Writing, easy? - Print Topic

I tend to lean towards nature too.  Although, I don't write because it comes easy to me - it doesn't.  I write because it's hard.

The thing is I can never seen to walk away from it.  I'll get frustrated, think I'm not cut out for this writing thing, but then something always draws be back.  That's why, I guess,  I know I'm a writer.

Growing up I suffered from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).  Writing was a way for me to organize all the thoughts that were jumbled in my brain.  It was therapeutic.  I'm a unique case that way though.

You're right Seth when you say 'each script is like a puzzle I don't have the pieces to'.  We're like detectives.  The stories are already out there.  It's up to us as writers to find them.

Writing is easy. Writing a script is hard.

I have probably around 300+ word documents with script ideas, plot outlines and treatments, but writing the actual script is discipline, like others said.

I can get through a 1st draft with only minor problems. The hardest part is getting to the stage where you are ready to write. When I know my characters. Have a bio/breakdown. Have a beat sheet. Maybe even an outline. Then I'm ready to write and it's easier... a lot easier.

Think about it, why get through 40 pages and realize something doesn't work when you could have realized that with a beat sheet or outline, or better yet, a treatment. It's this kind of discipline that helps you when you write the drafts of your script.

I love writing. I never knew I was a writer until age 26, but I'm happy I know now.

Quoted from Death Monkey

I have probably around 300+ word documents with script ideas, plot outlines and treatments.

Wow. You mean 300 actual files? Finding something that inspires me to write is rare and elusive. I tend to pounce on an idea when it does come along. Then once I get the ball rolling, it becomes progressively easier for me.

I never write outlines or treatments. I know I run the risk of painting myself into a corner but I'd rather let my emotions be my guide. My own experience is that I tend to run into problems when I overthink things too much.

Quoted from Death Monkey

I have probably around 300+ word documents with script ideas, plot outlines and treatments, but writing the actual script is discipline, like others said.

I wrote a database for mine - it categorizes them for me and I can search for keywords to find ideas. I'm thinking of adding a character function, so I can keep track of the characters I think up and match them to the ideas.

As far as the writing goes I usually outline features extensively, so mostly it is mechanical. There are some scenes that I just agonize over. But it isn't usually the first drafts that give me problems - it's the rewrites that I tend to dread.

I don't outline the shorts I write - sometimes they are quite quick and painless (a couple of hours) sometimes they can take much longer and some of my hair along with them.

Quoted from mgj

They're not necessarily 300 separate ideas for films, some times they are variations of an idea, but when I get an idea, which is quite often, I scribble it down in as much detail as I can, and then return to it later.

I think usually not outlining your script is considered a mistake, and I understand why. A script is very much about structure, and being able to nail that structure by putting yourself right in the thick of it without an overview is quite a feat.

If you know exactly where your story goes, and exactly what happens at what time, it affords you a greater freedom to be creative and make changes to the structure later, I think. It's like a puzzle. I can move and re-arrange scenes, change them and add new ones, without breaking the overall structure of the script.

I'm not saying this is what works best for all writers but personally I couldn't live without a treatment or outline.

Wow!! 300 that's a lot! I should probably start to organize myself a little more too.

One funny thing that I can't seem to get over is that if I use a scene or character or dialogue from one scripts and reused it in another, I always feel guilty. Like I'm stealing the idea, even though I wrote it myself in the first place.... ::)

Quoted from tomson

I do that too! I feel unoriginal somehow...

My word documents aren't organized though. they're on differennt hard-drives and difference folders. They spand a period of 4-5 years too.
Sometimes all I have is a title and a few lines of dialogue and then an instruction to myself: "Write a story about this!"

Quoted from bert

I cannot remember the thread -- it was some time ago -- but I do recall the interesting conversation related to this topic when the question was raised:

Is writing a choice you make -- "I think I'll write today" -- or is it a voracious biological urge that afflicts some and not others -- and are we fortunate or unfortunate to possess such a need that must be satisfied?

The question was not resolved, of course, but personally, I lean towards nature.

I just thought some of you newer, philosophical types on the board might like to kick that one around a bit.

I, too, believe it to be nature. I am compelled to write. Am I fortunate to possess such a need? Maybe, but those around me, my g/f, for example, isn't. I know, at times, I am very single minded, focussing only on what I'm attempting to write. But these times are, to me, special, almost magical. Like MGJ, such times allow me to clear my head of the all clutter -- and when an idea does click, it's the best high there is. There are lows though and many of them!

