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Post by Ximena on May 21, 2012 15:47:38 GMT -5
OK, I think it's already pretty well established that I'm weird even for being "weird," LOL...
But I was wondering if anyone who writes ever used fictional diseases or disabilities in their writing.
I ask because there's this kind of "soap opera" I've been writing since I was young, and back then I didn't really know much about anything so I just kind of made things up as I went along. Since then I obviously know a lot more, especially since I've had some medical training, but I still have the same characters and all that, and the diseases are still fictional even if they now have a realistic medical explanation - if that makes sense.
Has anyone ever done anything like that before, or am I just strange? LOL.
Basically, I first came up with my original characters nearly twenty years ago (God, I'm old...) and I still write about them, how they've changed, etc., through the years. It's something I always do to kind of fill my dev need and also kind of like some people write in a journal; I write this instead, if that makes sense...
... by the way, been wanting to post about this since I first joined but had to work up the courage to!!
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Post by Valkyrja on May 21, 2012 16:51:25 GMT -5
I began to write when I was 9 or 10 (I can´t recall exactly) but I have never made-up a disease or disability.
I quitted writing about 17 years ago; but I am sure I wouldn´t do "made-up" diseases and or disabilities (only if I were writing a Sci-Fi novela)
But this is my point of view... what I feel when I write.
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Post by Ximena on May 21, 2012 17:15:10 GMT -5
Ah, I see. Why did you quit writing, if i may ask, Val?
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Post by dentelle on May 21, 2012 19:40:46 GMT -5
I started writing when I was 17 or so. I never made up the diseases or disabilities. I use the same names over and over again. I see them as the same characters. But in different scenarios. I still write once in a while. Just when I get frustrated in life and need an outlet and write till the urge is gone  |
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Post by Ximena on May 21, 2012 20:08:48 GMT -5
I've been making up stories since before I could write, and been writing ever since. The characters in my "soap" I first conceived in about 1994 or there abouts, but I didn't start writing anything down until about 1996. It started out initially as a kind of alternate journal - instead of writing my own thoughts/experiences, I wrote from the various characters' perspectives. Eventually, I shed the journal and first-person form and switched to third person, but kept the kind of journal style in the sense that I linked everything to days/years, watching the characters grow and change over the years. That's why I kind of describe it as a "Soap opera" because the same main character has followed through since the beginning, with different people coming into his life as the years go by. |
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Post by Emma on May 21, 2012 22:59:50 GMT -5
I'm curious. Can you describe your made up diseases and disabilities?
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Post by Valkyrja on May 22, 2012 0:08:22 GMT -5
Ah, I see. Why did you quit writing, if i may ask, Val? It was not for lack of imagination because my dear muse has never left me but working about 14 or 15 hours a day, family issues, changing home, pregnancy was the beginning of the end! LOL ;D .... and now, between my work and my exhausting beloved spawn... girl, day should have 30 hours or more!!  I wrote one short story and it took me much more time than before!  Now, though I know I really enjoy writing, I'm not confident of my work. We'll see!  I'm curious. Can you describe your made up diseases and disabilities? I am so curious as Emma!! 
