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PixieXW
Deinonychus
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01 Oct 2013, 2:58 pm

Basically for me having AS and ADD- which are good at contradicting each other- I can't concentrate on anything for a long period of time which isn't a) a book or b) my special interest.
I've successfully finished one or two fanfiction stories and managed one which was novel length once. My problem is if my special interest begins to lack then so does my need or want to write anything at all. So as you can imagine if I start writing something which is not related to my special interests then I have no chance of succeeding!
How do other Aspie writers get round the hurdle ( or tsunami!) of their special interest in order to write a unique story? And one which they have enjoyed writing and are happy with by the end of the process?
Any tips would be great


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AGhostWriter
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01 Oct 2013, 4:02 pm

I've sort of encountered this in my own writing, though I haven't truly confronted the issue yet, as the only time I've really had to write something that strictly needs to be outside of my special interest is when I'm writing an assignment for school. I guess I've been lucky enough to have a special interest that I can always find something new to write about, but I have been wondering if writing on a different topic could be just as satisfying. Lately I've just been trying to really think of entire plots I could write that don't have anything to do with my special interest. I always approach the brainstorming process knowing that I won't actually be writing a full-length project based upon whatever plot I come up with, which can take some pressure off just thinking of things to write.
If you really enjoy writing, I would suggest thinking of why it is you like writing. Do you enjoy making characters? Creating a conflict you have to resolve? The actual act of putting words on paper (or screen)? If you know why you want to write, I think it could help you figure out how you want to write.
At the very least my suggestion would be to practice writing. Write short stories, write conversations, write exposition, write things you know you'll never look at again, but write. There might be a way you can find to incorporate your special interest into your writing, or there might not be, but you need to figure out if writing means enough to you that you're willing to suffer through frustration and possible boredom as you find what works for you.



Willard
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01 Oct 2013, 5:48 pm

I have the same problem. It held me back for years and is still problematic, in that I write at a snail's pace, because inspiration tends to come in fits and starts and sometimes my muse is silent for weeks at a time.

One thing that I found extremely discouraging for many years was that every self-help book I read on the craft of writing insisted that in order to write a novel that was coherent, one absolutely MUST begin with an outline. Because of weak Executive Function, I could never get past that and ended up with many disconnected pieces of a novel, clueless as to how I should string them together.

Then, a few years back, I read an online interview with Lindlehoff and Cuse, writers for LOST and Stephen King, who all admitted in this round table discussion that they had never written an outline for anything in their lives. They all said they just start with an idea from page one and write forward, as though they were creating daily installments of a serial story.

It was quite an epiphany. I had just started a new prologue for another novel when I saw that and it made me feel a lot better about the whole outline thing, so I took it to heart and just wrote the new story straight forward, as it came to me. I refused to let my imagination bounce around and feed me bits of scenes that I wasn't ready for yet. It still took me four years, but it worked - I finished a novel length story and it turned out perfectly coherent after all.



stardraigh
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02 Oct 2013, 7:49 am

Willard wrote:
I have the same problem. It held me back for years and is still problematic, in that I write at a snail's pace, because inspiration tends to come in fits and starts and sometimes my muse is silent for weeks at a time.

One thing that I found extremely discouraging for many years was that every self-help book I read on the craft of writing insisted that in order to write a novel that was coherent, one absolutely MUST begin with an outline. Because of weak Executive Function, I could never get past that and ended up with many disconnected pieces of a novel, clueless as to how I should string them together.

Then, a few years back, I read an online interview with Lindlehoff and Cuse, writers for LOST and Stephen King, who all admitted in this round table discussion that they had never written an outline for anything in their lives. They all said they just start with an idea from page one and write forward, as though they were creating daily installments of a serial story.

It was quite an epiphany. I had just started a new prologue for another novel when I saw that and it made me feel a lot better about the whole outline thing, so I took it to heart and just wrote the new story straight forward, as it came to me. I refused to let my imagination bounce around and feed me bits of scenes that I wasn't ready for yet. It still took me four years, but it worked - I finished a novel length story and it turned out perfectly coherent after all.


When I write my outlines, I consider them a rough draft version zero. They usually read like a wikipedia synopsi, intermixed with dialogue and other details. It's more important for me to get it out, even if I'm going to change the point of view and add more detail later. Sometimes an entire scene is left at one sentence. Char goes here and does this because this. I know it's important that I include a scene, and I need to write it out, but I just can't spend time on it at the moment, but I will return to it later. Other times, I have written out full scenes because it's so vivid in my brain that it's easier to do.


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