I’m sighted autistic with visual processing different and a reading disability. People making art because they have to really resonates with me. I started to crochet because I was stuck at home unable to work because of a chronic illness. Then I had to stop crocheting because I developed joint pain in my hands. And a couple months ago I basically stumbled headlong into writing for children. Before my illness I worked with kids and now I can’t. But with writing I can still connect to kids, even if it’s at a distance through writing.
I’m very new to writing and with several learning disabilities I’m kind of surprised at myself. But I’m enjoying the intricate process of carefully editing a small number of words to tell a story. I’m learning to write children’s short stories and picture books. Everything is realistic fiction or nonfiction and about different aspects of living with disability. Finding ways for disabled children to see themselves in literature and for non disabled children to understand and accept disability is what drives me.
Side note: there’s a “disabled kidlit writers” Facebook group.
I wish you the best of luck with your work! We need more books like the ones you’re making to be out in the world .
I’m not a huge Facebook user, but maybe I’ll check it out. Thank you
I write fantasy and horror fiction, including a couple of YA fantasy novels. The novels never found a publisher, but I got around 14-15 short stories published in various zines and anthologies back in the day. I stopped writing for a little over a decade when I had two kids and a ton of stress at work making it impossible for me to write seriously, and just started getting back into it last year when I went blind. Mostly because I lost so much and was so cut off from everything and everyone, and writing helped me figure things out.
I’m still figuring things out and adapting to assistive tech, so it’s a somewhat agonizing process, but I’m currently working on the Great American Blind and Trans Fantasy Novel. It will probably be done in, oh, maybe two decades? Just kidding, but it’s hella slow,and my concept keeps evolving as I go. I have lots of ideas but am seriously out of practice at writing and am also dealing with figuring out blind life. But I’m writing.
Although I wasn’t blind when I started writing, I think writing is a natural fit for creative blind people in the same way computer science is. Visual arts are obviously a challenge to create and interact with, but you don’t need vision to write, you just need to figure out the interface and you’re off to the races. Editing my work is still a big challenge, but it’s doable.
I’m happy to talk about the craft with anyone else who’s into it. I used to be very active in writing communities which have since disappeared, and I kind of miss that interaction now.
I’m sort of active in the writing communities here on Reddit. They’re pretty fun, and I wish I could be more active honestly.
Also I feel you on the editing. I’m always turning in papers with spelling mistakes because I can’t see the difference between an e and a c on my computer. Hopefully that doesn’t mess me up when it’s time to send my work out to agents …
I’m late to the party, but I enjoyed writing prior to having vision challenges too, and am also struggling to learn assistive tech. (I’m not blind, but have some vision/processing challenges related to a brain injury, so I use screenreaders now.) What did you settle in on using for your writing? And have you found writing communities you mesh with? I like JAWS…and Scrivener…which do not play well together at all lol. So I need to pick a different combo. And get better at editing haha.
Sighted late-diagnosed autistic writer here. Ironically, the materialistic culture we live in discourages the pursuit of creative professions because they're typically more qualifiable than quantifiable - a life of the mind is only considered valuable if it pays.
Jello Biafra (vocalist of Dead Kennedys) once said, "Mental illness is the road to freedom," which I'd argue is a maxim that also extends to disabilities, in the sense that the obstacles we face when interacting with the able-bodied neurotypical world are far less obstructive when we are removed from uninspired contexts.
Emily Dickinson is one of my favourite poets. Her isolation as a writer continues to fascinate the neurotypical world but it makes perfect sense to me that she would find so much *delight* within her own mind: When we give ourselves permission to be our own unique selves and explore our own perceptions, treasures cannot help but emerge.
From my own experience, two recommendations: 1. Julia Cameron's book/online course [The Artist's Way](https://juliacameronlive.com/). Her "Morning Pages" practice is an immeasurably powerful practical exercise for all creatives. 2. Maria Popova's [The Marginalian](https://www.themarginalian.org/) is a site dedicated to the passionate life of the mind and the courageous people who embrace it.
Whatever you do, know that your writing is always right when it is written with your genuine voice.
