Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Call for Sensitivity Readers for a fantasy book (self.Blind)
submitted by GulDucat
Hello! I am a writer, and a mod over on /r/writing. I have a fantasy novel about a girl born blind, and I'm looking for sensitivity readers from the blind community. It's important to me that, as a sighted person, I didn't accidentally reproduce shallow or insensitive stereotypes or representations of blind people. For the same reason, I would like to get two readers for the book.
If you are unaware, sensitivity readers are hired to read a manuscript specifically for a potentially sensitive topic - in this case, the representation of blindness. This is **not** a request for editing. Instead, I ask that you read the book as a reader would, and give me feedback specifically on the representation of blindness.
Details: **This is a paid opportunity.** I will pay sensitivity readers $100 by PayPal - $20 when I email the manuscript and $80 when I receive your feedback on the full manuscript. I'll pay an extra $20 for a faster turnaround (less than 2 weeks), upon receipt of the comments. Sensitivity readers will also need to sign a contract regarding confidentiality and the timeline of the arrangement.
Here is my query letter, the letter I will send literary agents, with a brief description of my book. If this is something you are interested in, please send me a private message regarding your qualifications (what you like to read, your availability, background and education etc) and availability and we'll go from there.
**Query Letter**: EMPIRE OF THE FIVE is a YA fantasy novel complete at 80,000 words. It will appeal to readers of CROWN OF FEATHERS and WARRIOR OF THE WILD.
Dyah longs to be a priestess in the Temple of Eyes, but she has a secret. Born blind, she can only See with her eyes closed due to magical Sight given to her as a baby. The Empire of the Five values Wholeness of body and sense above all else, but Dyah is Lacking. Pretending to be Whole, she lives in endless fear of discovery. She has no friends, no relationships in the temple, because getting close to anyone would risk exposure. Only as a priestess would her Sight be normal. Only then will she belong.
When her hostile mother forces her from the temple to hide the secret, Dyah travels across the Empire, looking for a place to belong. She joins the Temple of Mouths, adding a second Sense, but is exposed and forced once again to flee. In her search for belonging, Dyah discovers conspiracies, betrayals, murders, and a desert boy she can't forget. Dyah forges a path through the dangerous and secretive empire, and learns that nothing is as simple as it looks. As she learns to accept herself, she grows less confident in the Empire. When the Lacking erupt in rebellion against the Empire and the priesthood hunts Dyah as a blasphemer, she's forced to choose between the connection she craves and saving the Empire.
I have a Masters in Liberal Arts from Denver University. My short fiction appeared in Flame Tree Publishing's "A Dying Planet" anthology, and I was a recipient of the 2020 Writers of the Future Superstars Writing Seminar Scholarship. I live in Texas Hill Country with my family, where I teach violin and write.
Thank you!
EDIT: I have reached out to two individuals that indicated interest. Thank you so much for everyone's comments and interest in my manuscript. If the book ever makes it to shelves (fingers crossed!) I will come back and let the /r/blind community know. Thanks!
If you are unaware, sensitivity readers are hired to read a manuscript specifically for a potentially sensitive topic - in this case, the representation of blindness. This is **not** a request for editing. Instead, I ask that you read the book as a reader would, and give me feedback specifically on the representation of blindness.
Details: **This is a paid opportunity.** I will pay sensitivity readers $100 by PayPal - $20 when I email the manuscript and $80 when I receive your feedback on the full manuscript. I'll pay an extra $20 for a faster turnaround (less than 2 weeks), upon receipt of the comments. Sensitivity readers will also need to sign a contract regarding confidentiality and the timeline of the arrangement.
Here is my query letter, the letter I will send literary agents, with a brief description of my book. If this is something you are interested in, please send me a private message regarding your qualifications (what you like to read, your availability, background and education etc) and availability and we'll go from there.
**Query Letter**: EMPIRE OF THE FIVE is a YA fantasy novel complete at 80,000 words. It will appeal to readers of CROWN OF FEATHERS and WARRIOR OF THE WILD.
