On ADD and Writing
By Allie Larkin | July 26, 2011 |
Therese here. Today’s guest not only has one of the cutest covers I’ve ever seen, she’s practically a neighbor (Rochester, NY): author Allie Larkin. Allie’s debut novel, Stay, releases in paperback today; it’s a book Library Journal called “Gilmore Girls meets Marley & Me…” Here’s the back-of-the-book description:
Savannah “Van” Leone has been in love with Peter Clarke since their first day of college. Six years later, Peter is marrying Van’s best friend, Janie. Loyal to a fault, Van dons her pumpkin-orange, maid-of- honor gown and stands up for the couple, struggling to hide her true feelings even when she couldn’t be more conspicuous. After the wedding, nursing her broken heart with a Rin Tin Tin marathon plus a vodka chaser, Van accidentally orders a German Shepherd puppy over the Internet. When “Joe” turns out to be a hundred-pound beast who only responds to commands in Slovak, Van is at the end of her rope-until she realizes that sometimes life needs to get more complicated before it can get better.
I’m so glad Allie’s with us today to talk about something we’ve never tackled here on WU before: writing with ADD. Enjoy.
On ADD and Writing
As a kid, one of my favorite books was The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye. In it, Amethyst, a youngest princess in a great long line of princesses, is visited by fairies who bestow gifts on her at her christening. She receives gifts like grace, wit, charm and good health. Then, to the horror of everyone, a crabby old fairy gives her the gift of being ordinary. Her hair turns from gold to brown, her nose becomes dotted with freckles and everybody panics. As Amy grows up, the gift everyone saw as a travesty, turns out to be the best one of all. Not having to fit the mold of the perfect princess is the key to her freedom and happiness, and she learns how to embrace being ordinary and love the joy it brings to her life.
That’s the way I feel about having ADD. It’s a gift I’ve grown into.
In high school, having undiagnosed ADD was a miserable thing. I once made my math teacher cry in sheer frustration at my inability to learn quadratic equations. And we won’t even get into my issues with English class. But, I think all of those experiences added up to something. Being so uncomfortable and feeling so out of synch was part of my training as a writer. The time I spent staring out the window in algebra actually counted for something. Because I was unhappy, I told myself stories. I lived in my head. I played in my thoughts. I stared at the kid in front of me and wondered what he ate for dinner. Because being a teenager with undiagnosed ADD sucked, I never outgrew my imagination. I never let it atrophy. I needed it too badly.
The term Attention Deficit Disorder is something of a misnomer. I don’t have a deficit of attention. I simply have an unbelievably hard time trying to pay attention to things that don’t interest me. When something, like the novel I’m writing, grabs my attention, I dive in completely. On a good writing day, I type until my fingers hurt. I forget to eat dinner. I live in the heads of my characters and see it all play out like a movie in my brain. In the world of ADD terms, this is called superfocusing or hyperfocusing. When I write, ADD feels like my superpower.
Over the years, I’ve also learned how to use my ability to zone out to my advantage. As a kid, in math class, you’re supposed to be paying attention to math class. When you don’t, it’s a problem. As an adult, how much thought do you really need to put into doing the dishes, vacuuming, or folding laundry? How much thought does it take to run on the treadmill or lift weights? When I do those things, I’m working out stories in my head. I’m playing with dialogue, and thinking about characters. Then when I sit down to write again, the story seems to write itself, because my brain has already put the work in.
Yes, there are times when I wish I were more organized, more linear, less amorphous in my thoughts, the same way, I’m sure that Princess Amethyst, were she real, would wish, in fleeting moments, for beautiful golden hair and a nose that wasn’t dotted with freckles. But if I had the choice, I wouldn’t trade the moments I get to spend happily lost in a manuscript for all the quadratic equations in the world.
Thanks for a unique and inspiring post, Allie!
Readers, have you turned any potential negatives into positives affecting your writing life?
You can learn more about Allie on her website, and by following her on Facebook and Twitter. Write on!
Allie Larkin is the internationally bestselling author of the novel Stay (2010), and Why Can’t I Be You (2013). She has never ordered a dog off the internet or assumed a new identity to attend a high school reunion.
Allie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Jeremy, and their German Shepherd, Stella.
Great post, Allie! The hyperfocus sounds like a fantastic superpower, well worthy of tights and a cape.
Congratulations on the paperback release! My dog Riley and I are soooo excited to read Stay!
[…] in unrelated news, STAY is out in paperback today, and I’m blogging over at Writer Unboxed about being a writer with […]
What an inspiring post, Allie. How wonderful you can be “in your power” when writing. Congratulations on your book release.
