Camp NaNoWriMo Day 4: 4 July 2014

I reached over 7,000 words today. I have now dictated 16 pages. Happy 4th of July to everyone I know  who celebrates it. I hope I reach 10,000 words soon. 

Camp NaNoWriMo Days 2 and 3 : 2nd and 3rd July 2014

The last two days have been busy , I am at 6,000 words at this point,  it has already gone quite quickly, and I am enjoying it. I completed more character profiles today, and hope to do at least another thousand words tomorrow if not more. I am using the pacing example from No Plot, No Problem! By Chris Baty, the founder of NaNoWriMo. I am still waiting for a proof copy of my first novel , (Spellbrooke)  and hope it is not too long before I can publish it . 

More tomorrow! 

Camp NaNoWriMo July 2014, Day 1 : 1 July 2014

Today was the first day of  July  NaNoWriMo , and I have started off well, and met my word count for the day, and I have gone over it a little. I am pleased, and I feel happy I know what this event is like. I also feel grateful I did it in April too. Last night, I went on www.nnowrimo.org and saw a very interesting thread about character profile sheets so I saved the details and have started working on them. I am colour - coding them  so they look different for each character and to improve ths contrast visually. So far today I have dictated 1,300 words. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. for now, I am off to bed .  As I did in April, I will update every day during Camp . I look forward to telling you all my news ! Good luck to my readers who are also participating! 

Here is my  profile and novel information. My book is a YA/ chick lit novel about a 16-year old called Tiffany . Read this link to find out more ! http://campnanowrimo.org/campers/bookqueen

www.shinecharity.org.uk | Shine Awards | Spina Bifida, Hydrocephalus, Information, Networking, Equality

www.shinecharity.org.uk | Shine Awards | Spina Bifida, Hydrocephalus, Information, Networking, Equality



I saw this on LinkedIn, and, as I have hydrocephalus myself, as well as spina bifida occulta and CP , I always share Shine's work whenever the topic interests me. Please click the link and nominate someone if you know of anybody who could be nominated for the Shine Awards

LibrisNotes: What Happened to Ivy by Kathy Stinson

LibrisNotes: What Happened to Ivy by Kathy Stinson: David Burke's eleven year old sister, Ivy, suffers from cerebral palsy and is wheel chair bound. Everything in his family's life rev...

On my to-read list

My Next Literary Adventure (AKA Off To Camp Again! )

 So it's the beginning of June, and I was thinking I should prepare myself for July NaNoWriMo. I have already decided that I'm going to write a chick lit/YA novel, as I wanted a break from the Spellbrooke series. I will go back to that one in November as I don't have any plans for that novel yet. My inspiration for doing this type of novel was Sophie Kinsella's shopaholic series which I really like. The twist that I am going to put on mine is that the shopaholic is a person with a disability but is also a superheroine . I am in the early planning stages at the moment and I'm glad that I'm using the time to plan so that I'm not rushing towards the end of the month to get ready for when the camp starts. Here is the synopsis so far:

Hi , I am Tiffany, I am 16, and am a shopaholic. I am also a wheelchair user (although I think of my wheelchair as my wings) . 
Follow me as I  battle queues, lifts, shopping malls and changing rooms and get a unique insight into my  life through my  diary. Welcome to my   (cool but sometimes wierd) life as I know it. Shopping is my passion, as are my friends and my cat Snowball. I  also have a special power- I am a super-heroine! who said just because I am in a wheelchair I can't help people? life is an adventure, and is there to be lived. 

There are 23 days until Camp starts, and I can't wait! It seems I am always thinking of , or doing , something related to my novels. 

Blogging Against Disablism Day 2014

Yes, it's here again, Blogging Against Disablism Day. I have had a lot of unpleasant moments in my life as people would, and still do, point, stare and whisper about my disabilities and make unwelcome judgements. As I work on  this, I'm listening to the radio and there's What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger by Kelly Clarkson on. I really identify with this song   I have many talents , and have spent the last month working on my second novel , whilst working on how to get the first one published. I also did the Dewey's Readathon which was a welcome break last weekend 26-27 April) . Going back to the song, I feel empowered and stronger every time I hear it , and really believe in the great motto the title is. 

disability discrimination is also known as ableism. This Wikipedia article explains more about it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ableism

So, how does ableism affect me and impact on my life? Well, it's impacted all areas of my life over the years, education; making friends;  leisure activities; travelling . 

Education

I had the headteacher at my Infant school not want to accept me into the school due to my disabilities, and children and teachers alike thought I wasn't able to understand or learn. I quickly showed them they were wrong , and passed my exams and gained a degree . 

Making Friends 

I was really shy, and really self-concious . I decided to do something about that and tried approaching people instead of them shutting me out. I made conversation with them, and although I wasn't the most popular person, I realised that worked. I have friends I value and who value me. 

Leisure Activities & Travelling 

Seeing the world is something I have  always loved , and that is a big reason I studied geography. From my experience, leisure activities aren't accessible enough . Not enough swimming pools have hoists, not enough shopping centers or cinemas are accessible. Airports are not accessible enough either. It's almost like , by not being accessible, society assumes that people with disabilities won't be able to won't want to participate in leisure activities. 

 

Examples of Ableism I Have Come Across in My Life

 Often , people don't understand how complex my disabilities are, and people will often make the comment ' it seems like your disabilities aren't that bad' .  As I've said before on this blog, little do they know that without my hydrocephalus shunt I wouldn't be here , or that my wheelchair is my lifeline or that my partner Alfredo was once referred to as my 'arms and legs' when I was looking for a new wheelchair. They don't realise how strong my glasses are and how important they are . 

I don't portray myself as a victim , but do fight for awareness. In the past I didn't explain much, just ignored snide comments. My disability awareness work is so valuable to me , and I feel that way I may not make a huge difference to the amount of disability discrimination there is, but I do what I can to help reduce that . People have said 'you can do things just as well as anyone else ' the answer to that is, no , I can't . 

Doctors and health 'professionals' have been another area where I've found ableism, as they latched onto how 'intelligent' I am , and still do, as if they're surprised someone with CP would be intelligence  doesn't make disabilities and health conditions go away. Another way in which health professionals discriminate against those of us with disabilities, and one which I've experienced, is health services not being completely accessible to EVERYONE . 

With every Blogging Against disablism Day, I wish that somehow , someday, there will be less Disablism in the world .