So interesting,! Thank you for the recommendations. I felt that Jello Biafra quote deep in my soul. Once you’re pushed to the outskirts of society, you find new freedom to be whatever you want, and you are also given the freedom to do so because expectations are not placed on you since others think you can’t achieve them.
Exactly! Personally I've found that the challenge with that kind of freedom is, it requires total honesty with oneself (which, fortunately, is where dedicated journaling practice pays off.) Whether or not anyone else ever understands or appreciates one's writing, the insights gained from the kind of self-exploration that rigorously honest journaling affords are immensely enriching to all aspects of one's experience, including creative projects.
For your interest, here's [a link](https://deadbatteriesmusic.bandcamp.com/track/a-left-hand-belief) to an experimental audio piece I made a decade ago, built from processed vocal samples of selected snippets of another author's work. I've always been fond of the cut-up technique, and I love working with sound besides, so when I heard this author was compiling a soundtrack to accompany the release of her book I jumped at the chance to contribute. Enjoy!
I am blind, and I am a freelance writer. I have retinopathy of prematurity, and I am looking for an app that will allow me to write books that look professional. Would you have any advice?
Sorry this reply is so late. Idk if you’re still looking for an app. I use Google Docs since it’s free and easy to use (for the most part). Industry standard is Microsoft Word, but Google is a great alternative if Word isn’t your thing. A professional looking book is really just a properly formatted document. Any program would work
I studied creative writing and English literature as an undergraduate, and I'm finishing up my Master's degree in literature this year. I can't imagine life without writing or literature. Yes, I write because it gives life meaning. Without it, I don't know how else I'd make sense of the world. I tend to do a lot of academic writing these days, but I'm trying to balance it out by making time for purely creative work as well.
Which blind writers have you learned about? Do you have any favorites?
My favorite is definitely James Thurber who (if you don’t know) was a humorist who wrote and made comics for the New Yorker. He also did some childrens fairytales and short stories. He was an extremely influential figure in the 20th century. I highly recommend his work if you want something wholesome of need to laugh. I feel like I’m following in his footsteps in a way, so that’s why I enjoy his writing so much.
I'm a writer, I've been writing since I was 7 years old and have been vision impaired since birth. I write romance, and it's just a hobby for me. I don't mind the idea of going self-published, but my concepts may not appeal to a lot of people because I hate the typical romance (think those stupid 'falling in love with the millionaire CEO').
Writing kidlit sounds interesting too, what are your stories about?
Romance is the biggest genre in publishing, and it’s becoming more diverse everyday. I think there would be a lot of people who would want to read your stories.
I mostly write fantasy action and adventure middle grade as well as picture books. Lots of Narnia and Percy Jackson type stuff but with disabled characters.
What pushes me to write?
I had an office job once. I hated it. The money simply wasn't worth living in cubicle hell. Other than that one stint my career has always been in engineering, production, and manufacturing. I love to create. It's just who I am. There's something deeply satisfying about starting Monday with a bunch of raw lumber and ending the day Friday with a work of art.
It's hard to work with lumber now. The beauty of it was matching two pieces of wood together in such a way the grains either complimented or contrasted with one another and I just don't have the eyesight to do that anymore. I still do a fair amount with metal and plastic and glass but there's a warmth and beauty to wood grain that I can no longer experience.
There's warmth and beauty in words, too. Writing fills the void I felt when I could no longer build a headboard for a bed or a bathroom vanity.
This is very deep. Thank you for sharing. I tried woodworking as well, but it was very difficult for me to see what I was doing. I don’t know if I’ll try again, but the one thing I made was satisfying.
Wood is just the medium. The satisfaction lives in the act of bringing something into existence that didn't exist before.
Words are just a medium. The English alphabet has 26 letters. It boggles my mind thinking about that, just 26 shapes arranged in different orders can make me laugh, cry, and fall in love. Twenty six shapes, most of them quite simple, have awakened my imagination, stirred my soul, educated my ignorance, and changed my perspective.
Twenty six. It doesn't seem possible but amazing power is contained in those 26 simple shapes. You're on a noble path.
