Hi, Aspie Writer here!!

[eriley74]

@eriley74, how do you stay on task when writing? I get overwhelmed with anything but poetry or prose. I have written "character maps" and some dialog but find it hard to commit to a long term view of a story. I've been encouraged all my life to write, I just dont know where to start that the writing stay cohesive and continuous.

@TheSaltyStray Hi!! Basically, I have trained myself over the past few years to set aside a specific block of time where all I do is write. And when I do write, I usually focus on the passage I'm working on. That way, my mind doesn't go running in a hundred different directions (i.e. new subplots, shiny new story ideas, tangential research on Wikipedia). It doesn't always work out like that, but I've been getting better at staying focused.

When you establish a set time for writing, start out small, say 10-15 minutes. Or, perhaps focus on one scene/verse. It's like exercise for the creative areas of the brain. Before long, your creativity and imagination will improve focus and increase "stamina" for longer writing sessions. It would also be good to separate research sessions from writing sessions. In my experience, research gums up the waxworks and inhibits my creativity. Something else that might help: finding the "write" playlist for your story or poem. Music usually helps me get into the mood of a particular scene or into the head of a character.

I hope this helps. Please keep in touch if I can be of any more help.--Eric

 

[Peter Jansen]

Hi everybody and Happy New Year,

My name is Eric. I was officially diagnosed with Asperger's a few years ago. My 14 y.o. daughter was diagnosed with high-functioning autism 8 years ago with inadvertent help from her teacher, a kid fresh out of college with zero training in handling ASD students.

Basically, I'm here for 3 reasons:

1.) Community. It's awfully lonely in Alabama's Bible Belt for folks like daughter and me who try to navigate the subtle pressures of forced socialization in the workplace, schools, church, and small-town life in general. Anyone who is the slightest bit out of line is an easy target for ostracization, bullying, and shunning. Indeed, my Asperger's played a major role in my dismissal from my job (pharmacy tech in a mom-and-pop drugstore) back in September.

2.) Advice. I need to learn how to navigate the job market and to learn how to bolster my social skills and reduce anxiety in the workplace. Ultimately, I need to pass these lessons on to my daughters (my middle daughter suffers from generalized anxiety disorder). So, any help would be...well...helpful.

3.) Advocacy. I want to learn from others about their life experiences dealing with the dominant, and oftentimes overbearing, neurotypical culture. This way, I can write more fully developed characters and plots for my short stories and novels. My current novel project is about an autistic high school girl who learns how to discern genuine friendship and to advocate for herself while preparing for a school art contest. Any insights and advice would also be welcome.

That's me in a nutshell. I must give thanks to my wife for helping me to identify my Asperger's and for being a patient cheerleader as I finally learn how to walk the thin line between being sociable and being introverted. Hope to meet some of you soon.

Hello Eric!

I too am Aspie writer, also looking for community, advice, and advocacy. I wonder how many more Aspie writers are members here?

 

[eriley74]

Hi Peter,

I'm curious, too, as to how many writers are here. It would great to form a group.

I finished the first draft of my novel, this morning. It's a big hot mess but it has potential.

 

[Cadv]

Hi, Your daughter was lucky enough to be diagnosed. When I was in primary school teacher just called me "sleeping beauty" (I was neither sleepeng nor beauty) and that was all. It wasn't a bad teacher, she was just... not familiar with not neurotypical people. And You are right. Advocacy for not neurotypical people is very important to make world more friendly. I was able to go through school without trauma because I've put a lot of effort to be invisible. I wish more autistic people (or Aspergers) could just spred the wings at full lenght without being ostracised...

 

[eriley74]

Hi, Your daughter was lucky enough to be diagnosed. When I was in primary school teacher just called me "sleeping beauty" (I was neither sleepeng nor beauty) and that was all. It wasn't a bad teacher, she was just... not familiar with not neurotypical people. And You are right. Advocacy for not neurotypical people is very important to make world more friendly. I was able to go through school without trauma because I've put a lot of effort to be invisible. I wish more autistic people (or Aspergers) could just spred the wings at full lenght without being ostracised...

Hi Cadv! Yes, my daughter is lucky to be going to school in an age of awareness and Individual Education Plans. Mercifully, she has had only one bad teacher, and a few others have only needed 1-2 reminders about her IEP. Overall, the teachers in our school district have been fantastic and supportive. Also, my daughter has a small cadre of friends who help her with social cues and situations.

Me, on the other hand...I still have anxiety attacks and the occasional nightmare about my school days, especially junior high. I now find my high school memories to be absurd and nonsensical, so they don't bother me quite as much. Luckily, my academics and participation in Quiz Bowl kept me barely sane through my high school years. Freshman year of college sucked, but things got a lot better starting with my second year when I finally went invisible and found great freedom in that.

Yes, that's one of my goals for advocacy through writing: to put a stop to the ostracising in the schools and the workplaces. We have unique talents and skills we can share with the world if only we would be allowed to do so. Yes, we have to learn how to live in a neurotypical, largely extraverted, world. It's like left-handed people having to adapt to a right-handed society. However, the world needs to learn how to accommodate our special needs so that we may be fully productive members of society, and not punish students or terminate employees for anxiety attacks or other adverse reactions stemming from autism-related triggers.

It's nice to meet you. Please keep in touch!!--Eric

 

[Rocco]

Welcome aboard!
In regards to social skills I have found the YouTube user’s videos “charisma on command” exceedingly helpful in tuning social skills and enhancing interactions. Best wishes,
Rocco

 

[eriley74]

@Rocco: Thank you for the link!!

 

[Rasputin]

Yep. I've lived here for 17 years and I still do a double-take at the billboards. Interstate 65 between Nashville and Huntsville is particularly creepy. Funny part is, in southern Tennessee, the "burn in Hell" boards pop up between Jack Daniels Distillery boards, lottery boards, and strip joint/adult bookstore boards...and those disappear when you enter Alabama. Then, it's gun shops, antique malls, and "burn in Hell for not calling us because only we know the way to salvation" boards. LOL

After reading that I feel validated for my decision to leave the Southern United States.

 

[eriley74]

@Rasputin: All you can do down here is shake your head and let the s(p)it slide off your shoulders. As I said, I've been here for 17 years and my jaw still drops at the willful ignorance, the bigotry, and the hypocrisy of "born-again Christians". The metropolitan areas are pretty cool, but the Old South still reigns in the rural areas. :-(