Tag: Writer’s Challenge

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Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Understanding Disabilities-Statistics and Sources for Writers

Overcoming a disability concept with a man writing the word Disability on a virtual interface and then crossing through the - Dis - with a red marker pen as a motivational call to overcome adversity.

Magazines, literary agents, and publishers continue to look for excellent writing in fiction and non-fiction genres which exemplify diversity. The public asks for more inclusion of disabled persons in their reading material, and agents and editors want to grant the desires of their readers.

For writers, research can help you deliver believable content to meet the demand. If you are writing about disability, you need to know some facts, and you need to research.

Writing about disability isn’t new. How we write about disability makes a difference. Disability doesn’t care about your sex, color, race, or religious viewpoint.

This article shares disability statistics and links to additional sources of information so you can write well on this topic. This beginning resource will give you an idea on how to conduct more research based on your writing needs.

Quick Statistics:

  • Approximately 1 in 5 people in the United States currently has a disability.
  • About one-third of 20-year-old workers today will be disabled before they reach retirement.
  • Nearly 15% of the world’s population, have some form of challenge. That’s about a billion people.
  • The number of individuals who have significant difficulties in functioning reaches upward to 190 million.
  • Population numbers, aging, and the increase of chronic health conditions are the primary reasons for these high rates of disabilities. I should mention genetics because many disabilities can occur by being passed down through DNA.

These are staggering statistics. You or a loved one could become one of the disabled. A person in your family may have a disability they were born with, or have one because of accident, injury, or one which evolved over time.

What are these disabilities, and health conditions? While there are too many to list, they fall into several main categories. Disabilities may overlap categories. The descriptions listed here are general.

Categories of Disability:

  • Mobility and Physical Impairments – using a wheelchair, using a cane, limping, visible limb deformities, skin and hair disorders.
  • Head Injuries – Brain Disability – speech, motor coordination, learning disabilities.
  • Vision Disability –blind, wear glasses, use a white cane, a seeing eye dog.
  • Hearing Disability – communicate using sign language, wear a visible cochlear implant, hearing aids.
  • Cognitive or Learning Disabilities – may have behavior problems, difficulty learning to read or write, find learning difficult.
  • Psychological Disorders – may have depression, anxiety, mood disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders.
  • Invisible Disabilities – Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Autoimmune Disorders, Chronic Pain.

The Use of Awareness Ribbons, Days, Weeks, Months

An interesting article written by Erin Blakemore, “A Brief History of Awareness Ribbons” on what may be the origination of the iconic explosion explains where the use of the colored ribbons may have originated. Whether these icons are useful for recognition depends on whom you ask. Since anyone can create them, colors can vary. In recent years, colored ribbons for illnesses, disorders, disabilities, and other causes exploded across social and print media. If you choose to use a colored ribbon in your story, make sure you use the correct color.

Use the same advice for ribbons as when using the associated days, weeks, and months. Their sole purpose conveys awareness for the array of disabilities and chronic illnesses assigned. You can find an extensive list of ribbons and dates of awareness at Disabled World and a similar list on Wikipedia.

More Research Links for Writing About Disability and the Disabled:

 

Kathryn M. B. Johnson lives and writes from Staunton, VA. She writes articles, essays, and blogs, and is compiling a book of essays about her time as a Life Skills Instructor for persons with challenges. She is also working on a memoir on learning through adversity, and mulling ideas for a mystery series. Connect with her at kathrynmbjohnson.com on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

Categories
The Efficiency Addict

On Writing: Practice Excellence

The value of reading authors that inspire you to writing excellence.

Practice makes perfect. I believed this mantra for years until a music teacher changed my mind. “Perfect practice makes perfect,” he said, then explained that if you practice with poor technique or study only mediocre performances, you’ll never achieve true excellence at your craft. It was not enough to practice. The key was to focus on practicing exceptional technique.

Recently, I considered this wisdom with regard to writing. I’ve been reading. A lot. As writers we read for pleasure and knowledge, studying other authors to learn their techniques. The authors I found were good, but then I read one who was exceptional, and she challenged me. Here are the writing elements that drew my attention in her books:

  • the breadth of research
  • the depth of characterization
  • her fully fleshed-out fantasy elements
  • a storyline built on action (not chance or coincidence)

I had allowed my writing to become weak in some areas. This author made me look at my writing with fresh eyes—and higher standards.

Are you reading books that inspire you to write better? If not, seek them out. It’s true—artists improve by studying a wide breadth of creative people. However, there’s a reason artisans used to be apprenticed to masters and practice their techniques. Find those old and new masters who elevate their stories with exceptional writing craft.

Care to Comment?

Who are the master writers you study? What have you learned? I’d love to see your picks in the Comments section below.

And, in case you’re wondering, here’s the author who challenged me:

Mary Robinette Kowal writes historical fantasy. Her Glamourist Histories, set in the early 19th century, pay homage to Jane Austen’s writing style while creating a new alternate reality all their own. Kowal’s notes at the back of her books will be of particular interest to writers. Here she discusses how she overcame storyline challenges, conducted research, and worked with other authors and period experts. Writers can find additional tips in Kowal’s “Debut Author Lessons” blog post series found at www.MaryRobinetteKowal.com.

Sharables – Because sharing is fun!

[bctt tweet=”If you study only mediocre performances, you’ll never achieve true excellence at your craft. #AuthorLife #WritersRoad”]

[bctt tweet=”Studying Master Writers: Why it’s important. #WritersLife”]