Chinese woman with cerebral palsy pens 130,000-word novel

A 34-year-old woman with cerebral palsy in Chengdu, southwest Chinas Sichuan Province, has penned a 130,000-word novel with a single finger.

Chen Yuan could only use the index finger of her left hand to type on the keyboard, China Disabled Persons' Federation reported. She followed this rather exhaustive method to finish her full-length novel "Grandma on the Clouds". The novel took three years for its completion.

When she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of one, her mother intended to give her up but it was her grandmother who stuck to raising the author by herself, perhaps the reason behind the novel's title.

Yuan's grandmother taught her how to read and basic arithmetic and tried to help her get educational opportunities. However, Chen dropped out of middle school, as she could not keep up with others. Soon after, her grandma passed away from pancreatic cancer. The double blow worsened her condition.

She is now a member of the Writers Association of Sichuan Province. And her novel, published in 2014 and made into a microfilm, won many awards and encouraged many others.

--IANS

ss/vm