Friday Chatter: Being Yourself
Everything Is True
Ada Hoffmann's author newsletter
This week’s interviews all touch on the essential dilemma I wrote about in the “Autism, Writing, and Craft” series, and they all suggest subtly different strategies for handling it. Jennifer Lee Rossman encourages autistic authors to write as they wish, heedless of expectations, so long as they’re willing to edit and improve. Richard Ford Burley encourages autistic authors to meet neurotypical readers only halfway: “Get close enough that they can see you from where they’re standing, but once you’re there just stop.” Mette Ivie Harrison describes feeling safe to be perfectly herself when writing, but struggles with how to network and market what she’s written. Which of these viewpoints is most relatable to you? Where and in what ways do you think about neurotypical readers’ expectations when you are writing?