Writing with Neurodiversity

A new blog dedicated to helping writers learn how to write characters who are neurodiverse. Neurodiverse can have two meanings depending on what it is talking about. When referring to individuals, it simply means that the individual(s) in question have neurologies that are atypical.

[elumish]

Growth and Failure

The longer the story, the more failures there should be and the greater the change that should occur.

This is the case for anything you write, but the more episodic the series is, the more this holds true. TV series, ongoing web series, and web comics are the most obvious examples of this.

Basically what this means is that your characters can’t succeed at everything they try to do. One thing about shows like Supernatural (the early seasons) is that you as the viewer know that, for the most part, by the end of every episode, the Monster of the Week will have been defeated and everyone you care about will still be alive and healthy. There are overarching plots, but they are tangential to most episodes and don’t affect much.

In Stargate SG-1, on the other hand, they spend eight season facing one major enemy (the Goa’uld), and they spend many of the episodes fighting the Goa’uld in some form or another. And sometimes they fail and the Goa’uld win, and sometimes they win and that later helps the Goa’uld win, and sometimes they don’t fight the Goa’uld at all, and those missions may be either successful or not to a lesser degree. Beyond that, there are lower level failures: they try to make a spaceship and it almost kills some of them, they try to make a new spaceship, it doesn’t work as hoped at a pivotal moment and they almost lose the entire planet, they build a giant spaceship and it gets stolen (briefly), they build more giant spaceships and one gets shot down over a planet and then later they need to get that spaceship home and it (temporarily) gets stuck in a giant sentient gas cloud. All of this means that sometimes they don’t have a spaceship that can do what they need even though they’ve been trying to build one for most of the show, but at the end of the show, they end up with spaceships whose capabilities and weaknesses play a pivotal role in the show.*

My point in recounting all of that (other than to get you all to watch Stargate) is to show that, especially when you have a long series where you want to show a great deal of growth (and I’ll explain why you need that in a second), you can’t just have them win every time they try to grow or every time they try to defeat an enemy. You have to have them fail, too, or there will be no stakes and it will be hard to suspend disbelief.

So…why do you need growth?

Basically, if you end up in the same place that you started, what was the point of your story?

Well, you cry, they defeated the major enemy. Isn’t that enough?

And to that I ask (because I like holding imaginary teaching sessions): If they could defeat the major enemy (or if they could get the girl/boy/non-binary person, or if they could get into the school they wanted, or if they could do whatever else they want to do) with the capabilities they had in the beginning, why didn’t they? There is no need for a story if your characters have everything they need to succeed when the story starts.

And as for why you need failure? Here are three reasons.

One, failure is realistic. Things rarely work well on the first try, especially more than once, which means that the more things a character (or group, organization, etc.) is trying, the more they should fail. If you think about someone trying to learn a language, they basically never (without an eidetic memory) remember all words the first time they see/hear them, or use grammar perfectly on the first try, or pronounce every word correctly. They will get some, but they will rarely get all. The same should go for someone who is trying to learn how to fight, for example. Even if you get everything right the first time you are shown it (which may or may not happen), you’re not going to get it right every time. You might fail more at some things than at others, or fail at the same thing over and over. Sometimes it’s because you don’t understand how to do it, sometimes it’s because your brain and your body aren’t communicating well, and sometimes it’s because your muscles just aren’t strong enough or your body isn’t flexible enough for it to work. Those are all failures that can and do happen in real life.

Two, failure raises the stakes. If you know the main characters are going to succeed at everything they try, or that their failures aren’t going to have any consequences beyond that episode (or chapter, etc.), there are no stakes. There is no concern for whether the character will do well or whether they will be ready in time, because they always are. There is no risk, because there is no failure.

Three, failure is interesting. As we see in Stargate, entire episodes can be built around failures. Failures make for interesting storylines, and sometimes successes that turn into failures can turn into even more interesting storylines. You defeat the Big Bad only to have a Bigger Bad rise up because of it? That’s a great storyline, and shows what was ultimately a failure by the characters. You stop someone for personal reasons at the expense of stopping someone for strategic reasons? Great storyline, because it not only prolongs and changes the conflict, it also adds an opportunity for personal growth and/or conflict into the mix.

