Writing blind is harder than I expected. I love writing, and I love editing, but it is a long, slow process to highlight a paragraph, have my computer read it to me, listen to it again, find the word or phrase I wish to change, edit it, listen again, make another change, and move on to the next paragraph.

     My short stories are getting shorter or longer, depending. Some are turning into the beginnings of novels. Some are settling nicely into 1000-5000 words. The short stories can be listened to at speed. (I never listen to things at regular speed. I have to speed everything up. Even my audiobooks.) But even though that points out some flaws, I cannot read the stories aloud. I need someone to do it for me so I can hear how a real person would read it, where they stumble, what sounds awkward. 

     Novels are harder. I keep a text with notes. Character names and brief traits, connections, and what I need to fix later. But I have to go chapter by chapter, keeping each one to an editing session, so I can maintain continuity. That really doesn’t come until after the second draft. And I cannot help a friend with a novel because it would take me months, and they deserve a  timelier response.

     Poetry is worse. I have to listen line by line. I can’t just highlight the entire poem as the computer doesn’t read it right. It’s harder to hear cadence, too. I miss editing by hand, with a pan on paper. There’s something about the thought process that is better when you actually edit or write by hand. I miss that. 

     I also miss reading. But I can’t choose not to be blind. I can choose to write anyway, and to find ways to make it work. With each story it’s getting better. Easier. I am a writer, and a writer writes. Even when blind. I think of Milton, Ray Charles, and others. I have a computer that reads to me. I have the internet to do research. I have the world.