Blog – My Writing Hero

How to Set Up an ADHD-friendly Writing Schedule

Posted on July 3, 2020September 16, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

“Just sit down and write.”

“It’s not about having time, it’s about making time.”

“If you really cared about writing, you’d do it.”

The problem with most writing advice is that it assumes what works for neurotypical writers will work for all writers.

But for writers with ADHD, these refrains only serve to make us feel worse.

Wanting to write but, inexplicably, not being able to, is like being trapped in a glass box where you can see the other side—can see other people doing it—but everywhere you turn you’re bumping into an invisible obstacle.

Once I started working with more writers like me—writers with ADHD—I began to realize that these invisible obstacles weren’t laziness or procrastination or lack of motivation.

They were part of the ADHD experience that most writers (and most writing coaches) don’t understand.

What follows are strategies I’ve used to help both myself and other ADHD writers make more consistent progress on a regular basis. Here are some simple steps you can take to create a writing schedule that works with your ADHD—instead of against it.

Top 10 Reasons People with ADHD Make Great Writers

Posted on June 5, 2020September 25, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

Calling all ADHD writers! It’s time to unlock the writing practice that works with your brain. The ADHD Writers Workshop is a never-before-offered free live event starting Monday, September 28th, 2020. Join the free event here.

Before I realized I had ADHD, I thought this was how everyone functioned.

I thought everyone misplaced their wallet multiple times a day, only to find it in the fridge (!) hours later. I thought everyone forgot what they were saying while they were saying it—not just once in a while, but constantly. I thought that my struggle to get out of bed in the morning was just personal laziness, lack of motivation, and a complete moral failing on my part.

Since I began treatment earlier this year, I realized something that seems obvious now: No, not everyone struggles like us.

But you know what?

Not everyone has our superpowers, either.

While it is true that ADHD creates a lot of obstacles other writers may not have to face with the same severity, I know from personal experience (and ongoing research) that ADHD also offers certain advantages when it comes to writing and creativity.

As a professor and writing consultant, I’ve worked with many ADHD writers, and let me tell you: we’re a pretty awesome bunch.

Here are my top ten reasons people with ADHD make great writers!

10 Outstanding Fantasy Novels by BIPOC to Get Lost In

Posted on August 28, 2020August 31, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

This post is part of our monthly series, “Decolonize Your Bookshelf!” Every month features a different genre, providing a curated recommended-reading list of fiction by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links—that means we make a small commission when you purchase through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and all affiliate income from this blog post will be donated to the Prison Book Program.

“Not all those who wander are lost.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, from the poem “The Riddle of Strider” in The Fellowship of the Ring

While fantasy-legend J.R.R Tolkien was wise to declare that wandering doesn’t necessarily mean we’re lost, it can sometimes feel so very good to get lost in a rich fantasy.

But when we get lost in a fantastical world, what does that world look like?

Most popularized fantasy worlds—like Middle-earth, Narnia, or Westeros—are reminiscent of Medieval Europe, drawing on a similar set of tropes, creatures, and images. While that can be a fun sandbox to play in, it’s far from the only possible container for magic, swordplay, and adventure.

In fact, fantasy authors of color have created deep and complex worlds influenced by a diverse range of histories, cultures, traditions, myths, legends, religions, and folklore. From epic fantasy, to sword and sorcery, to paranormal fantasy, and more—these worlds expand what’s possible in a genre already dedicated to exploring impossibilities.

Without further ado and in no particular order, here are ten spectacular fantasy novels by authors of color that bring us new and unique worlds to get lost in.

Do ADHD Meds Make You Less Creative?

Posted on August 21, 2020August 21, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

Disclaimer: This blog post is based on my own experience. Always talk to your doctor before making any changes to your medication, dosage, or treatment plan.

I didn’t want to dull my sparkle.

When my therapist and I first began recognizing my ADHD, I was unsure about medication. I had heard horror stories of people becoming a “zombie” while on meds—as though they were just drifting through life, detached from their own personality, going through the motions—a mere shell of the person they once were.