With that, failures can also cause really interesting interpersonal interactions. Let’s so all of the characters are counting on Bob to pull off one part of the plan, and despite trying his best, Bob fails. Now everyone blames Bob (or maybe some subset of them blame Bob, depending on their personalities) and it causes tension in the group. Maybe this tension ultimately leads to Bob leaving because he can’t take the blame anymore. Now you have a splintered group all from Bob’s one failure.

What types of growth and failure can you have?

(I’m glad you asked, me.)

Here are some examples (primarily for militaristic/adventure type stories, but there’s a mix)**:

Building an army (or a group of people)

Not be able to convince people to join

Have traitors in the midst

Have large numbers die/be killed

Have people defect

Have ideological/strategic differences with allies

Building a new form a transportation

Not have it ready in time

Have it not go far enough

Have it not go fast enough

Have it fail mid-journey

Have it explode mid-journey

Building a weapon

Not have it ready in time

Have it not work

Have it explode in testing

Have it fail during use

Learning to fight

Not be ready in time

Hurt self while training

Not have the strength

Not have the endurance

Learning magic

Lose control

Not have the magical capacity

Not understand the theory

Not perform key rituals

Perform key rituals wrong

Not have key materials

Learning a language

Forget vocabulary

Forget grammar

Not understand grammar

Be unable to pronounce words

Be unable to understand spoken words

Misunderstand nuances

Translating/decoding something

Misunderstand nuances

Mistranslate words

Know the wrong dialect

Have the wrong key

Looking for something

Follow misleading clues

Have someone else find it first

Taking territory

Not have sufficient forces

Not have sufficient ability to break walls

Lose too many forces

Be unable to hold territory

Getting a romantic partner

Cheat

Make bad decisions while intoxicated

Forget significant dates/events

Say inappropriate or mean things

Misunderstand what is being said

Miscommunicate

Getting a degree

Not having enough money

Not studying enough

Not getting good enough grades

Not having the time

Having other life issues that distract from it

Forming a government

Have ideological splits

Have political splits

Have factions form

Have coup attempts

Be unable to govern

Be unable to create a working organizational structure

Be unable to create adequate civil service (police, roads, etc.)

*Of course, Stargate has some of its own issues with this, like the fact that Daniel has been brought back to life more than once, so the viewers stop believing that Daniel is ever actually dead.

**When I use the term failure, I don’t mean that it is the fault of the character or organization (necessarily, though in some cases it might be). I just mean that it is not-success.

[writing-questions-answered]

Advice: Too Little Action in Dialogue

Including action with dialogue is just about not having “talking heads.” In other words, you don’t want something like this: “Did you have fun at the park?” Marissa asked. “Yeah, we stayed all afternoon and fed the ducks,” Betty replied. “I wish I had been there. The board meeting ran late and I got stuck in traffic on the way home.” “That stinks. Do you want to go with me to Angie’s party later?” “Sure,” said Marissa. The problem with this dialogue is that Marissa and Betty are just talking heads. They don’t seem to have arms or legs and we can’t tell what environment they’re in. But, if you slip in a little action, the whole conversation changes: Marissa slid into the booth across from Betty. “Did you have fun at the park?”  “Yeah, we stayed all afternoon and fed the ducks,” Betty replied, removing two menus from the edge of the table and handing one to Marissa. “I wish I had been there. The board meeting ran late and I got stuck in traffic on the way home.”  “That stinks,” Betty frowned. The conversation paused momentarily as the two women looked over the cafe’s selections. A cute server came over to take their order, and Betty couldn’t help but flirt with him as Marissa teased her with a subtle eye roll. As soon as he left, Betty leaned forward and asked, “Do you want to go with me to Angie’s party later?” “Sure,” said Marissa, grinning broadly. Now suddenly the scene has more context. At the very least we know they’re in a cafe ordering lunch, but we also learn some things about how the two characters interact with each other and others around them. So, adding action to dialogue isn’t really about writing long descriptions. It’s just about finding ways your characters can move around, interact with their environment, and interact with each other. Try to imagine the scene before you write it, almost as if you’re watching it in a movie or TV show. Think about where they are and the kinds of things they’re doing while they talk, then include them. :)

[artmania-feed]

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[writingwithneurodiversity]

Is there a divide between selective mutism and nonverbalism in the autism spectrum?

Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder, whereas being nonverbal as an autistic doesn’t normally stem from anxiety alone. Being nonverbal as an autistic normally has other causes- sensory issues, executive dysfunction, etc.

the DSM-5 moved selective mutism from the section "Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence" to the section for anxiety disorders

Although autistic people may also be selectively nonverbal, they display other behaviors—hand flapping, repetitive behaviors, social isolation even among family members (not always answering to name, for example)—that set them apart from a child with selective mutism.

Hope that helps! If you google the two you should find some useful information too.

[singingwithoutwords]

ACTION 1. standing ankle deep in water that glows 2. kneeling in the center of a decaying temple 3. walking in the rain, with no destination 4. stalking a strange creature through the city streets 5. standing at the edge of a cliff, staring into the distance 6. mingling at a masquerade, searching for someone specific 7. crouching in the shadow of a ruined wall, cursing their luck 8. wandering through a forest in the middle of the night

APPEARANCE 1. not all white wings belong to angels 2. casual defiance of gender stereotypes 3. the reality of long hair, flowing gowns, and nature 4. raised in a culture where clothing is optional 5. scars that are revered and scars that are reviled 6. voluntary body modification 7. no one asks to be changed like this 8. crossed with a non-mammal

ELEMENTS 1. fire that does not rage 2. soft, barely-there winds 3. stagnant waters 4. shifting, untrustworthy earth 5. life that is selfish and greedy 6. death that is giving 7. darkness that nurtures 8. light that destroys

EXTRAS 1. forces beyond our control 2. things the ancients left behind 3. destiny versus free will 4. doing the wrong thing for the right reason 5. doing the right thing for the wrong reason 6. playing god 7. wanting what you can’t have 8. never knowing there was a word for it

[autisticadvocacy]

I am NT w/ a 5 y.o. niece who sometimes won't speak, including sometimes when speaking would benefit her (e.g. she is distressed by something but won't tell what--it may turn out she is chilly or hungry, etc). I don't notice other signs of Autism, but today it made me wonder, and even if she's not Autistic, maybe she struggles with language. How would you ask a small child whether she's not speaking because she temporarily can't? Any tips for how to communicate better with her when this happens?

Suggestions for anon?

[lysikan]

First, get a professional to help figure it out.

In the meantime, you can try things like asking specific questions, such as “are you hot?” “are you hungry?” (“do you want a sandwich/soup/whatever?” is probably better). DON’T stop asking at the first “yes” - check to see if the “yes” or nodding head is just an automatic response by asking a few more questions. Contradictory ones can help weed out automatic “yes” - “are you hot” followed by “are you cold”.

The important part is they must be yes/no questions and as specific as you can make them. “are you hungry” could be difficult - many times I do not know that I am, I just know I feel off, but asking me if I want shrimp or a sandwich makes my head click and oh yeah, I’m hungry.

As you practice this you’ll probably notice that fussiness is usually confined to just a few things and can tailor your list to be the most likely causes first.

Hope that was helpful.

[mamatosnuggles-deactivated20151]

Another thing is don’t make a big deal about it. My son is 5, and autistic, and if you pressure him, he shuts down. I tell him “Hey, deep with,” and I take a deep breath, and say “Can we slow down and figure out what’s wrong? Are you hungry, thirsty, or hurting?” If he says the last thing, I switch them around. If it’s the same answer, I fulfill that need. I tell him “Remember, if Damien is hungry, he says ‘Mama, I’m hungry,’ so next time, just tell mama, okay?” and it usually works unless he’s really excited. If he forgets, no big deal. it takes a lot of work from everyone, though. My whole house has figured out what his grunts and noises mean, and it’s hard to break them of the habit to just give him what he wants. If he doesn’t grasp a concept immediately, no big deal, we come back to it later. It’s work for another day when he’s more receptive.

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Hi! I have an issue with sentence length and passive vs. active writing. For sentence length, most of my sentences are short. It's almost as if I'm too afraid to use long sentences, because I've been told all my life that run on sentences are extremely distasteful. How can I overcome this hesitance I have? And for passive versus active voice, I understand the concept, I just don't quite understand when it's appropriate to use either. I've also been told "was" and "be" are words to avoid. Help?

The simplest way to start working with longer sentences is to see how you can combine the short sentences you already have into compound or complex sentences. I find compound sentences easier:

June looked up slowly. The behemoth towered over her. It seemed not to have noticed her yet.

In this example, I would choose to combine the second and third sentences, because they’re both talking about the same subject. So it would look like this:

June looked up slowly. The behemoth towered over her, but it seemed not to have noticed her yet.

Varying your sentence structure may take practice, but it’s almost always better than having all long sentences or all short sentences, like Gary Provost says. 

Active and passive voice are not exactly the same as whether or not you should use ‘was’ or ‘be.’ In a sentence that uses active voice, the subject completes the action:

The behemoth attacked June!

A sentence written in passive voice is ‘backwards,’ meaning that the subject is not the one actually DOING the action:

June was attacked by the behemoth!

An sentence in active voice feels more immediate; it gives the subject agency as well as focus. That doesn’t always make it the best choice. Sometimes you want to emphasize the lack of action from your subject, emphasizing what’s being done TO her. Just be careful with that, because it can easily paint that subject as a victim.

You can also use forms of ‘to be’ as linking verbs in descriptive sentences. While these sentences aren’t active, they’re not exactly passive either, because they don’t have someone else performing an action on the subject:

The behemoth’s breath was hot and rancid.

In each case, it’s about choices. There’s nothing inherently wrong with short sentences or long sentences or active voice or passive voice or even run-ons! But it’s helpful to know how to use different techniques, so that you can choose what works best for each situation as you write.

[writerswritecompany]

Fantasy Bingo

Source for Comic: Book Riot

[poems-and-words]

[writeworld-blog]

Writer’s Block

A picture says a thousand words. Write them.

Mission: Write a story, a description, a poem, a metaphor, a commentary, or a critique about this picture. Write something about this picture.

Be sure to tag writeworld in your block!

[ink-and-daggers]

catchpoint

“Catch points and trap points are types of turnout which act as railway safety devices. Both work by guiding railway carriages and trucks from a dangerous route onto a separate, safer track. Catch points are used to derail vehicles which are out of control on steep slopes (known as runaways).”

November 2011, Salt Lake City, Utah. Caleb Krauss, just shy of his sixteenth birthday, survives another day in a home that is in a state of continual dysfunction. Diagnosed with autism as toddlers, Caleb and his sister’s daily lives revolve around intensive therapy and biomedical interventions that their parents believe will eventually lead to a cure. Lonely and presumed incompetent, Caleb copes through his joyful obsessions, which include freight trains, Hayao Miyazaki movies, and the sweet neurotypical boy who volunteers in his special education class. But when Caleb discovers labor martyr Joe Hill and is inspired to run away from home, both his and his family’s routines and isolation become suddenly derailed.

In short, a queer, autistic, train-hopping teenager runs away from his abusive curebie family, leading to a massively misguided law enforcement investigation into his disappearance.

I’m going to make this into a comic when I get a little more time and drawing skills. I’m trying to put together a proposal for an autism-related publisher, so if you could reblog this so I can show them people would be interested that would be really cool. :)

[ink-and-daggers]

Ok. I’m doing this. Shooting for mid November to start putting it online.

[ink-and-daggers]

Reblog if you can, it would be nice to get the word out more. I have secured a publisher (Autonomous Press), but this will be available for free online before and after the book(s) come out.

[writingwithneurodiversity]

I'm writing a deaf and mute character, and I'm thinking he communicates mainly through sign language, or writing if he absolutely has to. At the start of the story, he ends up pretty much alone in a new place where he doesn't know anyone (and everyone has superpowers). He sees auras and ends up befriending an invisible girl, since he's the only one who sees her. I was planning on making her already knowing sign language, but part of me feels like that's sort of cheating, somehow. (1/2)

(2/2) I do have reasoning in her history for her to know sign language (she has a sister who manipulates sound, so they would hide from their other sibling invisible and silent and sign to each other to communicate), and had actually decided that she used sign language before I even came up with the deaf and mute character, so it isn't totally out random or out of the blue. Even so, I'm worried that it feels forced that he happened to meet one of the two people in the whole place who knows sign.

(Same anon who sent the two-part ask about a deaf and mute character and sign language; sorry this is so long D:) I should probably make it clear too that part of his story will include him having difficulties and frustration communicating with people who are not the invisible girl and her sister, so I'm not using her knowing sign language as a "and so it's not a problem at all" type thing.

Actually I really like this idea. I think the idea of a deaf and nonverbal character being thrown into a new world and having to learn how to communicate with people will be a nice parallel to how it is in the real world, too.

I think the idea of the invisible girl also knowing sign language would come as a surprise to your MC. He probably wouldn’t expect the girl to be able to communicate with him, and probably could express frustration in some aspect. Maybe he just ends up signing something to himself and she oversees him and signs back. Maybe he treats her as he does everyone else who can’t communicate and she makes it apparent that she can sign as well. I think the way you go about it will be the way that makes it something that makes sense to people.

Let me know if this helped or not!

[danielle-writes]

Some advice for when you’re writing and find yourself stuck in the middle of a scene:

kill someone

ask this question: “What could go wrong?” and write exactly how it goes wrong

switch the POV from your current character to another - a minor character, the antagonist, anyone

stop writing whatever scene you’re struggling with and skip to the next one you want to write

write the ending

write a sex scene

use a scene prompt

use sentence starters

read someone else’s writing

Never delete. Never read what you’ve already written. Pass Go, collect your $200, and keep going.

[bookcharactersthough]

This is the literal best writing advice I have ever read. Period.

[thescriptlab]

Don’t judge it. Just write it. Don’t judge it. It’s not for you to judge it.

Philip Roth (via thescriptlab)

[realsocialskills]

Thoughts on doing right by nonspeaking people

Anonymous said to realsocialskills:

I thought your post about kids with autism was great… but tbh I feel like a lot of autism resources ignore autistic people who are less self aware? For example, my sister, who has autism and is unaware of it + cannot speak… where are the resources that apply to her?

How can I help and support her? I feel like people with autism like her are frequently ignored in these kinds of posts.

realsocialskills said:

Several things:

Remember how much you don’t know:

You can’t really say definitively that your sister isn’t aware of autism

There is no reliable way to assess receptive language in someone without reliable expressive communication

Ie: You know that your sister can’t talk; you don’t know what she understands

Some tests can show that someone *does* understand language, but they can never show definitively that they *don’t*

Your sister may understand language; she may not. There’s no reliable way to be sure

It’s important to keep both possibilities in mind

Dave Hingsburger wrote a couple of good posts about interacting with nonspeaking people who may or may not understand language here and here

Keeping in mind the possibility that she understands language (or that she might be able to learn how to use language):

Talk to her like she understands

Tell her about things you think she might want to know (including autism)

Tell her that you can what she thinks, and that you know she might understand you

When you make choices related to her, explain them to her

Tell her what’s going on and what’s going to happen, whether or not she demonstrates understanding

Have books around about things she might want to know about

Turn the TV or radio to things you think she might be interested in

If she’s a child, put her in educational settings in which she’s hearing lessons on grade-level material, whether or not she’s able to demonstrate comprehension

Keep trying for communication support

Regarding communication support:

There are a *lot* of different things to try

A month-long trial is not long enough to determine whether a communication strategy will work for someone

Some people can use a system right away; some people need months of being shown how it works and experimentation before they can use it

You don’t have to use simpler systems before you can do more complex things

One of the things you should try is a high-tech AAC system based on core vocabulary.

Speak For Yourself has some advantages over most other systems (including that they have good resources for people supporting family members without much professional support)

This is a good post on the importance of trying things, with some suggestions of things to try. (It’s written by a parent of a young child, but it’s also relevant for people supporting older children or adults).

Human-supported systems like a PODD book work better for some people

Signed languages like ASL work well for some people

The Rapid Prompting Method works for some people nothing else works for. (It’s particularly effective for people with severe apraxia or severe attention problems.)

Facilitated Communication/Supported Typing also works well for some people who other methods don’t work for. (It has major drawbacks and risks, including the fact that a lot of people will assume that her communication isn’t real. But it does work well for some people.)

Multi-sensory systems like Makaton also work for some people (but systems that allow for more open forms of communication are better)

tl;dr There are a *lot* of approaches to supporting communication, and it’s important to keep trying to find one that will work for her

Keep in mind the possibility that she does not understand language, or that she needs help understanding it:

She might not understand words

She might need pictures or symbols to help her understand words

She might need simplified language (but don’t make *everything* simplified, because that might not be what she needs. It’s a guess)

Whether or not she understands language, she does think, and her thoughts matter

She likes and dislikes things, and that matters too

(Self-awareness and language aren’t the same thing)

Make room for stuff she cares about:

If you think she likes, cares about, or is interested in something, find ways of making that thing available to her

Even if it’s things like watching the same clips on YouTube over and over, or spinning things.

If those things are important to her, then they’re important

Create opportunities for her to try new things. (Not forced. But like, offer her different kinds of food and books and stuff to watch on TV and places to go.)

Let it be an end in itself

Don’t make everything she likes into therapy

And *especially* don’t make everything she likes into a reinforcer to get her to do what you want

She has the right to like things, be interested in things, and have time that is her own

Help her to find a peer group:

If she doesn’t know any other autistic people, that’s a problem

If she doesn’t know any other nonspeaking people, that’s a problem

If the only time she spends with other disabled people is in tightly regimented special education or therapeutic settings, that’s also a problem

It’s important for disabled people to have the opportunity to meet and interact with other disabled people

This is particularly important for disabled people whose communication is thoroughly atypical.

Eg: there may be other autistic people who readily understand her body language

Not all disabled people will be friends, and it’s important not to force it

It’s also important to create opportunities

(And to make sure she’s seen pictures and videos of other people who look like her.)

Find ways of listening to her:

Whether or not she uses language, she’s communicating some things in some ways

Find ways of listening to her

Pay attention to what she does, and how she’s reacting to things, and what you think she might mean

(Do keep in mind that you’re guessing — it’s easy to misunderstand nonverbal communication when someone has no words or unambiguous symbolic gestures to correct you with).

Tell her, through words and actions, that you care about understanding what she’s telling you

Eg: Say explicitly things like “I think you are trying to tell me something. I’m not sure what you mean, but I’m trying to understand.”

Then when you think you know what she means, don’t ignore it; act on it

Whether or not she understands your words, it’s likely that saying them will help her to understand that you care. (It will also remind you to care).

The more you work on listening to her, the more often you will understand her communication

Creative arts therapists might be helpful:

Some creative arts therapists (particularly music therapists) do good work with nonspeaking people

They can often find expressive and receptive communication that others don’t find

They can also help to figure out what someone likes

(Make sure the person you go to isn’t also a behaviorist. Behavior therapists are not good at this and they tend to cause other problems).

Share what you know about her communication:

If others think she doesn’t communicate, tell them what you know or suspect about her communication

Sometimes they will use what you tell them to communicate with her

Even if they don’t believe you, the fact that you think she communicates will often make them treat her better

Don’t make decisions for her that she can make for herself:

eg: If she understands what clothing is and can pick a shirt, don’t decide for her which shirt to wear

If there are different kinds of food, don’t pick for her; ask her what she wants

If she’s in a social setting with other people; don’t prompt her into interacting with particular people. Being nonspeaking doesn’t make you the boss of her social life.

Just generally, don’t script everything. Respect her space and see what she initiates and chooses.

And if she needs help choosing, don’t take over; offer support

Eg: If she’s overwhelmed by the number of shirts she has, try picking up two and asking which one.

tl;dr If someone doesn’t speak, it’s important not to assume they’re unable to understand language — and also important not to assume that they do. In either case, it’s important to listen to them, speak to them respectfully, work on finding ways to support their communication, make room for their interests, and respect their decisions.

[writingwithneurodiversity]

Writers skype group!

Still plenty of space for the skype group! Writers, camp nano-participants or not, are welcome~  It’s good to bounce ideas off each other, to vent/laugh/share inspiration or prompts, ideas, etc. 

If you’d like to join, send me an ask with your skype name! I’d just give mine out but you’d never find me, as apparently there’s a good hundred people with the same name as me.

[writingwithneurodiversity]

Love your tumblr. Just wanted to comment on the 'limits of the human body' post and don't know how on tumblr ;) Survival experts have a rule of thumb called the rule of threes - 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food. Some individuals might be able to live longer but those are the standards that the average person can make it in a survival scenario.

Thanks! :D

In the future you can just reblog a post to add a comment to it, I believe. But this works too~