Yes, You CAN Write Neurodivergent Characters

A companion to the post Should All Writers Have Neurodivergent Characters?, in which I discussed the mountains of research, storyline alterations, and ethical qualms writers may face when they consider writing fiction with neurodivergent characters.

While these are valid concerns, I know that many writers still want to create NCs (neurodivergent characters). Maybe they’re neuro-spicy themselves, and want to explore their personal and community experiences through fiction. Maybe they want to challenge themselves to write something new. Or maybe they worry that their characters are all too alike, and they want to diversify their offerings to keep readers interested. Publication is a business, after all…

Let’s reconsider the hurdles I described in Should All Writers Have Neurodivergent Characters? and explore how you can write the best NCs possible.

If the research doesn’t scare you…

Great!

And if it does seem like too much, that’s OK! Remember you don’t have to do all of it at once. You also aren’t obliged to make your NC a main character.

You have tons of different perspectives to explore. I strongly suggest focusing on resources created by people who have the condition you’re learning about. Medical resources can be helpful for data and clinical descriptions, but they aren’t likely to tell you how it feels to be neurodivergent every day of the year.

If you’re neurodivergent, you can of course include your knowledge as a resource. The same goes for what neurodivergent people you know have told you, though you’ll need their permission before you incorporate their experiences into fiction.

Diverse viewpoints are key here – both in regards to the condition itself and other things that shape people’s identities, from gender to culture to where they work. After you’ve done some initial research, consider which voices were hard to find, or totally absent, and then focus your next search on those perspectives. The variety of opinions and experiences can seem overwhelming, but remember, you’re doing this research to gain a fuller, fairer understanding of neurodivergence, which can in turn enrich your writing.

If you’re not sure how to fit a neurodivergent character into your story…

While the glib answer would be “do it any way you like,” I actually prefer a research-based approach (yep, more research!). I’ve narrowed it down to three subjects, which can be approached simultaneously or in any order. The amount of focus each subject needs is for you to decide.

1. Compare your research to characters you’ve already written or planned. You might find that someone in the story already shows traits associated with anxiety, trauma, learning differences, or another condition.
2. Decide exactly what kind of neurodivergence(s) your character has. You don’t have to name them in your writing, but knowing what they are and what they mean will make things easier for you.
3. Consider how your story has to change. This will be determined firstly by the type of neurodivergence your character has and secondly by how large a role they play. If your NC is only in a few scenes, for example, the adjustments will probably be minor. If you’ve decided to make a protagonist or point-of-view character neurodivergent, you’ll be making bigger changes to character relationships and plot events.

If you’re wondering how to make sure your character doesn’t offend anyone…

To be honest, I’ve struggled with this issue since I first decided to include NCs in my writing. I know I can’t please everyone (and I don’t try to), but I don’t want neurodivergent readers to find any of the misunderstandings and stereotypes in my writing that we see in so many other portrayals.

So I reference and cross-reference. I deconstruct my old assumptions. Everything I (re)learn goes into the plans for my novel-in-progress.

But that’s ridiculous. Of course I can’t fit everything I know about neurodivergence into a single narrative. No writer can.

Instead, I consider what I’d most want to see as a reader: NCs with agency, complexity, and a value beyond whatever help they give other people (the number of times an NC exists just to dispense information or to teach neurotypical characters the value of love and acceptance…don’t get me started).

While I can’t guarantee that my work is free of all possible offense, I can improve my writing with the help of other neurodivergent readers and editors.

We don’t often talk about the benefits of collaborating with others during the writing process, but since I think the portrayal of artists as solitary, self-sustained geniuses is romantic claptrap, I’d like to change it by asking you to join in the discussion.

What sort of research do you do when creating your characters? Have you written NCs before, and if so, how did people respond to them? What kind of NCs would you like to see more of in the future?

Let me know in the comments!