I didn’t want to lose who I was just to fit into the box of what a “productive member of society” is.

And I wasn’t alone.

The concern that medication will take away the positives of ADHD—creativity, unique perspectives, quick thinking, hyperfocus, intuition—is one shared by many in the ADHD community.

And it makes sense that we’re worried: being highly creative is one of the great ADHD superpowers. It’s just one of the reasons ADHDers make great writers, and we don’t want to give that up.

But the challenges of ADHD—executive dysfunction, working memory challenges, difficulty focusing—can also make writing (and writing consistently) a challenge. For many of us, medication is a treatment option worth looking into.

The decision to go on medication, especially as an adult diagnosed later in life, is a very personal one.

I’m not a licensed psychiatrist. I cannot tell you what to do.

But what I can do is offer up my story so you can glimpse a firsthand experience, separate truth from rumor, and ultimately make the best decisions for you and your brain.

Amazing Secrets of Character-Driven Plots (And How to Craft Them)

Posted on August 14, 2020August 13, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

When we read a well-crafted story, it can sometimes seem as though the perfect plot fell from the sky and the author simply plucked it out of thin air.

They make it look so easy, we mutter. Why can’t I get that kind of inspiration?

But in reality, juicy and engaging plots don’t just “happen”—they’re the result of intentional craft. By pulling apart the stories we love, we can see how all the moving parts fit together to make the machine run as intended.

And the good news is, we don’t have to depend on inspiration to deliver us a juicy plot—we can create it ourselves.

10 Page-Turning Murder Mysteries by Women of Color

Posted on July 31, 2020August 1, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

This post is part of our monthly series, “Decolonize Your Bookshelf!” Every month features a different genre, providing a curated recommended-reading list of fiction by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

It was Professor Plum—in the library—with a shocking reality.

Mystery novels make up one of the most popular fiction genres in the US, with surveys over the years finding that nearly half of readers pick up at least one mystery or crime thriller a year.

But that’s not the shocking part.

Even though mystery novels continue to be almost universally popular, the genre has historically been dominated by a narrow, white male perspective.

While diversity and representation remain issues across fiction, the obstacles faced by authors of color are particularly glaring in the crime genre.

In a conversation with Writer’s Digest, six crime fiction authors—Rachel Howzell Hall, Danny Gardner, Naomi Hirahara, Gar Anthony Haywood, Kellye Garrett, and Gary Phillips—highlight some of these barriers to entry.

If a publisher already signed one Black mystery author, for example, they may consider the box checked and won’t sign another. And if a manuscript doesn’t match their image of what a diverse read should be—i.e. not “Black enough,” “Asian enough,” or “Latinx enough”—it likely won’t check that box, either.

Gardner sums up the issue: “while the face of crime in America is a face of color, the face of crime fiction is kept white—aggressively so.”

The lack of opportunity for mystery writers of color compels many of these authors to move on to other genres altogether, which means the mystery, crime, and thriller shelves continue to be predominantly white.

As readers, we have the power to change that.

In no particular order, here are 10 un-put-down-able murder mystery whodunnits by women of color. Every book on this list puts its own twist on the genre—but don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything!

Top 10 Reasons to Write Your Novel Out of Order

Posted on July 17, 2020August 31, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

Great novels feel seamless.

The plot is tight, the conflict compelling and believable, the characters jump off the page. Every detail feels organic, as though it couldn’t have been written in any other way than what we’re reading.

This impression, however, can be a little misleading.

When we flip through published novels on bookstore shelves, it’s all too easy to imagine that the writer simply sat down and churned out the book from beginning to end.

**But this is actually not how most authors work.**

Research comparing processes of novice and advanced writers finds that experienced writers tend to work on whatever is easiest for them at the moment, rather than forcing themselves to work in a specific order.

Many writers I’ve worked with who write out of sequence (especially those of us with ADHD) view their nonlinear approach as a sign of their own incompetence—when in actuality it’s a sign that they’re relatively advanced in their process.

