How to Write Intrusive Thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are a major part of OCD—they’re in the required diagnostic criteria, even. So if you’re writing a character with OCD, particularly if they […]
Articles by Caetlyn E. Dawdy
How to Write Panic Attacks
Picture this: you’re in a dark room that reeks of sewage. Twine ties you to a chair, rubbing your wrists and ankles raw. You haven’t […]
How to Write Sensory Sensitivities and Sensory Seeking Behaviors
Though sensory sensitivities and sensory seeking behaviors are hallmarks of autism, there aren’t many articles describing what they feel like. Articles will give lists of […]
How to Write Stimming
“Self-stimulatory behavior” or “stimming” is repetitive movements, anything from repeating a phrase aloud to tasting a certain flavor to repeating a song to stroking your […]
How to Write Hyperempathy and Hypoempathy
Autism articles painfully lack how autistic experiences feel like for the autistic person. The writings will explain what a meltdown looks like, advise how to […]
Can You Write a Minority Main Character If You’re Not?
If your story has a lot of diverse characters, like an LGBTQ+ or Black-majority cast, that gives it automatic points in the eyes of certain […]
How to Write About Mental Health Conditions
The media today is riddled with harmful portrayals of people with mental health conditions. Whether a novel insinuates a character’s anxiety is their fault, or […]
How to Write About Autism
According to the CDC, 2.21% of US adults are autistic, meaning 5,701,800 people. That’s likely not even counting all the undiagnosed. Writing them well, then, […]
5 Harmful Mental Health Condition Stereotypes/Tropes in Fiction
Mental health conditions are far too often either vilified or romanticized in popular media. The characters with mental health conditions are either the crazed, bloodthirsty […]
6 Harmful Autism Stereotypes/Tropes in Fiction
Good autism representation not only makes people view autistic individuals more positively and realistically, but also helps autistic people have a character they can relate […]