I am currently making a story where the main is blind. Sometimes it's hard to write his actions because of the way he's able to 'see' things around him. Thanks to the feedback from another thread I made, it sort of raised the question of what is the point of view of a blind person? Here's a bit of information to give some insight: Zenta is the main character and he has no eyes. He represents the 'old wise man/master.' He is able to see and attack energy. (He sees your body similar to infrared or 'aura.') His senses are enhances beyond their limits. He is a martial artist. I find myself struggling to write his character sometimes because I am not the experienced with writing blind characters. If this were a comic book, maybe it would be easier, but in writing, it's a lot harder than I thought. I want to be able to express his point of view, but I don't know how to express the point of view of a blind person. Is it possible to 'see' what a blind person sees/senses? I was thinking of having him explain through dialogue, but I'm worried it might come out super confusing for the reader. What is the best approach for this and how can I show the reader what Zenta 'sees'? How would fight scenes play out for him? I have one fight scene already done, but honestly, it seems a bit tacky. He's incredibly strong (at least compared to the person he fought), so he barely breaks a sweat. But what about future fights where it's not so one-sided? Here is Zenta explaining how he is able to see. (for context, he was caught in some spider webs by a Spider Queen) What do you guys think? Does it come across easily to the readers or is it hard to understand? Personally, I think it could use work but that's what drafts are for.
First of all ...and this is important. Was he born blind, or did he lose his eyesight at some point in his life? I think there is probably a great deal of difference in how a blind person pictures his surroundings if he remembers what they used to look like ...versus never having seen these surroundings. Colours? Does he know what colours are like? Can he envision a shape? If somebody says the object ahead is a pillar, does he know what that looks like? Does he know what red looks like? Has he ever seen a deer, etc? In a way, it might be easier for you to WRITE this character if he had previous eyesight. He won't see things any more, but he will remember what they looked like.
He was able to see at one point, yes, so he is familiar with colors, shapes, and textures. His eyes were taken away from him, though.
Oh, as a big Daredevil and Toph fan, I am intrigued. First off, I would say the best way to figure out how to write a blind person is to /talk/ to a blind person. I'm pretty sure there's an online blind community somewhere out there that can help you, but it's kind of a given that talking to the minority you're representing makes it easier to represent them. Second, make sure you think about the other five senses when writing the blind character. Make it very noticeable. Texture, smells, sounds, whether the terrain is rocky, whether it's flat pavement, grass brushing against their thighs, the sounds of their opponents' labored breathing, them feeling the sunlight on their face vs "it's night time which means my opponent can't see, so I'm at an advantage", etc. Also, make sure to draw a firm line of how enhanced the senses are and what the person can and cannot do. Daredevil can hear heartbeats and (sometimes) read handwritten print if there's enough indention in the paper but he can't differentiate between dollar currency or read computer printed paper. Toph can find ants in an anthill in the dark but she can't tell where something is if it's flying or read at all. Can your character notice the auras of people and plants? or is it just people? Can his aura sense give him a sense of the terrain or does he have to map it out first? Are his senses enhanced enough to distinguish heartbeats? Is one sense stronger than the other? etc. etc. Establishing what your character can and can't do earlier on will probably help in the long run. One major thing I'll tell you, in the Daredevil fanfic community is that most people /hate/ the "world on fire" thing from the Daredevil live-action show, just because it's such a visual aspect belonging to a character that is blind. At times I'm okay with it because most blind people aren't 100% blind, they have some light perception, just not enough to totally 'see', but it depends obviously on the person. I guess I'm saying this because you had the line: "All over Zenta’s body, a glowing white aura began to form on his outline," which makes me think he can see other color auras. It's a visual aspect, which while not a totally bad thing that could be helpful for sighted readers, kind of detracts from the 'blind' thing. Hope that helps??? If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Look at something familiar. Study it with your eyes. Then close your eyes and see it in your mind and study it again with your fingers. Finally, describe your perceptions when your eyes were closed. After a few attempts, switch to something you may not be familiar with, say fruit you've never seen, and without ever looking at it, study it with eyes close. Then describe it.
Lol now I have an image of someone walking through the produce section of a market with their eyes closed, asking people to put exotic fruit in their hand.
Seems to me he’s not exactly blind. He sees, but in a different way. So if you, for example, wrote. He sensed the man enter the room, the aura menacing, moved fast. Instead of he saw the man etc. So maybe write as if he can see, than edit it to fit the characters actual ability. Also this persons hearing is going to be acute, will hear sounds normally sighted people would miss. Their sense of smell may also be developed. After a few goes at this you may get a feel for the new POV.
I love describing things when I write. A blind character would open up all sorts of material I could illustrate from their point of view. Compare and contrast what they see vs. reality. Put them compromising situations that would require eyesight. Pit them against adversaries with excellent vision. Oooo, the canvas I could paint on the page with a blind character would be pretty indeed.
