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Writing Advice

A collection of 16 posts

25 Struggles and Myths Neurodivergent Authors Face

25 Struggles and Myths Neurodivergent Authors Face

1. Respect the structure of your brain. Your brain will only work the way it is structured to work. Forcing it to work another way will only cause stress, anxiety, and failure.

Autism Assessments Test for Nontraditional Storytelling Skills

Autism Assessments Test for Nontraditional Storytelling Skills

I underwent autism and ADHD assessment in early 2024. The doctor administering the assessment gave me a task: tell a story using the images from David Wiesner's book Tuesday. This YouTube video is a nice montage of the pages. There are images of frogs floating into a town

Nontraditional Plot Structures for Neurodiverse Writers is NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE!

Nontraditional Plot Structures for Neurodiverse Writers is NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE!

Download the FREE ebook Nontraditional Plot Structures for Neurodiverse Writers

COVER REVEAL

Nontraditional Plot Structures for Neurodiverse Writers Check out the cover reveal for this free ebook that introduces neurodiverse writers (and neurotypical) to plot structures beyond the commonly used hero’s Journey. These plots are emotionally accessible, highly creative, and more “traditional” than you’d expect. Born from a rejected dissertation

What is a "plot" and why "subplots" don't exist

The following is a section from my upcoming free ebook Nontraditional Plot Structures for Neurodiverse writers. It comes out May 1 and will be available on this blog! WHAT IS A "PLOT"? This may seem like an unnecessary section. Any writer who chooses to read this book already

Asymptotes and God from the Volvo

Asymptotes and God from the Volvo

an excerpt from my forthcoming ebook Nontraditional Plot Structures for Neurodiverse Writers There is a version of the Journey plot structure that I refer to as an Asymptote. It is very, very common and, as far as I can tell, ignored in discussions about writing and plot structures. A Journey

Adapting "Little Miss Muffet" into a Chaos-structured story

Adapting "Little Miss Muffet" into a Chaos-structured story

I've written about Chaos before. First, in my post about the concept in general, and then in an analysis of "Hey Diddle, Diddle" as a manifestation of a Chaos structure. Now, I'm going a step further. I'm doing an adaptation of "

CHAOS: an Alternative Plot Structure for Neurodiverse Writers

neurodivergence

CHAOS: an Alternative Plot Structure for Neurodiverse Writers

I've been working on this for a long time. Only recently have I taken on the name of Chaos to describe this alternative plot structure. It's nothing new. I'm only describing a form of writing that's existed on the edges of literature

Brain Experiments Reveal Ways To Develop Creative Flow States, or, Why Your Brain Needs Creative Writing Coaching

https://www.sciencealert.com/brain-imaging-experiment-reveals-the-secret-behind-creative-flow Whether or not you sign up for my coaching, this is very important. Creative people, in fact anyone that does anything that has creative elements, can get into a "flow state". Essentially, this is being

PROFESSOR JOHN HAHN GAVE US A POEM

A poem entitled Listen, author unknown. i no longer plead with heaven or go rummaging in books for answers to the questions life contains now i listen listen listen to this inner thing resounding in the pulsing and the pounding of my infant ancient veins. i no longer seek instruction

PROFESSOR JOHN HAHN HAD ALL THE ANSWERS

One of John's frequent handouts was a page of scattered quotes. Some had no attribution, which was his style. He assured the class that this page had the answer to any question we had about life. I suppose I agreed as I still have my original. My original

WHO IS PROFESSOR JOHN HAHN?

Between 1992 and 1996 I took Creative Writing and literature classes from John Hahn at Rio Hondo College in Whittier. My father, who had taken John's classes in the 80s, highly recommended I take the same classes. John was one of the most effective professor I've

AN ESCHATOLOGICAL LAUNDRY LIST: a HANDOUT FROM PROFESSOR JOHN HAHN

This is a handout I reconstructed. It was written by Shelly Kopp, author of Guru: Metaphors from a Psychotherapist. Retyping it made me realize that I should still have it on my wall. There are 43 things on the list. When Hahn discussed the list in class, there were nine

PROFESSOR JOHN HAHN LECTURE NOTES: QUOTES

Rio Hondo College is caught between a dump and a graveyard. That means something. Things like that aren't accidents. If your boyfriend or husband is into Playboy, get down on your knees and thank them. There are much worse, horrifying sick things out there---like women being put

FEBRUARY 14, 1983 LECTURE NOTES from PROFESSOR JOHN HAHN

Creative writers are never bored with the world around them. There is always something new for a child. People (Adults) are bored because they think there is nothing new. People tend to be uptight/worried about why others around them think of them. Artists have to become "as children&

Write for yourself.

If you don't like to read what you write, why should anyone else?