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Become Your Own Fan

Writer's picture: K. L. MiracleK. L. Miracle

Updated: Jan 6


Ugh. Writer's block. We all hate it. And we've all heard a thousand ways to get through it from, "Take a walk" to, "do a chore" to the ever faithful, "for the love, just keep writing!" Well, I'm adding another 'Block Breaker,' as I like to call them. This one stems from my own ADHD and the ability to hyperfixate upon something. Yep, you read that right. Being a slightly obsessive fangirl is a superpower. How? I'm so glad you asked...

 

But first, a good dose of backstory!


A book, laptop, and coffee mug, symbolizing the perfect writing routine.

Have you ever watched those people on YouTube who have fantastic writing routines and thought “Yes! I want that! I’ll get up every morning at 6am with my mug of something delicious and warm and write away, undisturbed, until the rest of the house awakens and we go about our day!”  Then the next day, when that 6am alarm goes off, you hit snooze? No? Just me?

 

As someone with ADHD, I find routines problematic. There’s a great video explaining this for anyone who is curious or has ADHD themselves (I’ll link below) but the short of it is that I have fluctuating energy levels. (I think anyone with a child has this but what do I know?) It means that some days I wake up and I’m so full of energy that I get everything done on my list and feel like the most successful version of myself! And other days...it’s a miracle if I put something other than pajamas on and leave the house.

 

I did eventually manage to create routines by creating more than one routine so I can choose a ‘low energy, just get to the basics’ or ‘high energy, accomplish all the things’ routine every morning without feeling like I failed because I didn’t have the energy to finish everything on that high energy day.

 

Unfortunately, this did not extend to my writing. I wanted to spend two hours every single day writing. Instead, I found myself sitting down to write only to jump up because I forgot something, or so exhausted that I wanted to just binge-watch something without thought instead of working on my book.

 

I needed something better than a routine.

 

Enter Youtube.

An image of the video about bad advise for people with ADHD and Autism who want to be writers.

I found a YouTube video with an author talking about bad advise for authors with ADHD/Autism (link below) and she talks about ‘becoming addicted to your own story.’ People with ADHD tend to have addictive personalities. We just need to harness this superpower and use it on our writing.

 

This was such a lightbulb moment for me.

 

I needed to become a fangirl for my own story!

 

Considering I am writing this blog post from my Hobbit inspired desk wearing an N7 hoodie and sipping from a mug shaped like the Millennium Falcon, I was pretty confident in my ability to go all out for my own story.

 

Except, there’s no merch for my story. Yet.

 

So, how can I obsess a little over my book when there’s no merch?


The Virtual Vision Board.

 

pinterest

I turned to Pinterest, home for all of my "someday this will happen" ideas. I suppose that newer app would work too but I'm at that age where I think if it ain't broke don't fix it and Pinterest ain't broke for me. Yet.

 

I started with a ‘private’ Pinterest board named the same name as my book. Then I filled it with any images I could find that helped me visualize what my landscape looked like or what outfit the main character was wearing. I cast my characters by saving pictures of actors in roles similar to my characters, or even animated characters that reminded me of my own. Once that page was filled, I jumped to YouTube and Spotify and created playlists of music I thought would go well if my book was ever turned into a movie or a TV show. I wanted to invoke the same giddy feeling I get when Concerning Hobbit’s starts to play, or the shiver of excitement when Dual of Fates begins.

 

I love having these digital vision boards. Whenever I’m writing by hand, I like to have these pulled up on my phone or laptop so that I can always have these images and music to inspire me and pull me deeper into my world. But for me, I needed more.

 

Going Deeper.

 

I knew that just having ‘inspiration’ somewhere wouldn't be enough.

 

I turned to my writing space.

 

I can write on a laptop sitting in my bed or in a notebook absolutely anywhere. But I prefer to physically go to a table or desk and sit down with the intent to write. I call it, “coming to the desk.” I’m here intentionally to get writing done. Just like I prefer to have a separate ‘station’ for gaming where, you guessed it, only gaming happens.

 

binders and notebooks

To help feed my addiction (wow…never thought I’d type that), I bought a 3-ring binder. Then immediately sent it back and paid extra for a pretty one that would match my Hobbit-I mean fantasy vibe for my work in progress, including Etsy-supplied dividers in a much smaller size. Finally, I printed out the best images I had saved on Pinterest. I used CANVA to make a sheet for each location, character, etc. And I left room for notes. By having it in the binder, not only can I take it with me no matter where I write but I can also customize the binder toward my book's genre. Writing an epic science fiction space opera? Grab a binder with stars!

 

This can also be accomplished with a corkboard for a more stationary setup, especially if you like to ‘come to the desk’ like I do.

 

In a perfect world, I would hire an artist for every book I write to sketch my characters, settings, vehicles, creatures, etc. so I could have exact visual references for them all. But honestly, I change so many things about each of those that I’d be paying that artist weekly. Instead, I like having a generalized version of ‘something like this’ with space for notes where I can write down specifics for my creations.

 

And it worked.

 

Not only did I find myself eager to sit down and become absorbed in that space but I also found myself staring at those pictures and having new ideas. I’d glance up at the smirk on the face of the main character I’d printed out and think, “Nah, he wouldn’t say that. He’d say this.” I’d gaze into a wheat field and suddenly decide my characters would need to contend with the farmer who had worked so hard to cultivate that field they’re marching their army through. Even when I was away from home or my binder, having that board on Pinterest and playlists themed to my story helped keep me engaged in my writing, even by hand!

 

My inspiration boards and binder made me a better writer.

 

If, like me, you struggled with creating a writing routine, I humbly suggest trying this instead.

 

Become a fan of your own story.

 

Let me know if you try it and how it works for you! Oh and I may make my pinterest board public once my book is live to see if other's like the idea of sharing inspiration for stories. Let me know what you think!

 

And remember, stay creative.


YouTube video about Routines for ADHD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQFZNQS6eQ0&t=603s


YouTube video about Bad Advise for Autism/ADHD Writers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x96lXMzfqxY

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