Why do I blog? Simple practice. The key to proficiency in any skill is practice. Learning is an arduous process, to attain perfection talent’s raw metal must be shaped by the hammer of repetition sacrificed on the alter of failure, and tested by the fires of experience to hold its shape. So, if I want to practice writing, I must write. A writer must gain exposure if he wants to be published, a blog can help with that too.
How do you describe color to a blind man?
How do you describe color to a one who is blind? For in essence, that is what I am trying to do with my writing. I am, as writers sometimes do, speaking figuratively. The blind cannot see with their eyes, as far as I know, we must remember that I’m not blind. Can the blind perceive the color? Can they differentiate between Blue, and Teal? I would think not, but I am not blind so I don’t know. For all I know I could be making an unwarranted assumption. What I am really asking is: How do you explain something to someone for which they, seemingly, have no reference frame? I’ll frame my topic sentence another way. I would like to use my writing to help people gain a sense of empathy for those with disabilities. But, they’re some things about having a disability, that I think only another person with a disability can truly understand.
For example, How do I explain what happens in the mind of a nine year old fourth grade wheelchair driver , when he is called Retard for the first time? How do I explain how it forever altered the way he saw him himself and those around him? It taught him that being different is tough, and that he will struggle with that knowledge for the rest of his life.
How do I explain what its like, to be that same wheelchair driver, now twenty-five years of age and to still hear the word Retard tossed about a college campus like an ultimate Frisbee?
How do I explain what goes through my mind ,as a wheelchair user, when I’m confronted with steps?
How do I explain what it feels like to be a grown man and wet the bed because I can’t make it to the toilet by myself?
How do I explain the way some people approach me, as If I’m a life-form they haven’t seen before and they aren’t quite sure what to do with me?
I need to explain these things to the reader in an accessible way so that they can have a frame of reference for their own lives. If I don’t give them that, the most I will get is sympathy. I don’t want sympathy from my readers, I want their empathy. If you want to understand the difference between sympathy and empathy, you need to understand why my parents chose not to give me the answers to my homework when I was little. They wanted me to arrive at the answer myself, so that I would understand why the answer was the answer. I want my readers to understand why a disability is sometimes hard. But I also want them to understand that folks with disabilities can still do lots of things. An empathic frame of reference would help them understand that. It is my task to try and give them one.
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
William Shakespeare Sonnet 29
Like every high-school student, I encountered Shakespeare. I dealt with his plays more than his sonnets. The ones I remember are Twelth Knight and Julius Cesar. Ironically, it was Star Trek which first introduced me to his sonnets. Specifically. Sonnet 29. It was a gift from Picard to Data. I could always empathize with Data, the android officer,
he was very different from everyone with whom he interacted on a daily basis. I wondered if Data understood why he was different. As a person with a disability, sometimes I too, “Beweep
my outcast state.” Meaning is different for every person. I won’t speak for Data, but for me, this sonnet is about finding meaning in suffering and gaining strength from the quest. Its about gaining power through eschewing pity and ultimately coming to the knowledge that the road to self-actualization begins with embracing our outcast state. If we can do that, we will soon scorn to change our fate with kings.
Disability Etiquette
I don’t have much to say on the topic of disability etiquette. For the most part, I get along with others and they get along with me. There are however a few things that I would like to make clear:
1. For the most part, at least in my experience, people with disabilities are just like anybody else. Common sense and the golden rule apply treat others as you would have them treat you. I am a person who uses a wheelchair, so I will be confining the rest of my remarks to that perspective.
2. My wheelchair is part of my personal bubble. Do not lean on it, or try to climb in my lap, unless you have my permission.
3. Do not pat my head or treat me as if I’m a child. This is condescending and rude.
4 If we enter into a conversation and I start to stammer, try to be patient with me. Do not try to complete my sentences for me. You will most likely bee wrong, which will frustrate me, and cause me to stammer more.
5. The word ‘Retard’ is deeming and insulting and should never be used for any reason whatsoever.
Remember common sense applies when interacting with anybody. If you have a question, ask, try not to make assumptions, and treat others how you would want to be treated.
I think that’s all that needs to be said.
Fantasy’s Appeal
Fantasy is my favorite literary genre. It speaks to the human imagination on a fundamental level. Why do people become Doctors?, Lawyers?, Writers?, Because they fantasize about it. Imagination drives people. Fantasy is the fuel that ignites imagination’s fire. It also teaches people to create, and set goals. Imagination starts us out on the road to success.
Recipe for a story: Blending the right ingredients.
I am learning that stories are like recipes for food. If you add too much, or too little, of a particular ingredient. It can ruin the taste of a meal. There must be a balance of tastes and textures for the meal to be well received. No single ingredient, can be overwhelmed or overshadowed by the other ingredients.
I am learning that in storytelling, as in cooking, there must also be a balance between exposition, action, and character development, too much action,and the audience loses their way in the excitement, too much exposition and the audience becomes bored, too little character development and the audience won’t invest in the story. If an author can balance the scales between this thematic triad, he or she, will create drama.
