Research it first, find all you can about the sensation of being blind. Maybe the character has only been blind since childhood, which allows him/her to explain a visual to the reader and gives a backstory too. I would go for it. It is exactly the type of book my girlfriend would read and fall in love with. So good luck.
Do I see a future fan. XD Man, this is getting a lot of support. I'll go do it. EDIT: I don't think I'll be able to write it down immediatly. I'll have to research life in Colonial America/Colonial plantation, blindness as suggested above and check out how other historical mystery novels do their things, but I'm definitly gonna do it. Just gotta figure out HOW to do it first.
I would think it would be easier to write what you know. Instead of blind, why not make your MC deaf. Since you can relate to the sensations, the emotions, and the perception of being deaf, in a visual world. However, writing from a blind person's perception in a hearing world might be more difficult, since a blind person's senses and perceptions are greatly different from your own. The other idea I would think would be easier would be to write your MC a Watson, an assistant if you will. For a twist you could give your bind MC a deaf assistant to give it even more of a twist and writing from both of their POVs. The intricate relationship these two would have would be very dynamic considering the challenges the two would have in trying to communicate. Could be for some interesting drama as they try to find the bad guys. I always think anything in writing is possible. Any type of plot can be spun to be interesting and any types of characters can be put into situations that show their strengths and weaknesses. Look at the Dare Devil idea, a crime fighting super hero who is blind, but his sense of hearing is so enhanced that he almost as sonar. So it is totally doable to write a character with limited sensory perception and write them well.
I was going to suggest this as well. For plot convenience he would need an assistant who can see, otherwise he'd spend hours examining every crime scene by touch or something. Making that guy deaf as well would make for a very interesting duo, and at least you wouldn't need to research it.
That's what I've got going. He's gonna have a buddy (mainly his brother) helping him out. Like... (They enter a crime scene) Brother: *whistles* Wow, what a mess. Him: What does it look like? Brother: Tables and chairs are thrown everywhere, papers littered all over the floor and there's a large ink spot in the far right corner. Him: A fight? Brother: No, it doesn't look like a fight happen. More like someone was searching for something and got desperate.
Or if you know how to draw, you could always make a graphic novel. I remember seeing this animated film about Camelot were this guy was blind, but he sure knew how to kick ass.
that was done in a movie with gene wilder and richard pryor ['See No Evil, Hear No Evil']...'twas a brilliant tour de force for both, as well as the screenwriter...
I concur. Just out of curiosity, do you think I should do it in first person or third? I was thinking first person to make it more challenging. @ Marcelo, I can't draw to save my life. Let's just say that my writing is probably mediocre, but it's a LOT better than my drawing abilities. XD
1st person thats what makes it unique, 3rd is almost like the lazy route. I love the idea of a story being told from the blind mans point of view
That's what I have in mind myself. Interestingly enough, I also considered taking this story and putting it in the 1850s just after the Mexican-American War and the mc's a Mexican living in Alabama.
first person is seriously limiting from any character's pov and would be suicidally so, for a blind one, since the only things the readers could be told about would be what he does, knows, or is told, and nothing of what anything/anyone looks like, or what happens elsewhere can be revealed! while a short story told by this character might work ok that way, if the writer is totally brilliant, trying to keep going for a whole novel would be impossibly restrictive, imo...
Indeed it is, which is why I've considering making multiple first POVS, but their names are on the chapter when the POVs change. For example: Chapter 5- Amos blahblahlbalh Chapter 8- David (His brother) blahblahblah-insert opinion that may be different from Amos-insert visual discription of the scenes And in another chapter, it's his helper, so we get a visual account of what Amos had described, but we also get what the helper thinks/feel and may be totally different than what Amos thought. While it may be jolting, I think it'll be a little more ease for the readers instead of blind-sighted-blind-sighted with no clear POVs.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo If you're determined to do first person, don't ruin it by changing viewpoints needlessly. Don't pander to the lowest common denominator; write experimentally, make the book truly unique, rather than trying to conform to what is typically expected in a mainstream novel. Forget description, forget convention. Fully explore the possibilities this concept opens up. It will take a lot of research, it will take a lot of effort and ingenuity and consideration, but the result will be so much better for it.
The only reason for using a first person POV is if you plan to lock yourself to that POV. The only exception I have seen work is when widely separated scenes are switrched to a second first person POV, usually an antagonist. A very good example of this is by acclaimed mystery writer Sue Grafton's novel, T is for Trespass. Most of the chapters stick to her protagonist, Kinsey Milhone, as Grafton usually does in the series, but several of the chapters are written from the POV of the lawbreaker, an identity thief who preys on single elderly people in poor health. Grafton uses that second POV to get into the twisted thought processes of the enemy. In general, however, if you are going to shift among POVs, you should stick to third person POVs.
Good point. I'll keep that in mind. And to be honest, it'll be confusing even if I put the names on there.
I totally agree with this and Cog. Don't add multiple POV this would be a terrible shame, and I think would undermine your blind detective because the only way the story could develop that way is if the blind MC got it all wrong and it was only revealed in the last chapter by his assistant, which is a pretty predictable turn of events. I would write it all in 1st person of the blind man, it would brilliantly limit what the reader knows and feels about the world and done well keep the suspense.
Ah, I see, I see. Didn't consider that. Thanks. EDIT: Would it be a cliche if I had the blind mc's mother be all overly protective and his father's the "He should be independent!" guy? I don't want to come off as assuming that's how ALL blind people's family are like.