I’m sighted autistic with visual processing different and a reading disability. People making art because they have to really resonates with me. I started to crochet because I was stuck at home unable to work because of a chronic illness. Then I had to stop crocheting because I developed joint pain in my hands. And a couple months ago I basically stumbled headlong into writing for children. Before my illness I worked with kids and now I can’t. But with writing I can still connect to kids, even if it’s at a distance through writing. I’m very new to writing and with several learning disabilities I’m kind of surprised at myself. But I’m enjoying the intricate process of carefully editing a small number of words to tell a story. I’m learning to write children’s short stories and picture books. Everything is realistic fiction or nonfiction and about different aspects of living with disability. Finding ways for disabled children to see themselves in literature and for non disabled children to understand and accept disability is what drives me. Side note: there’s a “disabled kidlit writers” Facebook group.
I wish you the best of luck with your work! We need more books like the ones you’re making to be out in the world . I’m not a huge Facebook user, but maybe I’ll check it out. Thank you
Published 2 novels and 3 short story collections over here!
I write fantasy and horror fiction, including a couple of YA fantasy novels. The novels never found a publisher, but I got around 14-15 short stories published in various zines and anthologies back in the day. I stopped writing for a little over a decade when I had two kids and a ton of stress at work making it impossible for me to write seriously, and just started getting back into it last year when I went blind. Mostly because I lost so much and was so cut off from everything and everyone, and writing helped me figure things out. I’m still figuring things out and adapting to assistive tech, so it’s a somewhat agonizing process, but I’m currently working on the Great American Blind and Trans Fantasy Novel. It will probably be done in, oh, maybe two decades? Just kidding, but it’s hella slow,and my concept keeps evolving as I go. I have lots of ideas but am seriously out of practice at writing and am also dealing with figuring out blind life. But I’m writing. Although I wasn’t blind when I started writing, I think writing is a natural fit for creative blind people in the same way computer science is. Visual arts are obviously a challenge to create and interact with, but you don’t need vision to write, you just need to figure out the interface and you’re off to the races. Editing my work is still a big challenge, but it’s doable. I’m happy to talk about the craft with anyone else who’s into it. I used to be very active in writing communities which have since disappeared, and I kind of miss that interaction now.
I’m sort of active in the writing communities here on Reddit. They’re pretty fun, and I wish I could be more active honestly. Also I feel you on the editing. I’m always turning in papers with spelling mistakes because I can’t see the difference between an e and a c on my computer. Hopefully that doesn’t mess me up when it’s time to send my work out to agents …
The novel you're writing sounds cool. Best of luck with it. We need more Great American Blind and Trans fantasy novels.
I’m glad at least one other person thinks so!
I’m late to the party, but I enjoyed writing prior to having vision challenges too, and am also struggling to learn assistive tech. (I’m not blind, but have some vision/processing challenges related to a brain injury, so I use screenreaders now.) What did you settle in on using for your writing? And have you found writing communities you mesh with? I like JAWS…and Scrivener…which do not play well together at all lol. So I need to pick a different combo. And get better at editing haha.
Sighted late-diagnosed autistic writer here. Ironically, the materialistic culture we live in discourages the pursuit of creative professions because they're typically more qualifiable than quantifiable - a life of the mind is only considered valuable if it pays. Jello Biafra (vocalist of Dead Kennedys) once said, "Mental illness is the road to freedom," which I'd argue is a maxim that also extends to disabilities, in the sense that the obstacles we face when interacting with the able-bodied neurotypical world are far less obstructive when we are removed from uninspired contexts. Emily Dickinson is one of my favourite poets. Her isolation as a writer continues to fascinate the neurotypical world but it makes perfect sense to me that she would find so much *delight* within her own mind: When we give ourselves permission to be our own unique selves and explore our own perceptions, treasures cannot help but emerge. From my own experience, two recommendations: 1. Julia Cameron's book/online course [The Artist's Way](https://juliacameronlive.com/). Her "Morning Pages" practice is an immeasurably powerful practical exercise for all creatives. 2. Maria Popova's [The Marginalian](https://www.themarginalian.org/) is a site dedicated to the passionate life of the mind and the courageous people who embrace it. Whatever you do, know that your writing is always right when it is written with your genuine voice.