Seth

Quoted from Death Monkey

Writing is easy. Writing a script is hard.

I have probably around 300+ word documents with script ideas, plot outlines and treatments, but writing the actual script is discipline, like others said.

I have put better use of all the ideas that I write down. I figure instead of having them sit and waste away, just use them in my series. Thus creating more opportunities to expand on every aspect.

It's also a lack of focus.

Writing is easy, people do it every day. Writing something good and memorable is not. I'm not talking about the scripts that people are like "This is the best script on this site" because generally those people are marks.

The only real and true way to get better on this site is to find people who either don't care about you in any way or someone you just don't know. Otherwise, you will leave thinking you're the best writer since the guy"s" who wrote the bible.

Like DeathMonkey I have lot of word files with lot of ideas for short scripts, plays, books and feature scripts. Unfortunatly I haven't any discipline to write. and I know it is very bad and because of this I have a file named Unfinished Projects in order to put any script, play I started and didn't finish. One of them I started in 1994 and I don't end it yet.

Writing is easy. Sometimes I don't feel like doing it but 90% of the time, I enjoy it. The other 10% is discipline. The mind gets scattered sometimes, which is when you need to think about getting your priorities straight. Sometimes writing is one you're neglecting. And, like I said, sometimes I just don't feel like doing it. The bottom line is I like writing and if you're doing something you like, it should be easy.

I used to love writing, now it's just horrible and frustrating. There was a time a few years ago where I felt kind of wrong if I didn't write at least a little bit every day. Now I go weeks and months without writing a single word, and that suits me just fine. It's a horrible, frustrating, endlessly annoying process that 90% of the time ends with me getting drunk and passing out.

Every once in a while though, I find it easy and sort of relaxing, of course that is the exception. Most of the time I just don't bother.

Matt.

I'm with Matt here, I can go ages just sitting in front of my laptop doing sweet FA. Sometimes it just come to me but other times it just flows. I use to try and force myself but ending up writing complete nonesense jibberish and deleting it. Now I just write when it feels right and if it doesn't, then fine.

Quoted from chism

It's a horrible, frustrating, endlessly annoying process that 90% of the time ends with me getting drunk and passing out.

I've actually read somewhere that writers as a group are some of the most depressed people and also have the highest incidence (?) of being bi-polar. Not saying you are Matt, but your post made me think of that.

I usually have more ideas than I can possibly write. May not be original, unique or great, but at least I don't seem to have trouble coming up with ideas. I did however suffer a block last month where I ended up struggling forever with just a measly short short. First time ever that has happened and it was horrible, like pulling your own teeth out. If writing was like that all the time, I would probably quit.

Quoted from tomson

I've actually read somewhere that writers as a group are some of the most depressed people and also have the highest incidence (?) of being bi-polar.

Read it too. Kind of makes sense. People with problems to deal with reality are more likely to have well trained fantasy muscles.

In the mid 90's when I came home from school I was always excited and happy every night to write my book because it was the one thing that made me happy at the time.

I would like to have those feelings for writing again but it just doesn't happen.

Now all I have is half assed comments and that nervous feeling when you put up a script cause you're unsure if it will be enjoyed.

There are always stories that come as though a fount had been opened. Ideas and characters blazing through your skull until it splits and births a hiccupping little beast. My feelings are this - if writing is arduous or a struggle and every word feels like a brick then you're not writing the story you should.

I recently had a massive breakthrough working on a script called Crocodile Tears. In it, I subject the MC to absurd amounts of tragedy and manipulation. The turning point in the story came when I began to really love the character and sympathize with him.
It was then that I realized the characters are just reacting to the environment to create the plot.

Love your characters and they will love you back.
Your main focus should be showing the character, knowing the character, unearthing tidbits about them to reveal the archetypes of humanity, and most importantly, yourself.

I admit I am also the kind of person who writes only when the mood takes me. I have tried to force myself to write about anything and everything, as many people have said you must do. However I find that it does not help me in anyway...in fact forcing myself to write only makes the writer's block harder to get over.

Who believe that most of our characters have something of us?

Quoted Text

However I find that it does not help me in anyway...in fact forcing myself to write only makes the writer's block harder to get over.

There are things you can do to break through writer's block.
An exercise I recommend that has worked well for me is stream-of-consciousness.
I'm sure you've heard of it, but I don't know if you know how invaluable it is.

