As an ADHD writing coach, I'm asked all the time how ADHD affects writing. This mini-series will answer that question. But the best way I can start explaining it is just to show you, by telling you about a fictional ADHD writer. Let's call her Jane. I'd like to introduce…
Almost everyone I work with as an ADHD writing coach finds me because their brains with ADHD get overwhelmed. Now, when you have an ADHD brain, overwhelm can express in different ways. Maybe you get panic attacks or emotional meltdowns. Maybe you just start to feel a lot of resistance…
Most writers I work with have what I call a "project junkyard" full of unfinished and abandoned writing projects. This junkyard makes them feel embarrassed, and they carry a lot of guilt around. In fact, we have a tendency to make the things we didn't finish part of our self-image…
Most ADHDers I know have a really hard time taking care of themselves and their own basic needs. However, when we don't take care of ourselves, our symptoms become worse, and being productive becomes increasingly harder! That is why ADHD and self-care is such an important topic, and the second…
Building writing routines for ADHD adults goes something like this:One day, an ADHDer wakes up and decides that they really want to start taking this writing-thing seriously.They are super excited, so they decide they will write four hours every day. That's how much writers are supposed to write after all!Then,…
If you're an ADHD writer, I don't have to tell you about the ADHD writer's greatest challenges. We struggle with motivation; we're often deeply unhappy about our productivity; and we don't have a strong grasp on time, making it hard to actually sit down and get yourself to do the…
If you have ever searched for "famous authors with ADHD," you will have found lists with writers from history who were never really diagnosed. Rather, for one reason or another, someone thought that their writing hero might be just like them. Many writers have their own quirks, and some do…
Life can be incredibly chaotic and difficult to navigate. But even in the chaos, there are always little victories you achieve. Yes, I know you don't believe me. I know you feel that you never achieve anything, and it's been a long time since your last success. By the end…
When writers with ADHD reach out to me as an ADHD writer coach, their biggest problem is usually that they wish they were more productive. No matter what specific challenges they might experience, they feel that they should be writing better, faster, and harder. And actually, there's not much variance…
In my work as an ADHD writing coach, I encounter two kinds of answers when I ask about note taking systems. Either the ADHD writer I'm talking to will tell me they don't really take notes (they just leave their browser tabs open), or they tell me that they have…
My name is Susanne and ever since I taught myself to read at age 4 I have had a passion for the written word. Over the last five years, I have developed a set of systems to help myself and others be productive and make work of our writing passion. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, I’m here to help! Check out the about me page to read more.
Susanne has been enormously helpful in structuring and getting my thoughts for my book proposal onto paper, resulting in a double book deal!