maybe a
few
> other things.  But if, for example, you have a sex scene, you can say that
> one body sang to the other.  You can even play with color words but not
> actually to describe color.  For example, there is this great bit in
Himes's
> classic novel If I Holler Let Me GO: "His tongue tasted brown."  Nothing
to
> do with the actual color of his tongue, but everything to do with the
> connotations of the color brown previously established in literature but
> this time used in a new way.
>
> One good rule is not to overdescribe.  Understatement is great.  Just a
> touch and move on with the story.
>
> John
>
> No virus found in this outgoing message.
> Checked by AVG.
> Version: 7.5.557 / Virus Database: 270.12.0/2066 - Release Date: 4/18/2009
> 9:55 AM
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/dreamavdb%40googlem
ail.com
>

_______________________________________________
Writers Division web site:
http://www.nfb-writers-division.org <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>

stylist mailing list
stylist at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
stylist:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/tamara.8024%40comca
st.net