It's a simple exercise.
1. Give yourself three minutes.
2. Once you start the time you must start writing.
3. Under no circumstance do you stop writing. Even if you are just writing the stupid things that pop into your head. Even if you are just writing I...I...I... over and over, you must not stop typing.

This exercise opens the floodgates and, most importantly, lets you feel comfortable putting pen to paper again.

Don't have anything to write about? Write about breakfast, who gives a f u c k? it's just an exercise.

Also, turning off the critical mind is good. If you feel yourself thinking "Aw, no one will like this." Or "That sounds like s h i t," that is when it is most important to continue writing. Don't let the critics in your head shout the loudest. Make your characters the wildest of the bunch bouncing through your brain and who cares whether anyone else likes em, they are your children, pour it all into them.

One problem I really must get over is trying to please everyone.

e.g

I write a script and 2 people view it

Person A says he does not like a certain thing about the script...so I change it

Person B says he preferred it the other way...so I change it back

Person A says it would be a bit better if I added "such and such"...so I do

Person B says I should change my new addition slightly and move it to "wherever"...I do

and so on

This makes writing very hard and is something I really must learn to stop doing

Hey Pumpkinhead, about what you said I act this way:

I write a script and 2 people view it

Person A says he does not like a certain thing about the script...so I just say I'll change it but won't

Person B says he preferred it the other way...so I just say I'll change it back and forget it

Person A says it would be a bit better if I added "such and such"...so I pretend to do it

Person B says I should change my new addition slightly and move it to "wherever"...I do on contrary and begin to write othe script!

and so on
;-)

P-head, that is 1000% the problem.
(heh heh, don't mean nothing by P-head)

I think it would behoove you to start with a solid foundation of story structure. Robert Mckee has an excellent book (you've probably heard of it), it's simply titled Story.

Beyond that, I think I can send you something that would help. It's the 'formula' that Hollywood uses. It is an outline for any standard 120 page script and shows all the key elements you should have in your plot and shows precisely where the Major and Minor Acts start. I know it sounds stupid, but trust me. This structure is based on sound literary theory.

Once you've mastered this structure then throw it out the window. I think that ultimately you can refine the elements of storytelling into a very simple formula.
Goal + Obstacles + Overcoming = Plot. Once you've got these you can twist them anyway you want and it doesn't matter how many people read it, they will get it.

sure send it. I'll PM you my email if you want it.

Ya, PM me and I'll send it to you. I can't do it right now because I'm at work and it's on my home computer.

If, for nothing else, you use it as a reference it will still help you understand story structure better.

Quoted from tomson

I believe this to be true. Depressed people are, by definition, skilled in self-criticism. That said, they judge their own work harshly -- which, in the end, may help to bring a better product to the table.

Seth

I think depression is part of the creative cycle.

David Lynch reckons that depression chokes creativity and that you don't need to suffer to write about suffering. I can come up with dark ideas when I'm down, but I usually have to be travelling well to develop them. But, yeah, I've battled with depression but having kids means I have to function everyday regardless of how I'm feeling, which has been a good skill to acquire. I think people can get a little self indulgent with depression sometimes and use it as an excuse to be irresponsible.

You see P-Head(sorry, it's funny), you can't rely on just two people to assess if your script is good or bad or what. The fact is that you're never going to have a unanimous opinion on your work. Never.

The closest you can come to is a majority, but in the case you've described, you're just changing things because of one review. Remember, a review is someone's opinion of your work. That's all. If they didn't like it, that's just their opinion. It doesn't even mean that your script sucks. Other people may love it. But you can't go changing your script because one person said they liked this part and another person said they didn't. You pretty much nailed it when you said:

Quoted Text

One problem I really must get over is trying to please everyone.

Exactly. Not everyone likes Star Wars. Not everyone likes steak. Just try your best with what you're writing and know the audience that you have in mind.

Quoted from tomson

I've actually read somewhere that writers as a group are some of the most depressed people and also have the highest incidence (?) of being bi-polar.

I believe it. I can imagine how it would be depressing to actually have enough time to sit down and write an entire movie, struggle with writing it, struggle with getting it sold, then watch as a couple of boneheads tear your work to pieces (not that that happens all the time). I can see where the stress would come from.

Still, I don't believe you have to be depressed to write by any means nor do I believe that being depressed makes your writing any better or, even, edgier or more emotional. These are statistics and nothing else, as far as I'm concerned.