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2012 2:46:56 GMT -5
Ahah, I love that you started this thread. i have had this problem especially with a story I have been working on for about six years. My sexy male character goes blind during college/university. The only thing that i have come up with is meningitis which I know was pretty rife when I was at uni and someone actually died from it in my year but i think going blind from it is pretty rare and more so to go completely blind which is necessary for my story to work. I do find myself keeping note of illnesses/diseases for my stories. I actually discovered a new one yesterday on the general site here. I think that it is ok to make up diseases as longing as you sound convincing and commit to it as fact in your writting because at the end of the day you do need your imagination to put yourself in the position of your characters. I always fall back on something Fey Weldon said in a talk I was at that when asked what research she does, she said none. It was her job as a writer to use her imagination and if she was writing about a spy she you imagine what it would be like as she wasn’t writing a manual or anything just a piece of fiction to entertain readers or yourself. To give you a bit of confidence, my husband is in a wheelchair most of the time with a condition called Diastematomyelia (brilliant points for that one in scramble!) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diastomatomyelia There is also a lay persons version of his condition that contains the word donut, which I think is a pretty unusual word to appear in a medical diagnosis and would think it was made up if I didn’t know that it wasn’t. So who is to know what is made up and what isn’t if you sound convincing enough. I absolutely love your idea of an alternative journal. It is a brilliant! I do have characters that I made up when I was a teenager. Mostly I invented an alternative reality due to a lack of boyfriendage! I have brought them along with me in my life and sometimes have a little daydreams or two about them. Sometimes I reckon the tailor made boyfriend/characters in your head are better than the real thing. I hope that you share your soap with the board sometime as it sounds great and I would love for there to be a story that as a reader you know is not going to run out on you. Am on the last Shades of Grey and dreading the approaching end. Christian Grey really appeals to my dev side. |
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Post by Ximena on May 22, 2012 13:53:26 GMT -5
Thanks, Tabby!! That's really encouraging for me. I've always been so nervous about it, always kept it to myself, partially because of my dev side and partially because of the made-up diseases . Also, thank you very much for sharing the info about your husband. I had never heard of that condition. Really interesting. I too have brought these characters along with me through my life and a lot of times I prefer to spend my time reading/day dreaming my own soap stories than reading other stuff, lol... Been actually working on it a lot now. Maybe I will share some of them eventually. I'd probably have to decide when to start since I have stuff going back to about 1996, although the really "good" stuff is more recent as my writing (and knowledge) have improved greatly (obviously) over the years. As for talking about the made-up diseases, I'd be happy to if I can get over myself enough to share LOL. This is a really huge step for me but it's really nice to be among friends  . |
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Post by Ximena on May 22, 2012 14:56:27 GMT -5
Tabby, I was also thinking of what you said, and if memory serves, those who saw Second Sight (with Clive Owen) - I think that was a fictional disease that made him lose his sight. And that was a BBC production! Or am I misremembering?
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2012 15:34:26 GMT -5
ximena, I do hope you share your soap. I do really love the idea, was thinking about it at work to cheer myself up. Is the wheeler the main character? I saw Second Sight years ago because I really likedd Clive Owen but it didn't do too much for my devness I think I remember that he was in a perminant state of losing his sight but never actually lost it. But I didn't realise that it was a made up disease, my fingers may take a wander over to amazon and refresh my memory I am loving your posts!!! So glad you joined the board!!! |
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Post by Ximena on May 22, 2012 17:40:02 GMT -5
ximena, I do hope you share your soap. I do really love the idea, was thinking about it at work to cheer myself up. Is the wheeler the main character? Really?? Wow, that makes me feel special, lol! Yes, the wheeler is the main character and there actually is a second wheeler who was introduced recently. I had a few years where I went through a lot of stuff and didn't spend as much time writing so there was a bit of a lag in my soap that I've been working on filling in, so right now I have a lot of fresh material from the 2007-2008 years that I might share (with some backstory to help everyone catch up, lol). Thank you! I had debated joining for months and finally bit the bullet and am really glad I did. So far I have been really enjoying myself and it seems like there are some really great people on here. Can't wait to get to know everyone a bit better as I'm here longer! |
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Post by Ximena on May 22, 2012 17:57:37 GMT -5
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Post by Ximena on May 22, 2012 22:35:24 GMT -5
OK, for those who want to know about my made up diseases, I am working on faux wikipedia-style entries on them. I've been meaning to do them anyway so why not do them now. I'm almost done with the first one and hopefully can get it posted tomorrow. . |
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Post by Emma on May 22, 2012 23:21:41 GMT -5
i have had this problem especially with a story I have been working on for about six years. My sexy male character goes blind during college/university. The only thing that i have come up with is meningitis which I know was pretty rife when I was at uni and someone actually died from it in my year but i think going blind from it is pretty rare and more so to go completely blind which is necessary for my story to work. I'm not sure you can go blind from Meningitis w/o any other issues such as amputation but maybe he could be in some type of explosion, maybe something in a chemistry lab or something. Just a suggestion. |
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Now, though I know I really enjoy writing, I'm not confident of my work. We'll see! 
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