#visible

Writing About Illness

A taboo topic, avoided for fear of political correctness and lack of knowledge. Writing about illness and disability has its struggles.

In this chapter I am going to try and convince the authors reading this why adding a character with a disability would be beneficial to your story, and readers, why reading a story with a character who has a disability isn't a story to avoid.

Writing a character with a disability adds a whole other layer to their development potential. It's a well-known fact that characters who are substantial and have the ability to develop as people make the best characters.

I'm not saying you have to change a story or adapt it so a disability plays a main role. I'm saying, if you have a recurring character, perhaps think about introducing a disability.

Mental health is a topic in the media that is rife at the moment, more people than you think can relate to mental health problems. It is a fact of life that many people have mental illnesses, varying in severity. So if you have a group of people in real life, at least one will be suffering with one, why not a group of characters, with one who suffers from one?

Why not have a character battle with social anxiety? Make it so they are nervous around people, shy around strangers, fumbling with their words.

Perhaps have a character in a wheelchair. Have them be completely normal- because people in wheelchairs funnily enough, actually are.

Have them go to school, hang out with friends. Their struggles involving access to buildings and people who don't know them looking down on them. Have your main character support them, react to them, with them.

This can all be done as a sub plot, as character development. The small threads that weave together to form the main plot.

Having characters go through the same cliche problems gets dull. This is a way to do something different.

Make sure that you pick a condition you feel comfortable writing about, and if you don't, TALK to people who do. It is OK to ask questions- To see what you should or shouldn't say or do. Learn about the struggles, life style changes, medications, therapies, social struggles, taboo words or uncomfortable topics.

With this, you will have the ability to form a great character. A great character that readers connect with as well. And if readers connect with characters, they care.

Reading a book with a character that has a disability makes for an interesting plot. If you know or suffer from the disability being used, reading a character who is going through the same thing as you are can be incredibly comforting. If you don't know the condition used, then your learning. You are actually gaining knowledge from reading a fun book. And knowledge leads to tolerance. Plus, like i said above, well developed characters make us, as readers, care. And when we care about a story it makes a really great read.

I'm interested in what you think on this subject-

What do you think about reading a book with a character who has a mental/physical disability?

Would you ever consider writing a character it hat has a mental/ physical disability?

-Taken from 'Wattblog' by