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Writing from the point of view of a muted person?



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Tue Apr 29, 2014 1:15 pm
Laure says...



In this upcoming novel of mine, I will be writing from the point of view of a mute girl, yet the problem is. I don't know how I can accurately capture that mind set of a mute person, I'm not mute myself, I don't know anyone who is mute. I've done some research, but I'd like more opinion on this issue.

Also, the girl only becomes mute quarter the way through the book. She starts off as a perfectly fine human being,

Thanks! ^^
  





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Tue Apr 29, 2014 2:09 pm
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lostthought says...



I'm guessing it would be like closing your eyes, except with your ears. You see people's lips moving, but there is nothing there. No sound, no voices. After a life of sound, there is only silence, and it starts to become maddening.

But after a while, you get used to it. Your fingers can sign many words and you have to write messages on paper for some to know. The silence is wanted, but not needed.

Your character will be in a panic when they can't hear. They will probably start talking to themselves before accepting that they are deaf. First, she may be shocked, surprised, and confused. After a while, when she is use to it, she may see things much clearer than everyone else..

Side note: I thought you said deaf. Well, this is for if you need something for a deaf person~
Last edited by lostthought on Tue Apr 29, 2014 4:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Tue Apr 29, 2014 2:57 pm
Pan says...



Mute. She can't speak. She can hear perfectly well, but when she tries to say something, her words won't come out. She has no voice, nobody can hear her. She'd feel alone and confused.
How exactly does it happen? Does she have a throat disease? Does she go in for surgery and get her voice box removed?
I have a friend who is mute and deaf. She mostly signs to us, but I don't understand, so she texts me. I forget sometimes that she can't hear/talk, so I turn and say something to her, and she just stares at me until I realize that it's her.

How she becomes mute determines how she reacts. If it's sudden, she'll be confused and upset and scared all at once, but she will later grow accustomed to it.

If she knows that it will happen, she won't be as panicky. She'll have knowledge of what to do, she'll have people helping her to learn how to communicate.

Chances are that she is suddenly deprived of her voice and so she has to suddenly figure out how she's going to express herself.

She'll try several times to talk, because she used to be able to, and it's comfortable to talk. She'll often forget that she isn't able to and get a grim reminder that she can't every time she tries to speak.

She'll be upset when the incident first occurs, and she'll have a bit of a struggle. Hopefully she has a loving family to help her through this.

Anyways, she'll most likely feel awkward around people she normally talks to, and she'll be sorrowful and she'll cry a lot.

Also, I'm super curious as to how you're going to take away her ability to talk.. if you've figured it out already ^-^

I hoped this helps, Imouto.
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Tue Apr 29, 2014 4:15 pm
eldEr says...



Okay. For someone to "become mute," their vocal cords have to somehow be ruined. This can happen in an injury, and less often, due to an illness. I'd research it a little bit in depth before you decide what happens, because the fabulous internet will be able to give you a lot more information than I can. Just know that one of the only ways for someone to end up being mute if they weren't already is if their vocal cords are damaged or cut.

Writing a mute character would be, practically, like writing anybody else. She'd still be her. She'd still process information the same way. Depending on how, exactly, she loses her voice, there'd be panic and adjustment, and she would have to find a new way to express herself. There are tons of different ways to do that though (especially if the book takes place in modern day society. We've got everything from doing things the old fashioned way and learning sign language to writing it on a pad of paper to special, super expensive computers that talk for you).

Honestly, just write her like you did before she was mute. Add the anxiety, and the frustration, and the acceptance of the situation, and you're golden.
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Tue Apr 29, 2014 4:21 pm
asadderandawiserman says...



I think that often it's easier than you'd think to make yourself understood without using language. Obviously specifics are impossible, for example it would be impossible to tell someone your name without signing it or writing it down, but if she's trying to communicate with observant people who are paying attention to her then she should be to make herself understood in lots of scenarios.

There's potential drama to be had with her urgently trying to tell something to someone who doesn't know that they're being communicated at though.
  





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Tue Apr 29, 2014 5:38 pm
Holysocks says...



We're all mute on YWS. If that helps, think about it that way. :O
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Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:51 pm
Rosendorn says...



I would get really good at figuring out body language, and determining if there's any signing. The thing about being non-verbal is you can still communicate if people are paying attention. Even if there is no sign language, then displaying emotions, ideas and other things is still possible.

It takes a little bit of know-how to figure out how to communicate with somebody non-verbal, and depending on the value that society places on speech, she could be written off a lot because she can't do so.

One thing to remember is there is the broader social context to take into account. Non-verbal individuals have varying levels of respect depending on their culture, so you'll have to take that into account as you figure out not only her reaction (if she'd been taught that being mute is terrible, that'll be different to if she'd been taught being mute is okay) but others' reactions. How will her support structure react? Will she need a new support structure, because her friends and family are abandoning her for being mute? These are things you have to consider.

Hope this helps!
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Tue Apr 29, 2014 7:15 pm
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Holysocks says...



Hey! Why not get some friends together, and play that game where you can't talk and you have to act it out- tell them it's for research.
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Thu May 01, 2014 2:43 pm
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Tenyo says...



Interesting predicament!

The important thing to remember is that becoming mute and being born mute are very different, and it takes time to adapt. Have you considered testing it out? Don't speak for two days, for research purposes.

I'd recommend it partly because you'll be able to better understand the practicalities of it, and partly because I think it's something everybody should do at least once. It's a really interesting experience.

I'm going to guess you won't do that >.< So here's a few ideas.

Being mute means you see the world from a whole different perspective based on how people interact with you, and they do interact differently.

Ignorance
Mute's are easier to ignore, and even polite people, when pressured or in a hurry, can try to pull the 'I didn't know you were trying to communicate' card. It's a frustration that you'd never really get used to.
There's also the issue that people unaware of the muteness (especially in the case of selective muteness) would react negatively or assume that the person who can't talk is simply being rude.
There's also the natural human way of thinking where we assume that if someone doesn't say something to us, then they must not know it. People often underestimate the maturity and intelligence of mutes simply because their skills aren't so openly expressed.

Vulnerability
Like with most disabilities, people with muteness would be more inclined to stick to the tried and tested, since new environments are significantly more challenging to them than they are to us.
If you're mute, you can't ask questions well or in a hurry, and if it's an emergency you can't yell or scream, or explain what's wrong.

Introversion Vs Isolation
In the right environment a mute would get used to keeping their thoughts inside their head, and it would just become a way of life. If they can relax and enjoy things anyway then it's not so much a problem.
However in the wrong environment were people aren't so aware or accommodating of them then they would feel ignored and isolated, and that would have the completely opposite effect.

Advantages
Every disadvantage has its advantages.
Not being able to speak makes it easier to avoid certain conversations or having to answer particular questions.
People who don't talk don't gossip or make careless remarks, which saves them from saying things that they'll later regret.
Communicating without words is strange, which means it's a perfect opportunity for a mute to take something clearly abnormal and pretend it's normal
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