Color(Mimori Ao)

See, the problem with people who aren’t in wheelchairs writing about and/or drawing people who are in (manual) wheelchairs is that the people who aren’t in wheelchairs tend to think that there’s only like four movements that you do in a wheelchair. You can either push forward, push backwards, turn left, or turn right. And the characters do it all while sitting up straight or bending forward so that their noses touch their knees.

But the amount of motions that I go through on a daily basis are actually amazing. And the body language…you could write an entire book on the body language of someone in a wheelchair.

Like right now, I’m more relaxed, so I’m slouching slightly. I’ve got my right foot on its footrest and the left foot on the ground. Every so often, as I stop to think of something to say, I’ll push with my left foot to rock the chair slightly.

But usually, I sit mostly upright with my upper-half slightly leaned forward. When I’m wheeling across the campus, especially if I have somewhere that I need to be, I’ll lean and shift my weight in whichever direction it is that I’m going. It helps make the wheelchair glide that much more smoothly. How far/dramatically I lean depends on how fast I’m going, the terrain, if there’s a turn, etc.

Plus people who don’t use wheelchairs don’t understand the relationship between grabbing the wheels, pushing, and the chair moving. Like I’ve seen things written or have seen people try to use a chair where the character/that person grabs the wheel every single second and never lets go to save their lives. Which isn’t right. The key is to do long, strong, pushes that allow you to move several feet before repeating. I can usually get about ten feet in before I have to push again. It’s kind of like riding a scooter. You don’t always need to push. You push, then ride, then push, then ride, etc.

And because of this, despite what many people think, people in wheelchairs can actually multitask. I’ve carried Starbucks drinks across the campus without spilling a single drop. Because it’s possible to wheel one-handed (despite what most people think), especially when you shift your weight. And if I need to alternate between pushing both wheels, I’ll just swap hands during the ‘glide’ time.

I’ve also noticed that people who don’t use wheelchairs, for some reason, have no idea how to turn a wheelchair. It’s the funniest thing. Like I see it written or, again, have seen people ‘try’ a wheelchair where they’re reaching across their bodies to try to grab one wheel and push or they try to push both wheels at the same time and don’t understand. (For the record, you pull back a wheel and push a wheel. The direction that you’re going is the side that you pull back.)

Back to body language. Again, no idea why most people think that we always sit upright and nothing else. Maybe when I’m in meetings or other formal settings, but most of the time, I do slightly slouch/lean. As for the hands…A lot of writers put the wheelchair user’s hands on the armrests but the truth is, most armrests sit too far back to actually put your hands on. There are times when I’ll put my elbows on the edges of the armrests and will put my hands between my legs. Note: Not on my lap. That’s another thing that writers do but putting your hands in your lap is actually not a natural thing to do when you’re in a wheelchair, due to the angle that you’re sitting and the armrests. Most of the time, I’ll just sort of let my arms loosely fall on either side of the chair, so that my hands are next to my wheels but not grabbing them. That’s another form of body language. I’ve talked to a few people who have done it and I do it myself. If I’m ever anxious or in a situation where I want to leave for one reason or another, I will usually grip my handrims - one hand near the front , one hand near the back. And if I’m really nervous, you’ll find me leaning further and further into the chair, running my hands along the handrims.

Also, on a related subject - a character’s legs should usually be at 90 degree angles, the cushion should come to about their knees, and the armrests should come to about their elbows. You can always tell that an actor is not a wheelchair user when their wheelchair isn’t designed to their dimensions. (Their knees are usually inches away from the seats and are up at an angle, the armrests are too high, etc.) Plus they don’t know how to drive the chair.

Let’s see, what else? Only certain bags can go on the back of the chair without scraping against the wheels, so, no, your teenagers in wheelchairs can’t put their big, stylish, purses on the back. We don’t always use gloves since most gloves actually aren’t that helpful (as stated above, wheeling is a very fluid motion and gloves tend to constrict movements). Height differences are always a thing to remember. If you’re going for the “oh no, my wheelchair is broken” trope, nobody really has ‘flat’ tires anymore thanks to the new material for the wheels but it is possible to have things break off. We use the environment a lot. I always push off of walls or grab onto corners or kick off of the floor etc. Wheelchair parkour should really become a thing. 

This is all of the physical things to think about. I could write a thesis on the emotional treatment of your characters with disabilities. But for now, I think that I’ll stop here. For my followers in wheelchairs, is there anything that I left out?

Also why isn’t wheelchair parkour a thing? Somebody make wheelchair parkour a thing.

How to like yourself

1. Cultivate self-acceptance. That means you accept yourself for who you are right now. It means you don’t say things like “I would accept myself if … or … I’ll accept myself when.”

2. Stop going over all things you’ve done wrong, the mistakes you’ve made, and your (perceived) inadequacies.

3. Where there’s something in your past that you feel bad about say: “This is what I learned from that situation … And that was THEN and this is NOW.”