I don't believe depression fosters creativity either - not directly anyway. Depression is simply just a byproduct of being bi-polar. I've never written, or accomplished much of anything, while feeling depressed; it's very counter-productive.

My best work comes when I'm angry or feel impassioned about something in my life. These emotions seem to spur me on, to bring out my creative side.

Below is an article concerning creativity & depression. It's, I think, interesting, especially as it relates to "self-reflection" and "rumination." How they arrived at the conclusion that major depressive disorders are 8 to 10 times more prevalent in writers and artists than the general population is a mystery. Still, for those interested, it's worth reading.

Quoted from American Psychological Association

Self-reflection may lead independently to creativity, depression

With major depressive disorder eight to 10 times more prevalent in writers and artists than in the general population, mental health researchers and practitioners have long linked creativity with a higher risk for depression.

However, a study in the June issue of Emotion (Vol. 5, No. 2) suggests that self-reflective rumination--a focus on the self and one's feelings--may explain artists' tendency toward depression, taking the blame off creativity itself.

"Depression is associated with inactivity, difficulty concentrating and lying in bed, which seems contrary to creativity," says study co-author Jutta Joormann, PhD, a Stanford University researcher. "But depressed people are more likely to ruminate, making depression act as an intermediary variable," given that rumination can also lead individuals to generate a large number of ideas and, in turn, artistic endeavors.

To reach this finding, Syracuse University psychology professor Paul Verhaeghen, PhD, Joormann and their colleagues instructed 99 undergraduates to complete questionnaires measuring current and past depressive symptoms, creative interests and self-reflective rumination. The students--who were culled from introductory psychology classes, fine arts classes, an arts and sciences honors program and a campus writers group--also participated in two creative behavior tests that measure fluency of imagination and originality.

The researchers found no direct link between depression and creativity. However, self-reflection was correlated with both an increased risk for depression and an interest in, and talent for, creative behavior.

Joormann suggests that people most likely to have the blues are also those most likely to express them.

However, Joormann notes that the study does not explain all of the variance of creative behavior since she and her colleagues used only a sample of college students.

In future studies, Verhaeghen and his colleagues aim to expand their subject pool beyond college students to established artists and nonartists. They may also induce subjects to self-ruminate. Future findings could even inform treatment for depression, possibly indicating clinicians could use imagination, role-playing and other such techniques to reduce people's self-reflective tendencies, Joormann says.

"Knowing that people with depression are more prone to self-rumination and creativity may be a good resource to use in therapy," she says.

--Z. STAMBOR

http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun05/selfreflection.html

Quoted from mgj

Depression is simply just a byproduct of being bi-polar.

There are many types of depression, ranging from mild to acute. The bi-polar type would be at the acute end of the scale. Bi-polar is the one where the person experiences highs that drive them into manic behaviour and then they hit lows and can feel suicidal.

Oh that kinda depression sucks. Sleeping 18 hours a day, not eating, not talking. Just lying there, doing nothing. It's incredibly counterproductive. Not good for business.

Matt.

This is an interesting thread and I'd like to drop some knowledge. heh heh, listening to hip-hop all night while I wrote.

There is a field of psychology called Darwinian Epistemology. It deals with the emergence of genius and looks at all the factors that influence its development. Now, it does not look at I.Q. genius but the type of intelligence that actually engenders social change or reformation. Genius is simply measured by its social impact.

They've found that trauma is one of the factors that influence divergent, or creative type mentalities. And it normally occurs during certain stages in the developmental periods.

Once the person turns into one's self as a coping mechanism, which is all personality is, they develop an internal compass. With this 'turning inside' they examine the layers of consciousness and also look for explanations in the external world. This gives them the 'ideas' for artistic expression.

Truly, if you want to become artistically expressive, I believe you should seek inside yourself, trying to find that spark of psyche that illuminates the deep corners of your mind.

Most people see these deep recesses of the mind only in shadows, but true self-exploration ultimately illumines these dark wells of the spirit.
Sometimes depression is a key to these aspects of the mind, but mostly I've observed people get stuck there. Depression can keep you bound to the shallow waters of the consciousness, perpetually stuck in self-absorption.

If you are depressed there is a reason. Use your mind to explore the reasons for depression and it can lead to creativity. It's a fine line to walk with the artistic temperment, but can lead to beautiful self-revelation.

