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?

At the Fair

horse with stars and woman with hat

LUCY BURDETTE: Are you a fan of country fairs? Every year when our daughter was a preteen and early teenager, she asked to be taken to the Durham fair with friends for her birthday in September. Their favorite parts of the day were the rides and the snacks. We haven’t been in ages, mostly because we don’t like to battle the crowds. (I think we've gotten lazy!)

However, on our trip to northern Scotland, we stumbled into a fair in Aithsetter, Shetland which was so wonderful and amazing that I must show you some of my favorite entries. I did not take a picture of the the domestic animal contest. This was located inside a tent and there were a bunch of rabbits and one disgruntled house cat in a cage facing away from visitors. I didn’t think he would appreciate an appearance on jungle red!

There were lots of farm animals on display--someone told me these sheep had been dyed for the occasion...

We spent most of our time in the vegetable and flower tent...

flower display in a book!

Last year John grew a turnip the size of a small suitcase that might have given these a run for their money!

Her majesty the Queen

Somebody ate half of one of the prizewinners

the only entry in this category--photo by Susan

photo by Susan Cerulean

Actually, I loved that they weren't so politically correct that this category couldn't exist!

Once we were back home, my sister Susan Cerulean sent this note to our extended family: There was a moment at the fair that made me smile, as I looked over the baked good entries from the 8 to 10 year olds.  A gang of the young boys passed by, and one said:  "I'm so sad I didn't win ribbon, even though I didn't enter the contest." Doesn't that just about sum up life?!  I believe we were all raised to live wide and deep by our patriarchs, and for that I'm grateful. We may not have won ribbons, but we entered the contest.

How about you Reds? Fans of fairs? What event would you want to enter?

Breaking news: Winners of Maddie Day's Murder in a Cape Cottage are Gillian B and Flora Church! Contact her at Edith at edithmaxwell dot com to claim your prize.

Making It Up by Julia Henry

LUCY BURDETTE: I'm so pleased to host Julia Henry today, whom you may also know as Julie Hennrikus. She not only writes wonderful cozy mysteries, she's also the executive director of my favorite writing organization, Sisters in Crime. Welcome Julia, in all your guises!

JULIA HENRY: When Barbara Ross writes a book, she does a ton of research. The subject may be barely touched on in one of her Maine Clambake mysteries, but nevertheless she immerses herself in details, and could probably do a speech about the sex life of lobsters, the ice business, pottery and farming oysters.

My historical mystery writing friends, which include Jessica Ellicott and Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) do a lot of work to make sure their books are accurate. Reading newspapers of the time, finding out if a word was used then, fussing over the right bonnet and accurate footwear. Readers demand the accuracy, and they both provide it.

Cate Conte, aka Liz Mugavero, has made up the world of her Full Moon mysteries. But then she has to remember how things work (what can witches do when?) and be consistent throughout the series.

And Sherry Harris needs to know how a bar in Florida operates. For the sake of accuracy, she made several trips to the location where her Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon mysteries are set, took pictures and had a cocktail or two. It is very likely that her research was more fun that learning about the reproductive lives of lobsters, but I digress.

Why am I bringing this up? I have a new book coming out on October 25, the fifth in my Garden Squad series. When I was thinking about what new gardening adventure could launch the book, Barb Ross suggested the Garden Squad cleaning off graves. From that idea, The Plot Thickets was born. A few early reviews and a couple of emails let me know how much readers enjoyed learning about how a cemetery works in a small town. They used terms like “fascinating” and “I had no idea”. Now, were I Barb Ross, I would have done a lot of research, site visits, had conversations, etc. I did do research, Julie style. Then I made it up.

This is not to say there’s not some truth in the premise of the book. Small towns in Massachusetts do have cemetery committees who make decisions about who has access to what. A friend told me that she and her sister used their town allocations for their aunts, so she’d either need to move to another town or be cremated when the time came. I read about two sisters who went to bury their mother next to their father, and found another coffin in the space. (It ended up a less than reputable company had been selling plots they didn’t own.) I heard about a friend’s father who was beside himself because he couldn’t get a space in the historic cemetery in town; he didn’t want to be relegated to the newer spaces. I read a town charter that made it clear that cemetery spaces were leased for a period of time, but they didn’t belong to the occupants in perpetuity. I thought about tombs in New Orleans and doing grave rubbings in Concord. I let it all steep and stew until an idea started to emerge.

Through my writing lens I came up with the idea of a disreputable funeral director who had managed to get herself on every committee in town and was running several scams. This isn’t to say that the situation in the book couldn’t happen. Though it is highly unlikely. My books tend to be heightened reality. Lilly Jayne’s house gets bigger and bigger in every book. Ernie’s store sells everything anyone could ever need. Tamara serves on so many committees it’s hard to believe she isn’t a candidate for burn out. Goosebush, Massachusetts is an alternate reality, based on a real town, but not really. Everything is a bit extra. Including the issues with the disreputable funeral director, long lost fathers, stolen jewelry and more. I’m glad that my world resonates with people, and that they find the information fascinating. I just hope everyone takes it with a grain of salt.

Writer friends, do you use facts loosely in your books? Readers, do you assume everything is true, or that it’s true in the world of the book?

Julia Henry is one of the pen names of Julie Hennrikus. The Plot Thickets is her tenth published novel. Julie is also the executive director of Sisters in Crime.  @jhauthors on Instagram and Facebook.

About the book: The ever-quintessential New England town of Goosebush, Massachusetts truly shines in springtime, but when an underhanded undertaker digs herself an early grave, it’s up to sixty-something gardening sleuth Lilly Jayne—and her fellow Garden Squad members of course— to unearth the cryptic killer . . .

With spring’s arrival in Goosebush, Lilly and the Beautification Committee turn their eyes to new projects. A cleanup of the historic Goosebush Cemetery may be in order, after Lilly and Delia find the plots there sorely neglected and inexplicably rearranged. Lilly soon discovers that Whitney Dunne-Bradford snapped up custodianship of the graveyard once she inherited Bradford Funeral Homes. But before Lilly can get to the bottom of the tombstone tampering, she stumbles upon Whitney’s body at the Jayne family mausoleum . . .

Though at first it appears Whitney died by suicide, Lilly has doubts, and apparently, so does Chief of Police Bash Haywood, who quickly opens a murder investigation. Plenty of folks in town had bones to pick with Whitney, including her stepdaughter, Sasha, and funeral home employee, Dewey Marsh—all three recently charged with illegal business practices. But when the homicide inquiry suddenly targets an old friend, Lilly and the Garden Squad must rally to exhume the truth before the real killer buries it forever . . .