[Stylist] Writing and experiences

[Chris Kuell]

Hey Vejas,

An interesting question, and below I'll throw out a few thoughts.

Firstly, always take statements like 'write what you know' with a grain of
salt, so to speak. I don't know what it's like to be a woman, but I often
write from a female perspective. I don't know what it's like to be a pilot,
or a soldier, or a scuba diver, or a criminal, or to visit Hogwarts--but
we're free to use our imagination and put characters in these roles and
places.

I'm also an introvert, in addition to being blind, so I'm often wary of new
places and new experiences--I get that. But I sort of have a rule that if
people ask me to go somewhere and do something, unless I know I will hate
it, I try it. This is how I went water skiing several years ago, and it was
a blast. I also tried golf, and that wasn't any fun for me at all. But I
tried it. 
I was at an NFB convention in Atlanta some years ago, and a group of new
blind friends asked me to go with them to the Hard Rock café. After getting
lost in a rather scary neighborhood, a kind person finally showed us where
to go. Inside, the beer was tasty, and the music was good, but it was so
loud that conversation was impossible, and of course I was disoriented by
the crowd and the noise and it took me forever to find the men's room, and I
just wanted to leave as soon as possible.
When I was called to jury duty, I was looking forward to it as a new
experience. But, I didn't get picked, so I still don't know what it is like
to be on a jury.
Tomorrow night I'm going to a Mark Broussard concert with my son and his
girlfriend. Concerts aren't normally my thing, but my son asked me to go, so
I'm going. And that's generally my philosophy--give it a try. If you don't
like it, you learned something.

Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Chris