(I love the cover, too!)
Congratulations on your book release!
I’ve really enjoyed this post…it is so empowering and freeing to accept ourselves for who we are and not to try to be someone else. I especially love your closing line. :)
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with ADD and writing and congratulations on your book. I love hearing success stories like your’s. My son has ADD and public school was very difficult for him. He is now a successful Chef. His ADD-heightened ability to hyper-focus as well as his innate creativity have provided him with a definite edge in this competitive field. I wish you great success with your writing. Warm regards.
Congratulations on your novel’s publication, Allie! As a Rochesterian who also recently sort of accidentally adopted a puppy, I can definitely relate to your story.
I’d like to point out that Allie’s experience of ADD is by no means universal. (She didn’t state that it was, of course.) I’m also a creative person with ADD, and I do not get a “amazing focusing super power”, unfortunately. I struggle just as much to write something I’m absolutely in love with as Allie struggled to learn equations. Actually, the emotional investment of writing makes concentrating on it much MORE difficult than learning boring math is.
I celebrate your triumph over your difficulties, but caution people not to assume that everyone who suffers from ADD and related disorders could write a novel if they just tried harder, or were choosing not to use an amazing superpower.
Thanks for an inspiring post and congrats on your book — it looks like a great read!
First, I totally want to snuggle that book cover!
Second, congratulations on turning what so many view as a shortcoming into a strength. :) That’s an amazing feat, and it has obviously served you well.
Third, like Narci said, this isn’t going to be everyone’s experience. One of my writer friends is struggling with some sort of focus/attention problem, and it’s very frustrating to her to go between periods of hyperfocus, never knowing what kind of a day it might be (productive or distracted).
That said, I think ALL writers, with ADD or not, struggle to stay keyed into the story sometimes, so we can all identify with learning to harness our own particular focus (or lack thereof).
Great post! I have a theory that quite a few of the nation’s diagnosed (and undiagnosed) AD/HD patients work in publishing. Being Attentive Type AD/HD myself, I’ve experienced my own struggles. I can get really, really deep into a scene, write 1,200 words in a sitting – or spend*hours* trying to eke out 350 words. It’s frustrating, it’s rewarding – it is what it is.
I’ve found working at night, working in coffee shops, and working off of a synopsis are the best ways to keep myself on track. If there’s one thing that AD/HD people are good at, it’s coping mechanisms!
Thank you so much for all of your support! I’m thrilled to be guest posting today!
Such an important point about my experience not being everyone’s experience with ADD! Everyone is different. And none of this is to say that I never have days where trying to get myself to sit down to write is like pulling teeth. I absolutely do.
Over the years, I’ve learned not to sweat it as much when I can’t focus, and trust that my productivity on the hyperfocus days will balance it all out. If I back off on my less attentive days and do other things, I end up getting more done in the end. Of course, it’s all a process, and it’s different for everyone. I think for people with ADD, it’s so important to allow yourself to figure out how you work best and go with it (even if it’s a process that would seem strange to anyone else).
A year and a half ago — well before STAY debuted — I “met” Allie. She was/is one of the most refreshing, determined, and uniquely talented authors you’ll read. However Allie Larkin is also pure delight…always makes me :). Do allow STAY to introduce you to her charming daydreams.
*Adorable* cover!!
I love how you turn the ADD label on its head – “ADD feels like my superpower.” Anyone could take ADD, replace it with their own challenge and view The Roadblocks from a fresh and empowering angle!
Great interview, looking forward to reading STAY.
It’s a brave thing to reveal yourself to the world no matter what your ‘difference’. You are to be saluted. Huzzah!
This is an extraordinary post. This type of success stories always helps to inspire and encourage the young souls with hidden talents and some sort of disorders.
Congratulations on your debut publication.
First, I love your ‘puppy unboxed’ cover–perfectly appropriate here. ;-) Second, I love M.M. Kaye; one of my ‘writering-foundation-books’ is The Far Pavilions. I think she’s greatly underappreciated, God rest her soul. Finally, congrats on your release (it sounds wonderful) and on finding a way to overcome your obstacles. After all, that’s what we’re all seeking to do, so your story is an inspiration.
I’m headed to GoodReads now to mark your book as “to read”, Allie. It sounds wonderful. Congratulations!
Congrats on your book! It should win some prize for most adorable cover of the year.
And thank you for this post. I am thrilled to learn that there’s someone else out there whose brain works exactly like mine.
