Improbable Press Blog — Disability
Sebastian Jack’s Guide to Writing Characters with Physical Disabilities
Disability Sebastian Jack Sebastian Jack’s Guide to Writing Characters with Physical Disabilities
By Sebastian Jack Hi! My name is Sebastian Jack, I’m a bilateral, above-knee amputee, and I use a wheelchair full-time. 15% of the world’s population (one billion people!) live with some form of disability. One fifth of them (between 110 – 190 million people) experience significant or profound disability. So, why don’t 15% of our fictional characters have disabilities? If you’re interested in writing complex, nuanced, disabled characters, here are some tips to get you started in the right direction! First things first: What is your character’s disability, and how did they acquire it? Do they have an amputation? If...
Disability, Differently-Abled and the Weight of Words
Atlin Merrick Differently-albled Disability Disabled Diversity in Fiction
Improbable Press' submission guidelines as for books, novellas about differently-abled, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA+ characters. Those words are mine, Atlin Merrick's, and I have a question for you about the phrase differently-abled. My idea behind that term to broaden the scope of what writers might think of as disabled. By differently-abled I wanted to include my friend with almost-daily migraines, a person with chronic anxiety or depression, as well as a person with a wheelchair or born without a left hand. Disabled Fiction, Differently-Abled Fiction…Or? I did not ask disabled people for their thoughts on the phrasing, something recently pointed out...