Dyah longs to be a priestess in the Temple of Eyes, but she has a secret. Born blind, she can only See with her eyes closed due to magical Sight given to her as a baby. The Empire of the Five values Wholeness of body and sense above all else, but Dyah is Lacking. Pretending to be Whole, she lives in endless fear of discovery. She has no friends, no relationships in the temple, because getting close to anyone would risk exposure. Only as a priestess would her Sight be normal. Only then will she belong.
When her hostile mother forces her from the temple to hide the secret, Dyah travels across the Empire, looking for a place to belong. She joins the Temple of Mouths, adding a second Sense, but is exposed and forced once again to flee. In her search for belonging, Dyah discovers conspiracies, betrayals, murders, and a desert boy she can't forget. Dyah forges a path through the dangerous and secretive empire, and learns that nothing is as simple as it looks. As she learns to accept herself, she grows less confident in the Empire. When the Lacking erupt in rebellion against the Empire and the priesthood hunts Dyah as a blasphemer, she's forced to choose between the connection she craves and saving the Empire.
I have a Masters in Liberal Arts from Denver University. My short fiction appeared in Flame Tree Publishing's "A Dying Planet" anthology, and I was a recipient of the 2020 Writers of the Future Superstars Writing Seminar Scholarship. I live in Texas Hill Country with my family, where I teach violin and write.
Thank you!
EDIT: I have reached out to two individuals that indicated interest. Thank you so much for everyone's comments and interest in my manuscript. If the book ever makes it to shelves (fingers crossed!) I will come back and let the /r/blind community know. Thanks!
brimstone_tea 11 points 3y ago
I am sorry to say that, but to me it seems like the main plot of your book already contains the cliche we see most often and hate the most. There's NOTHING worse than building a disabled character around their desire to be "whole". Why even create a blind character when all your book says is that they're not enough until they gain sight? Isn't that pretty boring?
GulDucat [OP] 5 points 3y ago
Thank you for your thoughts! That may be a failing of the query letter phrasing. Her main desire isn’t to be Whole at all, it’s to find a place to belong, and her character arc isn’t focused on her blindness as much as it is in her dislocation in her society. At no point is her blindness “cured” by the magic, and I avoided (or tried to) the implication that her blindness is a character defect or anything more than one aspect of her as a person. She spends a portion of the book without her magic powers, and while she struggles with the loss of her Sight, it’s counterbalanced by her finding a sense of self and belonging. I hope that makes sense!
To be clear, I hear the concern and it’s exactly that trope I worked to avoid in writing the manuscript and why I’d like sensitivity readers to read the book before I try for publication.
To be clear, I hear the concern and it’s exactly that trope I worked to avoid in writing the manuscript and why I’d like sensitivity readers to read the book before I try for publication.
brimstone_tea 5 points 3y ago
I am sorry for the misunderstanding, I don't speak English so well. I've read it again and it's pretty clear to me now that society wants her to be "whole" and she is trapped between accepting herself and following her dream, denying herself and the question if that is too high a cost.
Wow. You really are a professional author with a great approach and also empathy. I am sorry I misunderstood the text. I would be really Happy to read the book when it comes out.
Wow. You really are a professional author with a great approach and also empathy. I am sorry I misunderstood the text. I would be really Happy to read the book when it comes out.
GulDucat [OP] 1 points 3y ago
It's a valid concern, and I appreciate people being aware of it. I hope you get the opportunity to read the book someday!
[deleted] 9 points 3y ago
I'd be happy to help'l! Avid reader and legally blind college student on break
GulDucat [OP] 2 points 3y ago
I will send you a PM tomorrow - I’m heading to bed. Thank you!
JynxBJJ 7 points 3y ago
I’d be interested. Avid sci/fi fantasy reader. Legally blind.
GulDucat [OP] 2 points 3y ago
I’m heading to bed - I’ll send you a PM tomorrow
DrillInstructorJan 3 points 3y ago
I think it is important to be careful with this sort of thing.
