Inclusivity in Writing by Wendy H. Jones
It’s not often I post a photo of myself in a blog. Especially not one about writing. However, it does tie in with my topic today. As I write this, it is Microcephaly Awareness Day and people around the world are being asked to wear yellow in support. My friends’ daughter has microcephaly, so I stepped up to the plate and rocked yellow. However, this did get me thinking about the books I not only read, but write. How diverse is our, or indeed my, writing when it comes to including characters with disabilities?
In my case, in my Fergus and Flora Mysteries, Flora’s sister has Down Syndrome and Fergus has severe asthma. This was never a deliberate effort to include disabled characters, rather the characters wrote themselves. It seemed natural and the characters are all the better for this. In fact, Bella, the girls with Down Syndrome, is crucial when it comes to solving the mysteries. In my Cass Claymore Investigates series, Quill, one of the main characters, has dwarfism. This idea came to me and I went with it, seeing where it would lead. His character is larger than life and it gives me the ability to ensure this, rather than his dwarfism, shines through. He’s turned out to be a fabulous character and all the ladies love him.
What of other examples from literature. The most well known must be The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon, where the main character has autism. Jeffery Deaver’s detective, Lincoln Rhyme, is quadriplegic. Cozy mystery writer, Libby Kline has a main character who has coeliac disease. ACW Chair, Annie Try, in her book, Losing Face, has a character who is severely disfigured. I believe these books all have a richness and a depth to them which lifts the characters off the pages. It allows the writer to stretch his or her self and the reader to think more deeply. It also demonstrates an awareness of, and willingness to be diverse in our thinking. To reflect the real world. However, and this is key, it is important to do it sensitively and with some knowledge of the condition involved. Also, make them a key part of the story, not just added in to tick a box. Make them real.
God made us all different. He made us unique. He used a huge palette to draw us and my challenge to you is to think about ways in which your books can be more inclusive. Is there a character with a disability who would bring added depth to your novel? Challenge yourself to think about this and if you already have characters with disabilities in your books, tell us about them in the comments. What are your thoughts? Comment below and join in the discussion.
About the Author
Wendy H. Jones is the award winning author of the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries, Cass Claymore Investigates, The Fergus and Flora Mysteries and the Bertie the Buffalo Picture Books. She is also President of the Scottish Association of Writers and the Webmaster for ACW.
Good piece this. We are all disabled I believe, it's just some of us are higher on the scale than others. I explore this science versus religion to heal us issue in my second WIP.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great topic to cover
DeleteFiona Veitch Smith's Poppy Denby feature Poppy's boss who has dwarfism and Poppy's Aunt who uses a wheelchair after, I think, an accident relating to her Suffragette protest activities. Admitting I am behind on this though very aware of both disabilities and other cultures - esp other cultures, I've written in my blog and possibly on this blog about the value of reading books by writers from other cultures & religions, and from the LBGTQ+ community. All useful stuff. Glad you flagged this up, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteYou are right about Fiona’s work. I’d forgotten about that
DeleteJust to be different--I may not have a disabled character, but perhaps that's because I have enough frustrations in my own life (stroke in 2015. Right side paralysed. Various other problems). I haven't the heart to inflict problems on others, even when they're fictional!
ReplyDeleteGeraldine, that's a really good point. It's a fine balancing act.
DeleteGreat post, Wendy. Yes, everyone can be creative.
ReplyDeleteOne of the characters in my Gladstone the Gargoyle trilogy has a disability, but although I have my own ideas about a possible diagnosis for her, I haven't named it. I'm hoping that a range of neurodiverse kids might see bits of themselves in her if I don't pin it down too much.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good point. It allows readers to see themselves in characters and the lack of diagnosis means it can reach more people
DeleteI am fine with writing about characters who are differently abled as long as it's not the dominate factor about their character. My son has a heart condition and I would hate for that to be his "defining" characteristic. I'm also not a fan of books that become consumed by "disabilities" either, and I fully appreciate well-researched novels as well.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, the disability should never be the defining characteristic. The character should be well rounded and their personality and who they re should define them. Great point
DeleteMy current WIP centres round a young woman with complex physical and learning disabilities. I hope the story shows her not as just needy and in need of rescuing (even though we find her in a desperate situation at the outset) but also how much she gives and enriches the lives of those she interacts with. I hope to show how a deep friendship can develop between people who seem very mismatched intellectually because friendship is not brain to brain but heart to heart. In recent years I've found some really enriching friendships with learning disabled people, and I hope to be able to convey that in my story, too.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are doing this and can’t wait until I read the book. I agree about not portraying those characters as in need of rescuing. They need to be fully rounded.
DeleteAnd i would also add thank you Wendy for raising this important topic. Almost 1 in 5 of the population are disabled - that's 12.3m people in the UK so it's vital that they appear in our writing in representative numbers.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to raise it. Some of my friends have said since reading this they have come to realise there are no disabled characters in the books they read.
DeleteI thought I'd commented here but it seems to have disappeared. What I said was, why stop at characters with disabilities? Why not also be inclusive about, say, gay or transgender characters - without that necessarily being the main issue of the story? Because they do not choose to be gay or transgender any more than anyone chooses to be disabled...
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, we should represent all characters. In this case the article focusses on disability as I wrote it on Microcephaly Awareness day as I said in the blog.
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