[Josh Grisdale]

Hi!

That sounds awesome!

As a wheelchair user, for me a big issue is going out on the town with friends. So many clubs, bars, restaurants etc are not accessible and you often go to the place you can go to, not the place you want to go to… While the others say they don’t mind (and might not!) it is easy to feel bad for “ruining the evening”.

Getting around can be hard. Not all public transportation is accessible (maybe no elevator at the station you wanted to go to), and if your vampire has a car (?) maybe she can’t get her wheelchair in the trunk…

Actually, @joanp is an author as well, maybe he has some ideas?

Feel free to ask questions! Where will the novel be set? Even if not a real place, maybe it is based on something in real life? Since we’re staying at home due to Covid-19, this could be a fun exercise to look up information!

[booknerd97]

I honestly haven’t decided where it will be set yet. I know it will be somewhere near an ocean because a plot point relies on her secret getting revealed. I dont actually have any idea past that yet. I just got the idea last night and wanted to get as nuch information as possible that is accurate for correct character representation. Nothing drives me crazy like a character with physical or mental disabilities that are written way wrong. If you’ve got any ideas I’d love to hear them. Are there any activities specifically for you or ones that you enjoy? I know my old town had a group of wheel chair users who did volleyball.

[Josh Grisdale]

This might fit well! Wheelchair scuba diving:

https://www.ted.com/talks/sue_austin_deep_sea_diving_in_a_wheelchair?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

[booknerd97]

While that is absolutely epic, once she touches the water she grows fins so she wouldn’t be in the chair. Although now I’m thinking of writing them doing some deep sea exploring. Since she would be a mermaid and he doesn’t have to breath. Oh! What kind of abilities should she have? I was thinking control over water and possibly the siren’s voice but she doesn’t want to use it on anyone so she stays mute. Thoughts?

[Josh Grisdale]

Hmm… that could add in the element of sign language!

[booknerd97]

Yeah but I’m not sure about how I’d write her talking, not to mention not many people know sign. I was thinking having her bring a whiteboard around with her.

[Josh Grisdale]

A non-verbal friend of mine uses an app on her iPad

[booknerd97]

That. Is. Genius!!!

[Joan Pahisa]

Hi!

While reading your idea, I think that a very important part in you main character’s development is the reason why she decided to abandon the sea and live on the surface. Did she do it a long time ago? Was it just recently? What was the motivation behind it? A problem in the environment, with her family, to pursue a romance that went wrong and she decided to stay or could not go back…? Did she go to look up for help? Anyway, many ideas come to mind. Besides, a point that I think is important is that actually the wheelchair is a means of transport for her and also a means not to reveal her identity.

Also, another potentially important plot point is if she has an assistant or someone that helps her in her daily life, as many people with disabilities have. Nevertheless, if her arms are strong and she has good mobility, she would mostly be able to do everything on her own, although some things will take more time and more effort. The assistant plot point may be nice to play as it gives you a third person that may be part of the romance, may be against it… it gives many possibilities. Though, if the assistant was there for long periods of times and not be there sporadically, I think that maybe she would need to feel weaker due to being out of the water or due to another reason. Also, depending on the country where it takes place, there’s the issue of the cost of such assistant.

Finally, related to building your character, to depict someone with a disability, it’s important to keep in mind that for that person the disability is something normal. Then it depends on the daily mood of the person, the character, if the person tends to be more positive or not, just as any other person. Being disabled obviously has some challenges, but it does not define all your life, thus thoughts, worries, dreams and hobbies do not need to be tied to disability. One of the biggest challenges is related to how others view you, their assumptions, how they treat you or how they don’t let you do things due to your disability (even when being well-intentioned, which often happens when people are overprotective).

Hopefully, these thoughts can help you somehow. Good luck with your novel!

[booknerd97]

The reason she isn’t in the sea is because she’s a half breed and not allowed. Her mother knew that and ran away with her at an early age to avoid the prejudice. She never lived in the sea and has no desire to since her life is on land.
Her arms are strong enough to handle most things although I do plan to have her with a man who will help when she requests it. I like the idea of having an assistant now that you mention it though, maybe a close friend to help her with the transition.
The character is going to be mostly positive and self aware. She knows her personality faults and does her best to overcome them. The assistant will help but won’t take over her life, same with the guy she’ll be dating. There when she wants him but not trying to control her life.
Any other thoughts to include or avoid? Also thank you for the indepth answer!