McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

Disabled main carictors?

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Shecky:

--- Quote from: jeno on February 07, 2012, 10:26:13 PM ---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.

--- End quote ---

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)  ;D

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.
 ;D

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.

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