I'm not likely to make a very good sensitivity reader, which is sort of the point I want to make. I'm not very sensitive. Some people are much more sensitive about things than others, and that's just a normal personality thing, nothing to do with being blind. If you ask five blind people how they feel about some specific thing you'll get five different answers with five really different attitudes. Some people (and I hope this is me) take a really laid back attitude to it and don't get wound up by other people, while other people get really political about it (which I personally find really tiresome and hope like hell isn't me.)
In the end the point is that you will probably get a mixture of results from your enquiries and please, be aware that the person you're talking to has opinions and that's all they are, regardless of disability or anything else. The problem with this is that you can be led by the nose into making your character bland and uninteresting in an attempt to make her acceptable to everyone. Some blind people think other blind people hold crazy views in the real world let alone in fantasy fiction, and that is fine. You don't have to make this girl inoffensive to everyone. She'll be boring then.
One thing I would say is that being born blind and going blind later in life is a very different experience, and it can be really different in the way people react to it. Being used to it from birth changes your outlook a lot. I'm not making a value judgment on it either way, of course, people need to deal with their own situations and that's fine, but it's worth bearing in mind.
I'm not likely to make a very good sensitivity reader, which is sort of the point I want to make. I'm not very sensitive. Some people are much more sensitive about things than others, and that's just a normal personality thing, nothing to do with being blind. If you ask five blind people how they feel about some specific thing you'll get five different answers with five really different attitudes. Some people (and I hope this is me) take a really laid back attitude to it and don't get wound up by other people, while other people get really political about it (which I personally find really tiresome and hope like hell isn't me.)
In the end the point is that you will probably get a mixture of results from your enquiries and please, be aware that the person you're talking to has opinions and that's all they are, regardless of disability or anything else. The problem with this is that you can be led by the nose into making your character bland and uninteresting in an attempt to make her acceptable to everyone. Some blind people think other blind people hold crazy views in the real world let alone in fantasy fiction, and that is fine. You don't have to make this girl inoffensive to everyone. She'll be boring then.
One thing I would say is that being born blind and going blind later in life is a very different experience, and it can be really different in the way people react to it. Being used to it from birth changes your outlook a lot. I'm not making a value judgment on it either way, of course, people need to deal with their own situations and that's fine, but it's worth bearing in mind.
GulDucat [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Thank you for your thoughts! I absolutely agree with you, and it's a tough challenge for writers today. One reader may have no issues with a manuscript, while another finds it deeply troubling - and it's impossible to please everyone.
That's the motivation behind having two readers, even though it's a financial hit to do that. It would unfortunately be impossible for a writer like myself to get a broad spectrum response from any community before publication - hiring two people to read the book and give me their thoughts is the best I can do.
As for taking their feedback, I agree with that as well. Sensitivity readers, and indeed any kind of beta reader, are more to get a sense of the *general response* to the manuscript, as opposed to changing the book to satisfy every reader. For instance, if both readers said "this is fine with me" I could proceed to publication knowing that at least *some portion* of the blind community wouldn't be hurt by my book. However, if both find something I wrote troublesome, I think the responsible thing to do would be to take a step back and see how I can improve the book with that feedback. If the opinions are split, I'd have to weigh each against the manuscript. I hope that makes sense.
Can you elaborate on the difference between being born blind and going blind later? I could make assumptions, but I'd rather hear your thoughts :) Thank you for the response!
That's the motivation behind having two readers, even though it's a financial hit to do that. It would unfortunately be impossible for a writer like myself to get a broad spectrum response from any community before publication - hiring two people to read the book and give me their thoughts is the best I can do.