4. Don’t compare yourself to others . Instead notice the areas where you’ve grown and changed. Deliberately praise and focus on those positive changes.

5. Don’t fall into the trap of judging others – as that will often lead to being self-critical.

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?

Japan, England. 

The weirdest romance shoujo manga of July, 2015. Million Dollar Man.

A reminder:

Sometimes it might feel like you’ve been standing in one place forever or you took a huge step backward, but try to remember that you write because you love to write. You might not have any books published, or an agent, or a publishing contract, but hopefully you’re working on something that means a lot to you. No matter what, no one can take that away from you. People might hate your writing or criticize you, but please don’t let that stop you.

Keep writing because it makes you happy.

How to Give Your Story “Heart”

Here’s where things get fluffy. This is the moment you unleash your feelings, tap into your inner light, and weep onto the page, using your sparkling tears as ink. Ready?

Edna would never allow us to do that. And that’s good, because contrary to conventional wisdom, that’s not how you give your story heart. We’re going to do it the real way.

So if it isn’t raw emotion, what is “heart”?

1) It’s what your character NEEDS (not wants).

2) It’s the HIDDEN STORYLINE.

3) It’s what you want to TEACH.

Those sound intimidating, I know. But if you don’t treat it like a mystical magic, it’s very doable.

So, what do those mean?

1) NEED =

Your character has flaws that are ruining their life and future, right? Flaws in their heads that only hurt themselves, flaws in their characters that hurt other people. Something is missing within them, something they don’t understand, something they need to learn. Once they realize their flaws, and learn the thing that will overcome those flaws, their lives will be saved.

Take Mr Fredrickson from Up. He’s so grumpy and stubbornly stuck in the past, he’s willing to leave a small child clinging to the porch of his flying house, rather than let him into his life.

He needs to learn that in order to live a fulfilling life again, he must let go of the past, and go have another adventure. Which Ellie helps him learn.

Great. Now I’m crying.

2) HIDDEN STORYLINE =

It’s what the story is really about. The journey going on below the action-y surface. It’s your character’s inner change from one kind of person to a (hopefully) better kind. The reader believes the story is about the tangible goal, and the actions taken to reach it — the surface. Yet inwardly, they’re processing the hero’s inner journey too. It’s sneakily hidden from them.

On the surface, Hamilton is about a revolution and the founding of a nation.

Underneath all that, it’s about a guy learning what a worthwhile legacy really is, and how to build one.

3) TEACHING =

Storytelling is the most powerful teaching method ever devised. Scientifically speaking, teaching is the purpose of stories, whether we like it or not. This fact usually makes people react like Gollum when approached by nasty hobbitses.

“Moralizing, precious? We hates it!”

Which is a reflex aversion that I understand, and have shared in the past. Books and movies that teach something positive are scorned and mocked in the world of “high literature” too. But when I thought about what stories have done for me, and why they were capable of it, my opinion changed. 

Tangled saved my life. If I had never seen that movie, I would still be in a horrible cult-like situation which I’d been trapped in for twelve years.

Narnia helped me escape depression.

The Harry Potter books were my home and my friends when I didn’t have either.

And those are all stories with strong hearts.

Why wouldn’t I want to create stories that could possibly help someone, like I was helped? Why would I let “avoid teaching at all costs” become my ultimate goal? (When really, that’s another way of saying “be pretentious and egotistical”?)

Nope. I’m choosing to write things that people will call schmaltzy and childish – but maybe life saving for another kid.

(I said I wasn’t going to get emotional. Sorry Edna.)

So, how do you figure out the heart of your story?

Answer these questions: — What does your character need to learn, to stop ruining their own life? — What do YOU want to say?

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Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys rough for the new Ducktales reboot opener

Change The Toon

There is a stigma that limits 2D/hand-drawn animation to just kids’ programs and comedy.  The stereotype is so commonly upheld that animation is often considered a genre or category, rather than a medium of filmmaking that is capable of producing works in any genre. There doesn’t seem to be a spot at the table for sophisticated and mature animated works within our industry at large.

Whether you agree with it or not, the fact remains animation is the bastard child of film.  The industry treats animation as that weird kid in school that no one wants to play with because they don’t know which camp they belong to. Is animation the class clown, the stoner kid in the back of the room or some weird otaku?  How about none of the above.  It’s the super genius lone wolf who’s worldly and intelligent.  Deep and poetic.

I believe that animation can be sophisticated, elegant, intelligent, and mature – that its dramatic value and philosophical impact can rival the best live action pieces.  In a sense, I want to help hand-drawn animation grow up – to show that it can have a spot at the table.  It can be more than just slapstick.

If you’re tired of that same old song and dance the industry makes animation play to… Change the toon.

If you agree, share this message.  

If you want do help us make that change, check out what we’re doing here: bit.ly/beambitious

Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji