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Heyoooo!!
This is a topic very close to me and one I want to do rightā¦
and apparentlyā¦I might be Neurodivergent?? XDā¦.I looked it up and uhhh apparently Tourette syndrome falls under that. And OCD does sometimes (I have Tourettic OCD)
I also think (but I donāt wanna claim it???? Idk how to say this without claiming it but while researching for Jocelyn I just am like āummm that sounds like me XDā think I could have a bit of inattentive ADHD or mixed ADHD but who knows.
ANYWAY!
Most all of my MCs have some form of neurodivergence, or psychological trauma, or neurological ādisorder.ā (I dislike calling them that)
And a lot of them are things I myself struggle with, or I know others around me struggle with.
For instance, intrusive thoughts and OCD. Iāve been especially struggling with those as of late.
Intrusive thoughts, especially as a child of God, when you also have the enemy quickening thoughts to you to try and derail you, is an insanely rough thing to go through, and someone who doesnāt have REAL intrusive thoughts wonāt understand what itās like.
To those who donāt have it, theyād look on and say āMan thatās being dramatic, or overreactive,ā and thatās even some of the thoughts we have ourselves. Yes I do tend to play the victim, because my thoughts encapsulate me so much and with intrusive thoughts it is an onslaught sometimes.
There have been times where the only way to get rid of certain things is to repeat one phrase, sentence, or word over and over and over again in my head until I fall asleep, or I feel better, or those thoughts leave.
This is how it is for me sometimes, and itās not fun! People who donāt truly have this, wonāt understand it.
anyway, I thought this would be a good place to share tips and tricks for writing neurological/psychological diversity and share some of our own personal struggles to kind of help each other understand how to write our charries better?
Like the above, if someone is writing a character who has OCD/Intrusive thoughts that might be helpful to know.
Also idk about anyone else, but even tho I struggle with a lot of issues, I find it hard to write about them sometimes. Idk why.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
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Building on Godly’s volunteering of advice, I have synesthesia, repetitive ticks (not sure if they’re as intense as Tourette’s, but they can hurt), and some really weird sensitivities (usually tied to touch or smell) I can’t diagnose that easily overwhelm me. (Some of these quirks are so obvious, my family teases me and calls me pet names based on them šš) I’m not going to list them off the bat, because they’re kinda embarrassing, but if you want to know what they are, I’ll elaborate.
So if anyone wants advice, there ya go.
I honestly feel like neurodivergence isn’t rare anymore. Like probably half the people I know or have heard of, have some sort of mental quirk. Is that just me?
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This is so helpful and eye-opening, girl, tysm for making/sharing this!!
I don’t know if I can say that I’ve struggled with too many things, but I do struggle with anxiety and depression on some days. Anxiety really comes in when I’m in a crowd of people or just in a place that I don’t know very well, things like that, or when there’s just a person that seems off to me.
As for depression, it’s not a constant thing, but sometimes it slips in, and I myself have sometimes dealt with some very painful intrusive thoughts before, mostly related to thinking people would be better off if I was gone.
Of course, God has helped me immensely, but it still comes back sometimes.
(also, as a semi-related side note, one of my cousins brought her niece to Thanksgiving last year, who I believe has ADHD and Tourettes, and she was the SWEETEST little thing!! Playing with her was maybe one of the best highlights of that thanksgiving ššš)
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@whalekeeper nope, that’s not just you. A lot of people have neurodivergent things about them these days, and that’s why the push to have things available for them has really skyrocketed in recent years.
I don’t know too many people with neurodivergence, but I do know some people with ADHD, maybe 1 with Autism, and I’ve met one little girl with Tourette’s, so no, you are not alone in noticing that a lot of people have neurodivergence these days.
and btw, Tysm for sharing about your own neurodivergence. So glad you and Godly aren’t afraid to talk about it; it needs to be talked about more often!! ššš
Oh my goodness girl, I struggle with OCD and intrusive thoughts too! It’s especially gotten worse lately, but I’ve found that talking to my mom and reading books about it helps.
I’ll definitely be checking out this topic too!!
"Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out." Eccl. 12:12
This is a topic super close to my heart too!
I have anxiety, depression, and 99.99% sure I have ADHD too (I’ve had a preassessment which was “concerning” but not a full assessment yet). I also have really awful intrusive thoughts as a lovely side effect to anxiety/depression, so I completely get you there. They used to bother me so much, but (whether this is good or not) they’re so common I just kind of ignore them nowadays.
Anyway! Moving on.
Pretty much all my characters also have something quirky going on. In my pirate fantasy novel, the main character has synaesthesia and ADHD, and her brother has ADHD and dyslexia. And in my thriller/mild horror fantasy novel, the main character has ADHD and anxiety, and his brother has autism.
@whalekeeper Interestingly, I don’t think that neurodivergence (meaning autism, ADHD, that sort of thing) has got more common, bear in mind the diagnosis for these has only been around for less than century, but I think the world has become less tolerant of them, so they’re becoming problematic. Often people with ADHD/autism fit better into societies of the past, and so weren’t as noticeable, and people who had very severe forms of those divergencies were often institionalised and so also weren’t as noticeable. Looking at famous figures from history, it’s very easy to see how they would fit into the diagnosis of adhd/autism today and how those differences made them the exceptional achievers they were. Though I definitely agree that mental illness has skyrocketed in the past few years mainly due to, you know, basically everything going on in the world nowadays.INFP Queen of the Kingdom commander of an army of origami cranes and a sabre from Babylon.
@seekjustice hmm curious viewpoint but I kinda view it as the opposite.
In earlier times people with ADHD/Autism or neurodivergence didnāt have many chances, and didnāt even understand what they were struggling with, and were often labeled as Possessed, lazy, broken, stupid, etc.
Yes those labels still exist in this day and age of course but we have more testing and knowledge and more people know about the symptoms now, and so IMO I agree with Whaley, it does seem more prevalent, because people are now able to look at their children, and see the things they struggled with finally diagnosed and be able to say āOh my word, thatās what I hadā¦.and I never knew itā¦.ā
Some things are passed through genetics, but a lot of Ā it is also mental things. The mind is powerful (the Bible proves this.) and some things are mind sets, so sometimes people can take on labels as well, but also some people can pass things down to their kids.
And if they were never helped themselves itās easier for them to pass it down, and due to the lack of research/awareness in earlier years, many people werenāt diagnosed or helped, and so generational mindsets have been passed down, and if you think about it, that would account for a TON of influx in psychological issues and neurodivergent people.
thatās just my thoughts on it š
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#ProtectSebLooking back on my post, I should have been more specific. I agree that we are more able to diagnose these things, and I also think that this world has become more likely to induce anxiety and depression.
There’s always been wickedness in the world, but this last week, I saw a lotĀ of people who are ticking bombs ready to explode – as in, spiral into huge mental problems or commit suicide.
I never thought that week of evangelism would fall that far down into the dirty dumps of twisted people, but I interacted with so many of them, that I can’t deny the reality. I feel there is more of a possibility of someone on that boardwalk (that’s where we were preaching the Gospel) becoming addicted to terrible substances, or to pleasure in general, and then gradually disintegrate.
Like you guys said, it’s almost certain that many many people had mental quirks back before tests and technology – I just feel as if things have become worse. (Not all quirks are bad, tho – I’m just referring to the bad ones.)
Another observation I’d like to make, which isn’t completely related – there is now a certain aura of romantic angst around neurodivergence. Some people may quickly claim the title, or self-diagnose themselves without actually putting much research into it, just because neurodivergence is a popular topic online. I think this is disrespectful to truly neurodivergent people, and has made it harder to tell if someone’s serious. Additionally, it has almost become a positive thing to have depression, anxiety, etc. (the bad mental stuff), because people these days are addicted to drama.
Aaaand that’s all I have right now. *shrugs*
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@whalekeeper @seekjustice @godlyfantasy12
I firmly agree with Whaley on this one. It’s not as though neurodivergence has only become a recent thing, it’s just that it’s become more noticeable because now that we do understand what neurodivergence looks like.
Also, I also agree with Whaley that things have become much,Ā muchĀ worse in recent years. My mom works as a school therapist in a public school, so I hear about even preschoolers who need help with anxiety or even depression, and elementary school students that struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts.
Like, y’all, that’s mind blowing to me.
Our culture may be better about treating people with neurodivergence as the same as those without it, but we’ve also come to a time in history where mental problems are all too common and can often become way too serious if they aren’t dealt with through patience, love, and LOTS of prayer.
And I also agree with Whaley about how neurodivergence has become romanticized in recent years. Because I don’t truly understand it all that well, I normally avoid writing characters with neurodivergence, unless it’s anxiety or depression, things I canĀ relate to.
I think it’s important that we always remember that things like depression, anxiety, etc. are no laughing matter, and they need to be discussed with patience, understanding, and love. ā¤ļø
I think its also important to remember there’s a difference between mental illness and neurodivergence. Neurodivergence is just part of the wonderful diversity of humanity, it’s not good or bad, just as any other physical aspect isn’t good or bad. Mental illness is obviously an illness. There can be a lot of overlap of course though!
INFP Queen of the Kingdom commander of an army of origami cranes and a sabre from Babylon.
@freedomwriter
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Yeah, it’s definitely a sad thing to watch… Especially when people don’t make a real effort to change things.
I avoid writing a lot of neurodivergent characters also, although some fellow writers have been accused my charries of having mental quirks. Which was not my intention š
Once someone commented, “hey, Sebastian probably has OCD, and ya know, he really goes on sensory overload sometimes, like CRAZY overload,” and I’m like… uh…
His reactions are slightly based off mine š³
I never really choose to make a character neurodivergent. Because sometimes it’s just so obvious you’re trying, that it makes the story kinda annoying, and suggests you’re just checking off the boxes.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t have characters with different experiences, though. That’s basically the whole point of a story – to see something through a certain lense.
Just sometimes – building off the romance idea – it’s unnecessary angst š
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Oh yes, that’s 100% important to stay aware of. You are right. When I describe the world getting worse, I’m referring to mental illness, or the negative conditions that may fall under the neurodivergence umbrella. Not all neurodivergence š
āEverything is a mountainā
I just had an idea – I’mma make a topic for physical abnormalities. It’s a similar branch, and I have waaaaaaaay more experience with it in real life.
And just like neurodivergence, it’s something you have to be careful with in writing.
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@seekjustice that’s a really great point š That is something very important to remember š I was specifically talking about mental illness, but thank you for making that point <3
@whalekeeper Yes, very sad to watch.Some things like that just happens…y’know? Characters run away with the pen and all š
I never reallyĀ chooseĀ to make a character neurodivergent. Because sometimes itās just so obvious youāre trying, that it makes the story kinda annoying, and suggests youāre just checking off the boxes.
Yep, very annoying. I also think it’s important (whether characters or not) to not talk about a character/person based on their neurodivergence, but rather on who they are as a person. Like, if someone listed their character/brother/friend/etc as “the boy with ADHD” instead of “the boy with a sweet smile and a friendly attitude”, I feel like that’d be wrong, y’know?
And yes, there is much unnecessary angst out there, lol
@whalekeeper yes good point. I worry a lot and so Iām afraid thatās what Iām doing and so I hope not to romanticize anything with my characters, or myselfā¦I want to do everything right!
My thing isā¦I donāt want to label myself, ya know? Because I know that labeling myself isnāt technically a good thing, butā¦it makes me feel better knowing that theres a reason? That āOh hey, this is why Iām like this. Wow that makes sense.ā Andā¦maybe for others to understand why Iām like this?
But then that makes me feel like Iām victimizing myself š which I feel I do all the timeā¦.
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