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What would Reepbot say (4)

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wonderful lighting.
 
reepbot said:
The children’s writer Michael Morpurgo has written a new novel inspired by his autistic grandson, which is set to be published later this year. Flamingo Boy is set in the Camargue in the south of France during World War II and features a boy who “sees the world differently”.

Morpurgo explained how it didn’t occur to him to write a book about autism until his grandson was born, which isn’t totally surprising – as autistic characters in books are few and far between.

Fiction plays a significant role in shaping how people understand and respond to autism. And in this way, books are often used by both schools and parents to help children and young people understand more about autism.

But the limited and skewed portrayal of autism means it is often misrepresented rather than represented in fiction. For an autistic child or young person this can be extremely isolating and they are often unable to find a version of “themselves” in a book.

The sad reality is many authors and publishers – perhaps from fear of causing offence – appear to steer clear of autistic characters in their narrative. As a consequence, books with autistic characters are either tucked away in the special section of bookshops and libraries, or absent altogether.

Writing together
My research looks at the role fiction plays in creating awareness and acceptance of autism among children, as well as how the portrayal of autism in children’s books shapes how autism is understood and responded to. As part of the research, I recently put on an interactive discussion at the Festival of Social Science around the topic of how autism is portrayed in children’s fiction.

The panel included Vicky Martin, writer of M is for autism and M in the middle, and Amanda Lillywhite, writer and illustrator of picture books including Friends, written for the Neuro Foundation which works to improve the lives of those affected by neurofibromatosis – a genetic condition caused by a mutation in one of their genes. On the panel was also Elaine Bousfield, founder of new publishing house Zuntold. And the audience consisted of autistic children, young people and adults. As well as parents of autistic children, secondary school teachers, academics and the general public.

One of the key topics discussed at the event was around the idea of “co-production”. This is where books are written in collaboration with autistic children and young people – much like the M in the Middle series, which was authored by Martin, but written jointly with girls of Limpsfield Grange, a school for autistic girls.

Making magic happen
The story of M has captured the hearts of readers and already resulted in a sequel to the first book. The girls of Limpsefield Grange have also featured in an ITV documentary Girls with autism. Why? Because M is the story of an autistic teenage girl who is interesting, endearing and real.

She’s written and created with a group of teenage autistic girls. Big chunks of the book is written verbatim, with their very words, and the rest is heavily edited by them. It doesn’t get more real than that. M is the one girl they all created together.

Similarly, as a part of her book for the Neuro Foundation, Lillywhite spent time with children with neurofibromatosis. They spoke about themselves and their experiences of things that matter not just to them but also to many other children, such as bullying. And while all the characters in the book have the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis, the stories aren’t about that and are just as relevant for every child.

Getting heard
Autism is extremely diverse and perhaps the only way to have a good representation of it in fiction is by having lots of autistic characters – in comics, in picture books and in novels.

Publishers too have an important role to play in garnering collaborations and bringing work co-produced with autistic children and young people to market – much as in the M books. Publishing house Zuntold, for example, has an interactive novel writing project which encourages people to write the next piece.

Ultimately, every story – whether in life or fiction – has characters, and all characters are different. So given that autism affects more than one in 100 people, there needs to be more done to represent the outside world inside story books.

Millions of people have a relative on the autism spectrum. And it is only by making autistic characters a part of mainstream books that we can hope for widespread understanding and acceptance of autism.


https://theconversation.com/why-there-need-to-be-more-autistic-characters-in-childrens-books-90054
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Have you ever written any of your stories with a character overtly on the autism spectrum?
 
reepbot said:
no, but i'm trying to write my women characters on different spectrum to how i usually write them. if you catch my drift.
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I am pleased you are still writing (wasn't sure if you were) and challenging yourself. I have found it hard to motivate myself to try new things and be creative with my photography lately so it gives me hope I can get creative again to hear you still are!
 
Isee said:
I am pleased you are still writing (wasn't sure if you were) and challenging yourself. I have found it hard to motivate myself to try new things and be creative with my photography lately so it gives me hope I can get creative again to hear you still are!
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yes, i just wrote a 94,000 word story. its shit.
 
reepbot said:
yes, i just wrote a 94,000 word story. its shit.
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sometimes you keep going hoping it will go somewhere and it will work and it doesn't. I am sure every creative person has been there done that. hopefully you will be able to look back on it as a learning experience one day.
 
Isee said:
sometimes you keep going hoping it will go somewhere and it will work and it doesn't. I am sure every creative person has been there done that. hopefully you will be able to look back on it as a learning experience one day.
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yes, i'll have to try again.
 
@delcan, do you find this confusing too? and you can't claim you don't care when you've just liked somethingface's post.[/QUOTE]

Who am I responding to? “Somethingface’s”??? All I know is since late last night, my Laptop will not let me see this forum O_O:headphone:
 
Hey @reepbot just popped in to say high, and noticed you were talking about movies to watch......I am wondering if you have seen the 3 part doco David Stratton did, on Aussie movies and his history.
It is very good, and the movies he discusses are on the ABC/SBS websites.

A few I want to watch, My Brilliant Career, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Walkabout ......some great movies
And if you haven't seen Samson & Delilah, please do it is a great movie, also Rabbit Proof Fence.
 
Wonderful 3 parts, and still available for a couple more weeks...I think you would really enjoy this, I love David, and it is a bonus they have made a lot of older Aussie movies available, some I have never seen Walkabout etc, some I just want to see again, Brilliant Career, Careful He Might Hear You, Picnic...

http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/david-strattons-stories-of-australian-cinema/AC1520H001S00


David Stratton's Stories Of Australian Cinema
Episode 1 Game Changers
ARTS & CULTUREDOCUMENTARY
Filmmakers gained confidence with the boldness of Picnic at Hanging Rock & Mad Max; the global success of Crocodile Dundee & Shine; the flamboyance of Strictly Ballroom; the substance & style of Samson & Delilah.

Broadcast 9:00pm Mon 15 Jan 2018. Published 3 weeks ago, available until 10:03pm on 14 Feb 2018. File size approx. 481 MB

David Stratton's Stories Of Australian Cinema
Episode 2 Outsiders
ARTS & CULTUREDOCUMENTARY
Part 2 celebrates the outsiders of Australian cinema: be it newcomers in They're A Weird Mob and Wake In Fright or locals out of step with the mainstream in Evil Angels, Muriel's Wedding and Priscilla.

Broadcast 9:00pm Mon 22 Jan 2018. Published 2 weeks ago, available until 10:03pm on 21 Feb 2018. File size approx. 482 MB

David Stratton's Stories Of Australian Cinema
Episode 3 Family
ARTS & CULTUREDOCUMENTARY
Part 3 is about families: The Castle's nuclear family; family of faith in The Devil's Playground; Romper Stomper's neo-Nazis; immigrants in Head On and crime families from Ned Kelly to Animal Kingdom.

Broadcast 9:00pm Mon 29 Jan 2018. Published 1 week ago, available until 10:02pm on 28 Feb 2018. File size approx. 475 MB
 
bah humbug, only a few more days until the worst day of the year. sickening, disgusting,disgraceful. hate it.
 
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