Since school basically interested me, I never thought about my mental state as ADD until adulthood, when I switched careers twice in a decade and a senior colleague suggested ADD could be to blame for my commitment phobia.
Not sure if I was experiencing a little personal ADD while reading this, but I had to click through to Allie’s website (and all related online properties). Perhaps it’s the 15 years of working in web development or the fact I’ve just completed my first novel, “The Perfect Meal” and am now realizing that there is a ton of marketing and self-promotion which needs to be done (over and over again, apparently ;) ).
Anyway, Allie has a lovely, clean, straight forward website which links out very easily to a number of online outlets where one can pick up her new book. Additionally, her social media participation is right there, easy to find and get to.
Learned a lot from reading her guest post here as well as following my attention span :!
I think any experience that makes a person feel “other” can become a vehicle to shirking conformity. Bet that helps with writing about quirky characters with a genuine voice.
Congrats on your debut! That’s a super cute cover and I bet my daughter would love this one.
Love this post! I have a son with Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a high-functioning form of autism. Most people click their tongues and shake their heads when I tell them this, and say things like “so how do you cope?” or “what treatments are you using?” However, I have never seen his condition as anything but a positive. He stays so focused on things, that even as a toddler he could absorb information children twice his age couldn’t even comprehend. His inability to transfer his attention from one thing to another until the first thing is completely done means he learns things thoroughly. He recently took up the guitar, and this drive has enabled himself to teach himself to play very complicated songs in a short period of time.
I went through similar things as a child, but have no idea if I had a learning disability or not (recently it’s been suggested to me that I have Asperger’s myself) but one thing my son and I share is this incredible imagination. I daydreamed constantly, which was always frowned on, but obviously it is an asset to someone who wishes to be a writer.
P.S. I just put “Stay” at the top of my to-read list. It looks marvelous!
Congratulations and many thanks! I love your comment: “The term Attention Deficit Disorder is something of a misnomer. I don’t have a deficit of attention. I simply have an unbelievably hard time trying to pay attention to things that don’t interest me. When something, like the novel I’m writing, grabs my attention, I dive in completely.” What a perfect way to look at ADD!
Such an inspiring and absolutely charming post, Allie! Hearty congratulations on your debut.
Oh, and that cover–perfect!
I can’t WAIT to read Stay. Not only because it has a dog in it (which makes it all the more interesting to me) but I’m betting it’s a great book because of all the thought that went into it. You wrote so well about ADD that it made me jealous. I wish I could be so into writing that I don’t notice all that’s going on around me. That only happens if I’m in a totally quiet place with no kids around and no t.v. on and that’s rare, especially in the summer. Good luck in your future!
Patti
Patricia, I completely empathize with you. I have been working on my MS for two years now, and at the rate I’m going it will probably be another two years before I’m done. Unfortunately, back to school time will only make me busier, as I homeschool my three oldest children! Oh well, at least I love being with my kiddos. When they’re grown I will have all the quiet writing time I want, and I’m sure I’ll miss them like crazy.
Your novel sounds adorable, and congrats on turning what some might see as an obstacle into a tool. I don’t have ADD, but I agree that time spent doing mundane tasks is great for coming up with ideas. (I’ve got to do that more of that lately; I have lots of random ideas, but haven’t stumbled across one lately that makes me want to write a whole book on it!)
As someone who is very interested in children and adults who are “gifted and” (gifted and ADD, gifted and dyslexic…), I thank you for such a lovely and affirming post. I hope that all young writers with learning differences read it.
Congratulations on the success of STAY!
Thank you so much. I really identified with this article, and feel greatly encouraged by it. I am not alone!
That’s funny; I feel exactly the same way about my ADD. If my attention gets stuck on a scene or a blog post, by the time I get to a computer, I practically have it memorized because I didn’t focus on anything else all day. It sucks to come home from church having not heard a single word anyone said, but it does help with writing.
This feels a bit eerie–I could have written a big chunk of it!
My son and I both have the hyper-focusing superpower. For me, it’s been a great help with writing. For him, it’s great in certain areas, but frustrating in others (like, oh, high school).
Thanks for writing this, not just for fellow writers, but for those who don’t get that hyper-focusing is part of ADD. I had a rough time convincing anyone that my son had ADD because he’s not hyperactive (that would be ADHD, hello). He’s well-behaved in class, and teachers could think he’s paying attention. Instead, he’s (quietly) totally focused on whatever’s in his amazing imagination.
[…] Larkin and her novel stay were featured on both BN.com and Writer Unboxed this week with two great pieces. We couldn’t resist including them […]