That being said, a good book about Madness and creativity is "Touched with Fire," it is an evaluation of manic-depressive illness and the artistic temperament.

Interesting stuff electricsatori. I hope this doesn't mean you have to be depressed to be creative. There does seem to be some link though. I know Einstein had ADD, so did Chopin. People with autism can be very smart at certain things but their field of knowledge is very narrow.

Maybe having some sort of affliction, be it depression or whatever, forces the person to compensate in other areas - like a blind person whose other senses are heightened, a depressed person's creativity will be more fully developed if they can't expresss themselves outwordly. This makes sense to me since the brain is like any other muscle in our body and can become stronger with exercise.

Quoted from mgj

Actually a blind person's other senses aren't heightened, that's a myth perpetuated mostly by Hollywood (DareDevil, anyone?). Unfortunately I don't think such a compensation takes place, that a handicap is outweighed by an ability. It happens with savantism, but there are many autists out there with no Rain Main feats, and I imagine it's hard to live up to Hollywood's stereotypical image of autism.

But I think the notion of where and when 'genius' arises is an interesting one, and I certainly don't believe depression is intrinsically connected with creativity or talent. Thought it probably can be.

Quoted Text

Actually a blind person's other senses aren't heightened, that's a myth perpetuated mostly by Hollywood

Stevie Wonder has a great story of when he was younger. His brothers used to leap on top of the roofs in his town. There was a gap, but it was clearable. Not wanting to be left out, Stevie would shout, listening for the echo to see how far it was.
If that isn't heightened, I don't know what is.

If you want proof, try this little experiment. I did it myself while working on a story.
1. Clear a weekend out of your schedule.
2. Blindfold yourself. Make sure you can't cheat and see. (Two eye-patches should be sufficient.)
3. Under no circumstances should you take the blindfold off.
4. Try going different places; bars, restaurants, places where sounds and smells are rich.
4. Report back to me and tell me that compensation does not occur when one of the senses is removed.

Besides, developmental adaptation to traumatic events in regards to the formation of personality is what I was talking about. Does trauma genius make? No, but it spreads the soil in which avoidance of suffering through reflection can occur. I agree with you that in psychological development no certainties exist.

However, strong correlations do. Starve a child or monkey of love and attention or basic human contact and they will be so disadvantaged intellectually/emotionally that they will be incapable of standard socialization. Proof? No. I admit that. Strong enough correlation to draw basic assumptions? Yes.

Quoted Text

I certainly don't believe depression is intrinsically connected with creativity or talent. Thought it probably can be.

I will refer you back to my previous recommendation for your own research.

Quoted Text

...a good book about Madness and creativity is "Touched with Fire," it is an evaluation of manic-depressive illness and the artistic temperament.

Dean Keith Simonton's work is also good "Origins of Genius: Darwinian Perspectives on Creativity."

Howard Gardner, an eminent social scientist also examines the inner workings of genius in "Extraordinary Minds: Potraits of 4 Exceptional Individuals and an Examination of Our Own Extraordinariness."

Quoted from electricsatori

It isn't.

It's just relying on the senses you have. You could do that too if you trained.

Quoted Text

If you want proof, try this little experiment. I did it myself while working on a story.
1. Clear a weekend out of your schedule.
2. Blindfold yourself. Make sure you can't cheat and see. (Two eye-patches should be sufficient.)
3. Under no circumstances should you take the blindfold off.
4. Try going different places; bars, restaurants, places where sounds and smells are rich.
4. Report back to me and tell me that compensation does not occur when one of the senses is removed.

From a blind person:

http://www.eloquentinsights.com/blind.htm

The single most often repeated myth about blindness is the belief that we have a superior sense of hearing. Variations include: �People who are blind have higher attuned senses,� or �Blind people are more intuitive,� or �Blindness gives you a kind of sixth sense as a way to compensate.�

Let's clear this up right now. People who are blind do not have bionic hearing. This is a myth. There is no science that suggests people who have vision loss have better hearing than everyone else. This myth is repeated so often, everyone tends to believe that it must be true. It is not. Media portrayals of persons who are blind only seem to perpetuate this idea in our culture. Movies such as �Daredevil,� where the lead character becomes blind as the result of an accident and subsequently acquires superhuman attributes, has done little to shine the bright light of truth on these ridiculous misperceptions. Not only do movies like this do little to advance the cause of the disability community, they alter the way we are treated as a result.

