When Writing Changes Your Perspective by Jenn McKinlay

Jenn McKinlay: As you probably know by now, because I’ve mentioned it a bajillion times, my next women’s fiction romcom SUMMER READING (June 2023) features a neurodivergent (dyslexic) heroine. This was quite an undertaking because getting it right matters and dyslexia is a tricky bugger manifesting differently in everyone who has it. Suffice to say, I did my homework and I learned a lot along the way. My biggest takeaway was a statistic that stopped me in my tracks – one in ten people have dyslexia. Huh. A little more research and I learned that there are dyslexic friendly fonts. Double huh. 

Naturally, when I turned in my manuscript, I made my pitch to have the book published in a dyslexic friendly font. I used all the buzzwords in my argument, you know, accessibility, inclusion, representation, etc. I waited and then I received my publisher’s response. Not only were they on board, the book designers WERE EXCITED to rise up and meet the challenge. Not gonna lie, it felt like a win. I mean, writing a novel about a dyslexic and not printing it in a dyslexic friendly font would have made me look like an a-hole. Seriously. 

You can see from the image below how the bottom of the letters are thicker, this is one of the ways to make the letters easier to interpret for dyslexic readers.

Here is a list of the most dyslexic friendly fonts: https://exceptionalindividuals.com/about-us/blog/our-top-10-dyslexia-friendly-fonts/

Of course, now I always notice when things aren’t printed in a dyslexic friendly font. It seems shocking to me, given the high number of people who struggle to decipher words. Now that I know this, I can never unknow it, which I think is terrific. 

Here's a short video from YouTube on what words look like to a dyslexic.

How about you, Reds? Have you learned something while writing a novel that changed your perspective?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Wait, I’ll offer my ignorance right up front. I had no idea about a dyslexic-friendly font. So I looked it right up, and now I am gasping. Jenn, you should explain it! But this is a life-changing post, thank you. And I am happy to join you in never unknowing it. 

And I do think I have learned things in novels that have changed my perspective. Once I typed that someone had gone off the reservation–and I sat there for a moment, the cursor blinking. Delete delete delete. It made me realized how blithely we type things without thinking about the origin or derivation. Or who we might hurt. I am much more careful now.  

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I also went to look up dyslexic-friendly fonts, and I’m down with using sans serif type but I draw the line at Comic Sans. No civilized person should be subjected to that.

I should mention here my younger brother was diagnosed with dyslexia in kindergarten, one of the first generations being taught by teachers exposed to concepts of neuro-atypical learning. The benefit of a whole school career working with and on his dyslexia? A Bachelors and an MBA.

Hank makes an excellent point about being aware of how the language changes in ways that make it more inclusive and user-friendly. As for what I’ve learned writing, I think I did it backwards… after getting to know a lovely young trans girl, I included a transgender woman in my last novel. I like being able to introduce readers to people they might not have met before, if that makes sense.

JENN: LOL. Sorry, Julia, despite the universal loathing for it, Comic Sans is actually the third most dyslexic friendly font. That may explain why it remains popular -- not with graphic designers, however.

HALLIE EPHRON: Dyslexic-friendly font! Who knew!? Thank you, Jenn. And Kudos to your publisher. (So forget my old standby, Times New Roman.)

One thing I’ve become more aware of is text size, trying to err on the larger side. But Blogger can be ridiculously obstinate when I try to change or enlarge the font. Fortunately online readers can usually enlarge, if they know how.

I am struggling with the boundaries between being “inclusive” vs. “appropriating.” Anyone have any light to shed there? Maybe it’s all about doing your homework when you write about someone who isn’t you.

JENN: Such a good question, Hallie. I think it comes down to context. Is the representation of an ethnicity, disability, or lifestyle meaningful or mercenary? Is the content creator out to make a buck or are they trying to raise awareness or show appreciation? I'm sure there are better ways to determine where the line is, but that's my metric.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Jenn, I was diagnosed as dyslexic when I was fourteen. 

The specialists who tested me said they didn't know how I'd learned to read. I still struggled, dropping out of high school at sixteen. I could not (and probably still can't!) take bubble-fill standardized tests. I did a couple of years of special ed training and was eventually able to not only get my GED but to graduate from a good college with honors, if a couple of years older than my classmates. It got easier, at least for me, as an adult. You learn coping strategies, and you also aren't constantly challenged to do things that are especially difficult for you (in my case, standardized tests and algebra!)

As to Hallie's question, I am wholly on the side of inclusive! I think it's terrific that Jenn's educated herself, and will educate her readers, about dyslexia.

LUCY BURDETTE: Count me in as one of the clueless. Debs, how in the world are you writing all these amazing novels with a learning disability? And also wondering, Julia, how did the dyslexia manifest itself in kindergarten?

JENN: Thank you so much for sharing that, Debs. I had no idea and now I am in awe of you. Of course, now I have to ask you to be a beta reader for Summer Reading :)

How about you, Readers? Has your perspective been changed by a story that you've read or written?

My Name is Ingrid...

"My name is Ingrid, and I'm addicted to Target."

I did not say those words!

They were spoken to me by the sweet concierge who greets me when I enter my hi-rise home in Seattle.  I wish I could deny this assertion, but it's true.  I may have a Target problem, but let me explain.

Living in the heart of Seattle, I do my grocery/housewares shopping in two locations.  The first is the phenomenal Pike Place Market where I get produce, meat, fish, flowers and a host of other items like thick balsamic vinegar and interesting spice mixes.  But the bounty doesn't end there!  Thankfully, a few years ago, a City Target opened half a block away, and I can't imagine life without it.  Anything I can't get in the Market, I can find in Target.

This is kind of my Target motto

City Targets are a slightly different breed than the superstore you may be used to way out in the sticks.  The stores are much smaller, and in an existing building.  They tend to sell items that in smaller packaging to fit in smaller urban households.  They don't play music—do they play music in the suburban stores?

We have lots of colorful shoplifters!  Just the other day, I witnessed a man heading for the exit with a large bottle of Johnny Walker protruding from his sweatshirt.  It looked as if he were suffering from an unusually-shaped goiter, which did not fool Security, as you can imagine.


Where else can I find workout shirts for my husband, pork loins, candles, and ear buds.  In the market for a pool float?  I can't imagine why you would be in the downtown shopping district, but Target's got you covered.

Feeling virtuous?  Pick up a yoga mat and some steel cut oats.  Feel like breaking some dietary guidelines?  Look no further than aisle three on the first floor.

Another reason to revel in the warm glow of Target?  The store is inclusive (after some rough patches in the early years), both in its merchandise and in its hiring practices.  Want to know what America really looks like?  Come to my Target where the employees span races, ethnicities, religions, and gender.  We're all together, getting along!

My one bone to pick:  The book section of my store keeps shrinking, and I suspect this is true across the country.  It's tucked away in a corner on the third floor, where there is no foot traffic.  If you're looking for a padlock or a fishing lure, you might stumble upon it, but otherwise, it's a sad little spot with few visitors.  Come on, Target!  More books!

So I've admitted my addiction in a very public way, and I already feel better.  So good, in fact, that I may just have to wander over to Target later today and pick out a new nail polish.  Or a bottle of wine.  Or a shower caddy...

What about you, Reds and Readers?  Do you have a store that is your happy place?

And a little housekeeping: Brian Vincent, you've won a copy of David Joy's book!  Denise Ann, you've won a copy of Christine Carbo's latest since the first winner was a no-show!  Please send your mailing addresses to ingrid@ingridthoft.com.