How do you balance the scale? Well, one way I have found is to go back and reread authors I have enjoyed in the past and note in particular scenes that stand out and break them down to their bare ingredients, then, I can reverse-engineer how the writer has constructed the scene. Do you have any suggestions on how to blend the ingredients for a story?
Gazing Into The Mirror of Media
The media reflects our values the way a mirror reflects light. If one looks into the mirror of media, one can look into the mind of our society, and get a feel for what our society values and how we treat people as a whole. The reflections that can be seen in the mirror of media, can be used to measure a society’s growth and as a yard stick to see how far they still have to go in regards to their social evolution. Our society has one collective goal. People in our society want to be treated equally. That’s a great thing! Every person in our society is unique with their own potential and each of them deserves to fulfill it in their own way. The mirror of media, helps illuminate how we treat people by shining and empathic light on their potential and reflecting their empathic light toward others.
The light of empathy can easily be reflected in our entertainment media. Think about it for a minute. Our entertainment media, from TV shows to books to plays, and even video games is filled with people with different viewpoints, and different backgrounds interacting, sometimes they are working together, and sometimes, they are in conflict with one another, but ultimately, they live, work, and grow, together.
Many different people, from many different groups are represented in our media. People of different races, genders, and sexual preferences. It is my opinion, that people with disabilities, need more attention in our media if our society’s attitude toward them is going to change in a positive way. How many TV shows have you seen with a character with a disability in the cast? According to this report by the United Nations, people with disabilities are “The largest minority in the world” and yet, they seem to be under represented in our media. I ask again, how many TV shows have you seen with a person with a disability in the cast? How many shows, or books, or games have dealt with disabilities? Please understand, I’m not trying to say that people with disabilities haven’t gotten attention. Shows like Star Trek, Glee, Little House on the Prairie, Dark Angel, and Ironside, have all dealt with the topic of disabilities in one way or another. But it seems to me that those attempts all highlighted the disability itself and not the person with the disability.
When I write a story, I like to use people with disabilities. I try to make the disability just one part of the person’s life instead of all of the person’s life. My disability is, after all, only one part of my life. The folks who read my story will have to judge how well I portray folks with disabilities, but I believe it’s something I’m able to do.
A good mirror reflects the Sun so that each part of it gets an equal amount of light. Sometimes, I think that, even in twenty-fifteen, disabilities are still covered in darkness brought by ignorance and misunderstanding and that the mirror of our media needs to do a better job of reflecting their positive light. Maybe I can help it do that.
Publishing
Publishing.
There, I said it. Its the elephant in the room. I want to publish and market my book. I admit, I haven’t given much thought to it so far, because I would rather focus my energy on creating a marketable product first. But I would be lying, if I said I didn’t think about publishing. These are the questions I ask when I think about it.
1. How do you know when its time to publish?
2. How do you approach agents or publishers?
3. How hard is it to self-publish?
4. How do I know which publishing method is right for me?
5. How do you market a book?
I am sure the answers will present themselves, if I ask the right questions. Do any of you know the answers to these questions?
Point of view: the Anchor for life.
I believe I remember some old guy, in some movie somewhere, say, “You’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” Well, he was right. Our point of view is important. It shapes our focuss, and our thinking, and can often determine if we stay afloat on the stormy sea of life, or if we lose our grip and drown in the storm.
Point of view serves the same function in fiction as it does in reality. Our point of view is our anchor to the story. If a story doesn’t have a solid point of view for the reader to understand, it won’t work. period. They’re many different points of view one can take when writing fiction. I’m not going to enumerate the virtues of all of them. If you want to learn about them, follow this link to a Fiction writing website Instead, I am going to close by talking about my favorite narrative point of view, first person point of view.
First person point of view is told from the perspective of one person. Usually, the main character or other friend. I like it because it seems more real to me. I can only live my life from my point of view. As much as I’d like to get int other peoples’ heads I can’t. That’s why its easier for me to appreciate fiction from the point of view of one character, or first person view.
Finding a balance between the magical and the mundane
The setting serves as the backdrop to the story. When you tell a story. What you are doing is building a world for people to inhabit and grow into. The fantasy genre has a lot of great settings. Consider, for example, Middle Earth, the setting for Lord Of The Rings. It has enough fantastic and unknown elements, Orcs, Goblins, Magic, and so forth, to make it interesting and intriguing to the audience, while still been grounded enough in the known and mundane to make it believable so that the audience can invest emotionally in the characters.
Look at Sam from Lord Of The Rings. He’s a character deeply rooted in the mundane aspects of being Frodo’s Gardner, but as time goes on he is able to blossom into the ring bearers extraordinary protector and stick with Frodo until his task is done. Sam wouldn’t be as compelling without the grounding that his setting and occupation provide him. But he’s not boring either.
How does one go about striking Tolkien’s balance between the magical and the mundane?
its a question to ponder isn’t it?