Here is a specific example. Years ago, I was placed in the unfortunate position of having to complain to my apartment manager about my noisy neighbors in the building in which I lived. The apartment manager would do nothing, as he evidently believed the �heightened senses� myth. �Well, you have more sensitive hearing,� he explained, �so they just seem louder to you.�

When I meet someone with whom I've spoken in the recent past and inquire as to their latest health malady, they are astounded. �My goodness! You are so sensitive and in tune with other people. It must be because you're blind.� No, it's because I was actually listening to you when you told me you weren't feeling very well three weeks ago. I'm not distracted by your clothes, your car or your mannerisms; I'm paying attention to you instead. Unusual, yes. Extra sensory perception, no.

Quoted Text

Besides, developmental adaptation to traumatic events in regards to the formation of personality is what I was talking about. Does trauma genius make? No, but it spreads the soil in which avoidance of suffering through reflection can occur. I agree with you that in psychological development no certainties exist.

However, strong correlations do. Starve a child or monkey of love and attention or basic human contact and they will be so disadvantaged intellectually/emotionally that they will be incapable of standard socialization. Proof? No. I admit that. Strong enough correlation to draw basic assumptions? Yes.

I don't understand your point here. Pretend I'm 4 and go again.

Quoted Text

I don't understand your point here. Pretend I'm 4 and go again.

Personality forms as a response to the environment. Natural, or convergent, development occurs when a child is raised in a nurturing environment. However, when there is a traumatic event, specifically the loss of a parent or loved one, the child will not adapt in a normal way. Not only this, but their consciousness is now confronted by a startling new revelation - mortality.
The mind does not give up so easy though. It becomes creative dealing now with all of this anxiety. It seeks ways to supplant the knowledge of the inevitability of its death. Children seek out alternate coping mechanisms (reading, meditating, religion, art), any endeavor that draws them away from the anxiety and sorrow.
The effect on personality in instances like this is staggering. Too numerous to list.

I do not believe depression is beneficial for the arts. . .unless seen in a realistic light. Forms of depression not related to organic problems (dementia, bi-polar, et al. . .) are the mind informing us of an imbalance. Through introspection we can see the reasons for depression and ultimately overcome. We might need to change destructive cycles in our life, get out of a horrible work environment, or leave an abusive spouse. Whatever way we choose to seek an answer, whether it be through artistic expression or just quitting the job, a change needs to occur.

I'm really enjoying your views on this subject. I will concede I was talking about a different form of adaptation in regards to blindness. I was talking about compensation and not echolocation as 'Daredevil' employs. However, Stevie Wonder's use of echolocation, although interesting, is not abnormal. I agree that anybody could be trained to do the same.

Hold the presses though. . .

From current research with the visually impaired:

Quoted Text

For the visually impaired, information provided by sound is particularly important in recognizing their surroundings since they have difficulty in using visual information. That is, they mainly perceive attributes of various objects and spatial information around them utilizing sound. Therefore, the sound localization acuity of visually impaired people is estimated to be better than that of sighted people. Several studies of this topic have shown that the sound localization acuity of blind
adults is higher than that of sighted adults and adults with lateonset
blindness.
. . .4. Conclusion
The authors measured the sound localization blind and sighted adults in a horizontal plane, the acuity of the blind with that of the sighted. . .that the acuity of the blind is significantly superior than the sighted for both sound localization and distance perception at any azimuth of the horizontal plane.

http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ast/27/5/290/_pdf

Basically it states that the blind can determine the distance and location of a sound better than sighted people.

That's interesting, but I still don't think it says that blind people have heightened senses.

The guild for the blind says:

HEIGHTENED SENSES MYTH � Many people are under the impression that when a person loses one sense that the others become better developed. This is only a myth�there is no scientific evidence of heightened abilities. Those affected, however, may appear to have better hearing or sense of touch, but what is really happening is that they have learned to use and rely on these other senses out of necessity, therefore, they attend more readily to these stimuli than those with all senses intact.

http://www.guildfortheblind.org/GFTB/guildfortheblind.org/programs/information/geninfo.htm

Another experiment I read about where normally sighted people were blind folded and went up against blind people in determining an objects location, the blind people faired better, but only slightly. What the experiment concluded was that blind people, through years of their condition, have honed their skills to a greater degree that people who are used to using their eyes. However, their senses were not heightened.

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/195