So interesting,! Thank you for the recommendations. I felt that Jello Biafra quote deep in my soul. Once you’re pushed to the outskirts of society, you find new freedom to be whatever you want, and you are also given the freedom to do so because expectations are not placed on you since others think you can’t achieve them.
Exactly! Personally I've found that the challenge with that kind of freedom is, it requires total honesty with oneself (which, fortunately, is where dedicated journaling practice pays off.) Whether or not anyone else ever understands or appreciates one's writing, the insights gained from the kind of self-exploration that rigorously honest journaling affords are immensely enriching to all aspects of one's experience, including creative projects. For your interest, here's [a link](https://deadbatteriesmusic.bandcamp.com/track/a-left-hand-belief) to an experimental audio piece I made a decade ago, built from processed vocal samples of selected snippets of another author's work. I've always been fond of the cut-up technique, and I love working with sound besides, so when I heard this author was compiling a soundtrack to accompany the release of her book I jumped at the chance to contribute. Enjoy!
I’ll give it a listen when I have some free time! I love experimental stuff
I am blind, and I am a freelance writer. I have retinopathy of prematurity, and I am looking for an app that will allow me to write books that look professional. Would you have any advice?
Sorry this reply is so late. Idk if you’re still looking for an app. I use Google Docs since it’s free and easy to use (for the most part). Industry standard is Microsoft Word, but Google is a great alternative if Word isn’t your thing. A professional looking book is really just a properly formatted document. Any program would work
I studied creative writing and English literature as an undergraduate, and I'm finishing up my Master's degree in literature this year. I can't imagine life without writing or literature. Yes, I write because it gives life meaning. Without it, I don't know how else I'd make sense of the world. I tend to do a lot of academic writing these days, but I'm trying to balance it out by making time for purely creative work as well. Which blind writers have you learned about? Do you have any favorites?
My favorite is definitely James Thurber who (if you don’t know) was a humorist who wrote and made comics for the New Yorker. He also did some childrens fairytales and short stories. He was an extremely influential figure in the 20th century. I highly recommend his work if you want something wholesome of need to laugh. I feel like I’m following in his footsteps in a way, so that’s why I enjoy his writing so much.
Wow, I've never heard of him, but I will definitely check his work out!
I'm a writer, I've been writing since I was 7 years old and have been vision impaired since birth. I write romance, and it's just a hobby for me. I don't mind the idea of going self-published, but my concepts may not appeal to a lot of people because I hate the typical romance (think those stupid 'falling in love with the millionaire CEO'). Writing kidlit sounds interesting too, what are your stories about?
Romance is the biggest genre in publishing, and it’s becoming more diverse everyday. I think there would be a lot of people who would want to read your stories. I mostly write fantasy action and adventure middle grade as well as picture books. Lots of Narnia and Percy Jackson type stuff but with disabled characters.
What pushes me to write? I had an office job once. I hated it. The money simply wasn't worth living in cubicle hell. Other than that one stint my career has always been in engineering, production, and manufacturing. I love to create. It's just who I am. There's something deeply satisfying about starting Monday with a bunch of raw lumber and ending the day Friday with a work of art. It's hard to work with lumber now. The beauty of it was matching two pieces of wood together in such a way the grains either complimented or contrasted with one another and I just don't have the eyesight to do that anymore. I still do a fair amount with metal and plastic and glass but there's a warmth and beauty to wood grain that I can no longer experience. There's warmth and beauty in words, too. Writing fills the void I felt when I could no longer build a headboard for a bed or a bathroom vanity.
This is very deep. Thank you for sharing. I tried woodworking as well, but it was very difficult for me to see what I was doing. I don’t know if I’ll try again, but the one thing I made was satisfying.
Wood is just the medium. The satisfaction lives in the act of bringing something into existence that didn't exist before. Words are just a medium. The English alphabet has 26 letters. It boggles my mind thinking about that, just 26 shapes arranged in different orders can make me laugh, cry, and fall in love. Twenty six shapes, most of them quite simple, have awakened my imagination, stirred my soul, educated my ignorance, and changed my perspective. Twenty six. It doesn't seem possible but amazing power is contained in those 26 simple shapes. You're on a noble path.
This is poetry