Disabled main carictors?

[Shecky]

I don't think the issue is with privileging certain viewpoints (proud vs wanting to change) over others. That's just diversity of opinion. It's more of an issue when there's a long pattern of people (particularly people who don't have disabilities) writing about how curing disabilities makes disabled characters normal/happier/better etc.

It's not an argument that can be applied to individual works (like, say, Vorkosigan) because all things can, theoretically, be justified in the text. It's more about the broader context and implications of what you're writing, which can be something you ignore, but is still not something you can avoid, if you see what I'm saying.

I do, but I fear that the larger picture gets obscured when one character has to represent an entire subpopulation. Unless the story is designed to be in the about-society's-problems vein, I think it's asking far too much of an author to take up the opinions and wishes of everyone whose situation bears some resemblance to that of the character. Let's let the character be the character, not an entire group.

[meg_evonne]

The most obvious disability story has been mentioned in several threads: The Ship that Sang by the late Anne McCaffery. It is the story of a woman who exchanges her failing disabled body for the heart of a space ship. One of my all time favorites. Although she compensates for the disability in a novel way, it is always with her.

FYI, at one point in time I had severe myofacia pain and could not type.   I used dragonspeak, which was barely acceptable at that time. I could no longer write, nor ride as the amount of communication between a rider and her horse is through the delicate touch of the reins. My left hand is still numb and filled with pens and needle sensations but I can feel with my right thankfully. (No it isn't fybromalgia, nor carpal tunnel. I'd prefer to not comment further.) How frustrating it was to have to hold material up to my cheek to feel what it felt like.

I'm glad you realize that you are welcome here and I wish you well on your writing!

I think you would be amazed at how many have disabilities on this forum and it doesn't slow any of us up. Well, my non-tech geek problem rears it's head regularly. Hey, it feels like a disability.

[Shecky]

^ What Meg said.

[cenwolfgirl]

I gess to me I don't notic mien at all untill the spelling thoing comes up realy its the only disadvantage, most of the time.

sometimes you have to down play a disabilaty in books aspeashaly if you don't know how they feel or how it effects them. I sopose if its apart of who the carictor is then its a good thing I somtimes forget that I am not the only one as day to day I don't meat people with other disabilaties but you two have just given me an idea for my second book (that is sortof being witton more for the fun of it than anything ells) 

another book with a disabled person in it though not a main carictor (its kind of a losely mentioned) is
Lost Bullet by Malclm Rose some of the carictors are albeno
and ou can argue the hole disadvantage to the main carictor due to his age witch can be a hindrense sometimes.
 

[Nickeris86]

I once had an idea for a short story in which all the main characters were physically disabled, (Blind, deaf, paraplegic, quadruple amputee), but they all had compensating powers or abilities.

However in my novel I am working on the main character is not disabled but disfigured from massive burn scars that he acquired as a child, which has given him a bit of a complex when it comes to fire and more specifically fire magic. He will eventually overcome this block but it will not be fast or easy.

I need to do some research into the physiological ramifications of burns to make it more believable.

The main reason that I personally have never written main characters with disabilities is not because I am afraid of offending someone but because I could not write a character who has lived their life without something that i have taken for granted all my life. I would not be able to portray it in a way that would satisfy my inner perfectionist.

[Snowleopard]

Heavy disfiguring burns are a physical and psychological bitch to say the least.
And I've read about how incredibly painful it is and how long it takes to recover from burns.
One of my favorite villain actors suffered severe facial burns - Richard Lynch.

[cenwolfgirl]

I once had an idea for a short story in which all the main characters were physically disabled, (Blind, deaf, paraplegic, quadruple amputee), but they all had compensating powers or abilities.

However in my novel I am working on the main character is not disabled but disfigured from massive burn scars that he acquired as a child, which has given him a bit of a complex when it comes to fire and more specifically fire magic. He will eventually overcome this block but it will not be fast or easy.

I need to do some research into the physiological ramifications of burns to make it more believable.

The main reason that I personally have never written main characters with disabilities is not because I am afraid of offending someone but because I could not write a character who has lived their life without something that i have taken for granted all my life. I would not be able to portray it in a way that would satisfy my inner perfectionist.

that sounds like a intresting idea 
i would not know about burns
but in the second book of my seris i am wrighting i have a pregnent carictor and one of her children will be death the other blind and only by working together will the twins well i wont say till i actualy get to that point in the book its still only a first draft 

[Nickeris86]

I have a very vague idea about burns because my dad was a fire fighter for thirty odd years, enough to make me comfortable approaching the topic but not enough for me to truly understand it.

The twins thing sounds interesting I would like to know more. I know there is a phanominon where twins will have feelings from one another. The twin senses or something like that. No one knows how it works but its a documented event. Could be something to look into.

[cenwolfgirl]

yeh i am doing reaserch inbthat angle 
when i finish the first book like properly then might ask you to bata read it so you get a better idea of what i mean
and so the second book makes sence and then you will see how i have made the twin thing work
but in the first bok they have not been born yet
i rely cant wate to have them oldernuth to cours trubble 

[meg_evonne]

A book that I fell in love with was dispised by New Yorkers, but it moved me from the most gut wrenching and personal connections imaginable. It's now a movie that, again I admire greatly. The young boy is compelling, intriguing, and my heart aches for him. He has, I believe, mild Aspergers. If you wish to see a disability that is portrayed realistically and moves the reader into his shoes, try out, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close". I just saw the movie and felt that it did the original story due diligence.

[The Deposed King]

I say if you have a hankering for it.  then write what you know.  which is sight disabled.

After you do that, then you need to focus on explaining how things look to the character and how she/he compensates.  After that you need to make sure you aren't bogging your story down with non-relevent descriptions of how this disability effects her life and the story.

After you do a few of these.  I recommend writing either with a completely different disability or no disability, to give you some experience.  With a normal non-disabled character you'd need to focus on writing the descriptive scenes as seen by 20/20 vision.  With a paraplegic or deaf person, you'd be taking yourself outside of your known zone and I think this would give you insights on how to write a disabled character in a general way.  Being really close to something allows for an inside perspective that's hard to beat.  But it can sometimes focus to indepth to the point of irritation.  By working on a deaf or parplegic person it gives you an idea of how much is enough and how much is too much, for yourself as a reader and writer.

My two cents anyway.  I'm like at 20/450 myself, so its pretty easy to imagine how someone with permanentyly compromised vision would go around.  Take my glasses off and I have to get uncomfortably close to teh computer screen.  I'd only try to drive in a real emergency etc.  With my glasses I don't notice a thing.

Remember to always follow the dream and hey I have big spelling problems too.  I've worked on them though.  Maybe remember to start adding the H in after the C when you spell Character.  I don't mind the rest of it but for some reason that particular word is bugging me.  I know I know throwing stones and all that.  Anyway keep up the hard work.

and remember to always follow the dream,




the Deposed King

[cenwolfgirl]

i think you have a good point it would be intresting to try and exsplain what it is like not to be able to see
i started the book for fun and due to the hole wrighting what you know thing my main carictor has the same problems as me or at least one of them
i am doing the twin thing because i have freinds who have hearing problems and thought it would be fun to right
i am folowing my dream but waiting for people to get back to be about what needs to be changed before sending it to publishers is aginising
i need to lurn pationts