Close your eyes and imagine a scene from
your favorite book. Picture the look on your leading man’s face, the way he
stands, and the color of his hair. What is happening all around him? What
sounds? What smells? What colors and textures? Is it hot or cold?
If the author did his/her job you can see,
sense, and feel every detail. Now imagine if you only had those pictures in
your mind to use to write a description that would paint the same scene for
someone else. What if you had never seen with your eyes what you had to
describe?
Seventeen years ago, I began losing my
eyesight. It gradually diminished over time, but up until5 or six years ago; I
could still see light and color. I have not seen my children’s faces since they
were very small and I have a number of friends and family members that I have
never seen and never will.
Before we break out the violins, and
crocodile tears; relax, it doesn’t matter. The most powerful sense in any
person's arsenal is their imagination. I am fortunate enough to possess visual
memories of colors, shapes, and dimensions. I am blessed enough to have a
thirst for knowledge and a sharp mind. Most importantly, I am stubborn enough
to dream vibrantly.
As a writer I see a story before it has
words. I talk to my characters and they tell me what they see. I listen to the
color of water. I smell the fragrance of green. I feel the touch of the sun and
the wind and I see it all more clearly than I ever did with my eyes.
In my upcoming novel ‘Killing Casanova’,
you can experience the world through the eyes of a blind writer. If I did my
job you will hear the pound of hooves from the horses. You will feel the heat
of the desert sun, and you will see what falling in love looks like.
When I began writing blind, my biggest
struggle was that I could not see what I had written. I hired one of my kids to
read the words to me and then correct and edit where I asked. As you can
imagine this was torturously tedious and lasted a very short while. Thanks to
groups like; The National Federation of The Blind, The Utah State Division of
Services for The Blind and Visually impaired and Freedom Scientific, I got the
training, skills and equipment I needed to have the computer talk to me. I am
still learning how to maneuver the internet, facebook, and twitter, but there
isn’t much I can’t figure out how to do. Like most people I just need a little
patience and some problem solving skills.
Everyone has a dream and a challenge to
making it come true. Anything can be accomplished if you just find a different
way to look at it, and never give up. A sense of humor and a good memory are
helpful tools as well, but mostly just DO
whatever you dream of. If you aren’t willing to give up, you will watch as your
dreams come true.
No comments:
Post a Comment