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Hi. I'm an non-spectrum author - could you help me write better characters?

Niteowl001

Niteowl001

New Member
I write character-based fiction of all sorts - suspense, romance, sci-fi. I'm not on the autism spectrum but I do cope with high-functioning anxiety. I wrote a short story recently with a character who really captivated me. I honestly don't know where this character came from but I'd like to write her more.

I had no conscious intention of writing a character who might be on the spectrum so I was really caught by surprise. Candidly, like most people, I've had little direct contact with people on the spectrum so after I wrote this story I became concerned about how authentic the character was. How much of my own ignorance and prejudice comes through versus a true representation of a realistic person?

As I mentioned, I enjoyed this story so much and the characters in it (both the young woman and the "normal" person that tries to understand her) that I want to write more about them. This first story is a short crime/romance vignette.

Before I do though, I really want to make sure my representation of someone who may have some form of asperger's (I never name it) is as real, authentic, and believable as possible - and not just a jumble of outsider's stereotypes. I came here looking for experts... ;>)

Specifically, I'd like to strike up an email conversation with a few folks who a) love to read, b) may have some writing experience, c) have the time to provide some feedback and possible suggestions for future story content and, d) have direct experience living in this world on the spectrum.

Since my fiction is for a "new adult" audience and includes some adult content, I probably need collaborators who are in that demographic (18-30). The character is female. Also, while some of my work is published, I'm not a professional author making a living from it. This work is for the joy of writing and won't necessarily be published - so all I can offer in return for your collaboration is my sincere thanks and inclusion in Acknowledgements if it gets that far.

I look forward to hearing from you.
 
Hello. I would suggest that you start by reading the threads on the site and watch some youtube videos about Autisim. There are a number of autistic adults that produce videos with very good information.

Concerning reading threads here, I think every topic is covered and most of the folks here are very frank and open with their views. The threads will give you a wide variety of responses to glean from. As it has been said "If you know one autistic person you know ONE autistic person."

Good luck and happy writing!
 
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You just described me. Amateur writer. Avid Reader. And official diagnosis Autistic. Not real familiar with E-mail. And phone has a bad signal. So if possible just speak on this site. And I would urge you to review the threads and speak with others on this site. Everyone had a unique viewpoint. It will be useful to your work and provide inspiration for your story.
 
Aye, I might be able to help a bit, if you like.

Send me a PM if you want and we can go from there.
 
Am a novelist, you can find my book on Amazon and subsequent works in the second right drawer of my desk.

Ask me if you've questions.
 
Suzette said:
Hello. I would suggest that you start by reading the threads on the site and watch some youtube videos about Autisim. There are a number of autistic adults that produce videos with very good information.

Concerning reading threads here, I think every topic is covered and most of the folks here are very frank and open with their views. The threads will give you a wide variety of responses to glean from. As it has been said "If you know one autistic person you know ONE autistic person."

Good luck and happy writing!
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've just started reading some threads but it's hard to know where to go. I'll spend some time at it.
 
Wulven said:
You just described me. Amateur writer. Avid Reader. And official diagnosis Autistic. Not real familiar with E-mail. And phone has a bad signal. So if possible just speak on this site. And I would urge you to review the threads and speak with others on this site. Everyone had a unique viewpoint. It will be useful to your work and provide inspiration for your story.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply. I will get right to it.
 
Crossbreed said:
Hello & welcome, @Niteowl001.
What country are you in?

If you are in the USA, check out the speakers at The Autism Society of America (local affiliates). I think most gatherings are free.
You will learn about whatever the speaker is teaching, but more importantly, you will have an opportunity to rub elbows with the autistic community in their audience.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. I am in the USA and will see if I can find some local resources - great lead. Nothing beats in-person.
 
Suzette said:
"If you know one autistic person you know ONE autistic person."
Click to expand...

Suzette has that right. While those of us on the spectrum share many commonalities, each one of us is as individualistic as anyone else.

Depending on how long we have dealt with our different ways of seeing and being, and how good we are at masking our differences, you might not know from casual contact that there is anything all that different about us. A lot of what you experience with someone on the spectrum is tied to many factors, and those factors could be different for each of us.

I applaud you for wishing to know more in order to make your character as believable as possible. May you find what you seek.
 
Thank you. I'll have to do some poking around to figure out how PM is done here. If I can sort that out, I'll reach out.
 
Niteowl001 said:
Thank you. I'll have to do some poking around to figure out how PM is done here.
Click to expand...
Click on the person's name or avatar in the left column.
Click on "Start a Conversation" in the box that comes up.

If someone sends you a PM, there will be a red tag with a number (of PMs) on the "Inbox" icon at the upper-right corner of the page.
 
There are alot of site features and posts going back at least as far as 2012. There is a search feature but I cant use it well.

There is also a blog space and that might work well for what you are doing. I wouldn't be willing myself to get long emails from an unknown source. The blog can be a useful place to post longer works. I still like wordpress too. It's a forgiving format and simple enough.
 
I’m a published autistic author with two autistic children and fifteen years experience teaching mainstreamed special needs students. I’m currently working on a book with two autistic main characters. Feel free to message me with questions or sections to read. I’m very hapoy to help a fellow author willing to go beyond stereotypes.
 
If you're not going to name what the character has specifically, then there you go. Autism takes so many different forms, if you just write the character in a way that feels realistic for you, then it will probably work out. Most failures of writing autistic characters is trying to make them "feel" autistic rather than just writing a character. Trying to make a character accurate to a real condition paradoxically usually makes the character feel more fake. So just go with your gut.

If you don't NAME the condition, you can't really misrepresent it. Worst case the character is just weird in a non-autistic way, but the character would remain the same character you originally envisioned.
 
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