As for taking their feedback, I agree with that as well. Sensitivity readers, and indeed any kind of beta reader, are more to get a sense of the *general response* to the manuscript, as opposed to changing the book to satisfy every reader. For instance, if both readers said "this is fine with me" I could proceed to publication knowing that at least *some portion* of the blind community wouldn't be hurt by my book. However, if both find something I wrote troublesome, I think the responsible thing to do would be to take a step back and see how I can improve the book with that feedback. If the opinions are split, I'd have to weigh each against the manuscript. I hope that makes sense.
Can you elaborate on the difference between being born blind and going blind later? I could make assumptions, but I'd rather hear your thoughts :) Thank you for the response!
DaaxD 2 points 3y ago
> Can you elaborate on the difference between being born blind and going blind later? I could make assumptions, but I'd rather hear your thoughts :)
You may find the video from Tommy Edison interesting. In the video he and Christine Ha talk about differences between born blind and losing sight later in life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiG97xFPJvo
I haven't watched much of his content, but there are at least handful of videos which can give you some insight what does it mean to born blind. It fundamentally changes how person perceives the world. People have talked about this here too.
And what comes to the main topic, there has been quite many people asking similiar questions about how to write a blind character.
You may find the video from Tommy Edison interesting. In the video he and Christine Ha talk about differences between born blind and losing sight later in life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiG97xFPJvo
I haven't watched much of his content, but there are at least handful of videos which can give you some insight what does it mean to born blind. It fundamentally changes how person perceives the world. People have talked about this here too.
And what comes to the main topic, there has been quite many people asking similiar questions about how to write a blind character.
GulDucat [OP] 1 points 3y ago
I’ve read a few articles on it, and browsed around here. I like collecting lots of perspectives though. Thanks for the video! Happy cake day!
DrillInstructorJan 3 points 3y ago
It's a difficult subject to discuss because to answer your question I pretty much have to generalise about how different groups of people feel about things, and if I do that people will yell at me. But oh well nothing ventured nothing gained.
The main difference I have found is that people who were born blind have a tendency to assume that they're always the most experienced people, and often end up in senior positions inside charities and government organisations and expect to be listened to by everyone when they have an opinion. The irony of this is that of course they're less experienced inasmuch as they often have no idea what seeing is like, so at the most basic level they can tend to play down, even subconsciously, what it is actually like to lose sight. There is also a tendency, not universally but often, for people who were born blind to have led much more sheltered lives than people who weren't, who may have had a totally normal upbringing and even adult life to the point they lost sight.
When I lost my sight, which was twenty years ago, I met a lot of people who had very little life experience and had led a very sheltered life who didn't realise that about themselves, and who tried very hard to tell me how I should be feeling about it. It felt like people I desperately did not want to become were telling me how to run my life. I didn't really want their advice. It's important to realise that many of those people were not young then and will be retired by now, so they represent the results of the system as it was probably forty years ago when things were probably quite different. I think things have improved and continue to improve. There are still moments, though, that I'm reminded of all this stuff.
The main difference I have found is that people who were born blind have a tendency to assume that they're always the most experienced people, and often end up in senior positions inside charities and government organisations and expect to be listened to by everyone when they have an opinion. The irony of this is that of course they're less experienced inasmuch as they often have no idea what seeing is like, so at the most basic level they can tend to play down, even subconsciously, what it is actually like to lose sight. There is also a tendency, not universally but often, for people who were born blind to have led much more sheltered lives than people who weren't, who may have had a totally normal upbringing and even adult life to the point they lost sight.
When I lost my sight, which was twenty years ago, I met a lot of people who had very little life experience and had led a very sheltered life who didn't realise that about themselves, and who tried very hard to tell me how I should be feeling about it. It felt like people I desperately did not want to become were telling me how to run my life. I didn't really want their advice. It's important to realise that many of those people were not young then and will be retired by now, so they represent the results of the system as it was probably forty years ago when things were probably quite different. I think things have improved and continue to improve. There are still moments, though, that I'm reminded of all this stuff.
razzretina 2 points 3y ago
This is the kind of thing I would read out of curiosity and I can potentially have it read and coment to you this weekend (it's about the word count of some of my grad school readings). Count me interested.
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