So here’s the good news: Just because our readers will read the story linearly, from page one to The End, doesn’t mean we have to write it that way—it doesn’t mean our process has to be linear.

Writing out of sequence can be incredibly freeing, and there are a lot of advantages to this approach.

Here are my top ten reasons to write your novel out of order:

10 Dystopian Novels by BIPOC to Blow Your Mind

Posted on June 26, 2020June 25, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

This is the first post in our monthly series, “Decolonize Your Bookshelf!” Every month features a different genre, providing a curated recommended-reading list of fiction by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

Society is crumbling.

Systemic oppression is unbearable, and civilization as we know it seems to be coming to its end. We’ve gone through disaster after disaster—how much more can we take?

While I could easily be talking about 2020 (it’s been quite a year, hasn’t it?) I’m actually talking about one of my favorite genres of fiction: dystopian literature.

Dystopian literature is considered a sub-genre of speculative fiction, featuring a world in which things have gone (and are going) terribly wrong.

Sometimes the dystopia arises from a literal disaster, while in other works small incremental changes have accrued over time to create a problematic status quo. Either way, protagonists in these stories often question the systems of control (or chaos) at work in their world.

Dystopian stories allow us to grapple with some of the harsh truths of society and the human condition that can be difficult to address otherwise.

This is part of why so many dystopian novels are taught in schools: 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, and more.

And yet, the gap here is obvious: where are the dystopian stories by authors of color?

The fact is, traditional Western literary canon tends to prioritize straight white male narratives over others.

Even when curriculum includes works by women, like The Handmaid’s Tale and The Giver, the dystopias taught in school tend to be overwhelmingly white, and some truly excellent novels by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) are largely overlooked.

As a community of writers and readers, we have the power to change that.

After all, questioning the status quo is what dystopia is all about!

In no particular order, here are 10 must-read dystopian novels by BIPOC that explore post-apocalyptic worlds, oppressive regimes, and strong characters fighting for good.

Beyond Plotter/Pantser: How to Level-Up Your Writing Practice

Posted on May 15, 2020May 14, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

This question comes up a quite a bit in the online writing community, drawing a distinction between the writers who painstakingly map out their plot before writing (the “plotter”) and those who write “by the seat of their pants” and dive into writing without planning (the “pantser”).

At first glance, this distinction seems useful. And in many ways, it is.

But there is a lot more to this question than people realize—and a huge missed opportunity in the way it’s currently being asked!

How to Eliminate Writer’s Block with Freewriting

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

woman in orange shirt looking at laptop, her hands on the sides of her head

Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links—that means we make a small commission when you purchase through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps support our efforts to keep this blog going.

We’ve all been there.

Our fingers freeze above the keyboard. The pen stops scribbling, seemingly of its own accord. The cursor blinks, taunting us.

Maybe we don’t know what happens next in the story. Maybe we feel overwhelmed at how much revision the draft needs, so we avoid opening the document altogether. Maybe we’re frustrated, confused, or just plain bored.

Whether you want to call it writer’s block, losing your mojo, or a creative speed-bump—feeling like you can’t keep writing can really, really suck.

There are a multitude of strategies for busting through blocks, but freewriting might be the simplest of them all.

Free your pen, free your mind

The concept of freewriting is very straightforward: Set a timer for five to ten minutes and write—typically longhand, with pen and paper—without stopping or worrying about mechanics, grammar, or quality of writing.

Try to keep your pen moving until the timer goes off, even if all you can write is “I don’t know what to write.” Just keep going.

Freewriting is not a new concept. William Butler Yeats, Dorothea Brande, and Jack Kerouac all used freewriting in one form or another. Natalie Goldberg and Julia Cameron both advocate for freewriting as an important developmental practice for writers and artists alike.

The goal is not to produce “good” writing; rather, the ultimate goal of freewriting is to free up your mind to put words on the page, stretch your imagination, and get the creative juices flowing.

Here are 10 different ways you can use freewriting to overcome writer’s block.