Welcome to the club! My writing (really, life) advice is: figure out (or: trust what you already know) what works for you. Don’t fall into the trap of now having to “fix” how you do things just because there are tons of hacks to “trick your brain” out there. Those might seem like new shiny objects at first but too many are just that and don’t last.
There was definitely nothing to be nervous about, but that's easy for me to say and actually, I kind of hate when people say things like that to me! But for what it's worth, I think many readers really appreciate this kind of writing and being so personal.
All of the points you made starting with "There’s a lot bubbling in that distractible brain..." really resonate. I have not been diagnosed, but any time I see the list of symptoms and what you describe it's like...check, check, check, check, check...
There are a few other writers who are open about their ADHD and they might have tips, but I'm afraid off the top of my head I can't recall who. It is certainly something more and more people are talking about.
I'd love to offer tips of my own, but I'm struggling with focusing on anything, my head and mind are scattered - I am very eager to hear how you're getting on with those meds.
My own experience - I was on anti-anxiety medication until 2 weeks ago and it definitely helped. But I stopped suddenly, which you are not supposed to do and this past fortnight has been tough and I'm jittery, shaky and having panic attacks. I had no intention of quitting cold turkey - the doctor just stopped responding to my calls and emails and I had no way of getting my subscription filled. So alas...maybe I'll tough it out and see how it goes.
Thank you so much for sharing, Daniel! And woof, I'm sorry about those symptoms, I've done that too and the experience was AWFUL. Hope it's better now!
Thank you for writing this, I’m nodding at a lot of the things you describe. I listened to a podcast episode once where the hosts described their anxiety/ADHD as both their biggest weakness and their biggest strength - flip sides of the same coin - and I think about that often. Some of the things about my methods that make my life hard, are also things that make me good at my job, or more understanding of others. I just do things in a different way 🤷🏻♀️
Sorry, I never replied to this and had to trawl back to find it! I do love ‘bits and bobs’! It’s what I always call the holding place where I put the scraps of writing that I can’t quite fit anywhere else, when I’m editing. I’ve been thinking about changing it for months, just have, and now as I write this I’m feeling drawn to Bits and Bobs again haha
Thank you for writing this. I too was just diagnosed with ADHD and am on day 2 of meds (going great so far!). This is so encouraging to me, as someone who really wants to write but has had trouble "getting butt in chair" for, well, most of my life. I relate to a lot of what you wrote here.
The stereotypes society shows us about ADHD are frustrating sometimes. Like you, I have my own achievements under my belt, so it didn't always "look" like I had ADHD. But of course we can still achieve things and be good at our jobs. Perhaps the biggest thing is just how we get to those achievements looks different from the typical way, and maybe we learn to hide that better so people will stop bugging us about it 🤷🏻♀️. Anyway, welcome to the ADHD club!
Ah, thank you for saying this! I'm also finally starting meds, though going slowly with the dosage. I'm v. optimistic! Re: getting yourself to write -- honestly, Substack is a great motivator in that there's external accountability. We know consistency is key to having readers show up. Giving myself a week off a month also helps. Let's do thisssss
Welcome to the club! My writing (really, life) advice is: figure out (or: trust what you already know) what works for you. Don’t fall into the trap of now having to “fix” how you do things just because there are tons of hacks to “trick your brain” out there. Those might seem like new shiny objects at first but too many are just that and don’t last.
There was definitely nothing to be nervous about, but that's easy for me to say and actually, I kind of hate when people say things like that to me! But for what it's worth, I think many readers really appreciate this kind of writing and being so personal.
All of the points you made starting with "There’s a lot bubbling in that distractible brain..." really resonate. I have not been diagnosed, but any time I see the list of symptoms and what you describe it's like...check, check, check, check, check...
There are a few other writers who are open about their ADHD and they might have tips, but I'm afraid off the top of my head I can't recall who. It is certainly something more and more people are talking about.
I'd love to offer tips of my own, but I'm struggling with focusing on anything, my head and mind are scattered - I am very eager to hear how you're getting on with those meds.
My own experience - I was on anti-anxiety medication until 2 weeks ago and it definitely helped. But I stopped suddenly, which you are not supposed to do and this past fortnight has been tough and I'm jittery, shaky and having panic attacks. I had no intention of quitting cold turkey - the doctor just stopped responding to my calls and emails and I had no way of getting my subscription filled. So alas...maybe I'll tough it out and see how it goes.
Best of luck to you! 🙏🤗
Thank you so much for sharing, Daniel! And woof, I'm sorry about those symptoms, I've done that too and the experience was AWFUL. Hope it's better now!
So much of what you have said matches with my experiences. Thank you 🙏.
On tracking sources, I’ve found MyBib really helpful. You can add notes against each reference. And it can help you find others too.
amazing, thank you!!
Thank you for writing this, I’m nodding at a lot of the things you describe. I listened to a podcast episode once where the hosts described their anxiety/ADHD as both their biggest weakness and their biggest strength - flip sides of the same coin - and I think about that often. Some of the things about my methods that make my life hard, are also things that make me good at my job, or more understanding of others. I just do things in a different way 🤷🏻♀️
absolutely, I have to remind myself of this a lot. I'm so glad the piece resonated with you! Also, my old personal Substack was also Bits and Bobs :)
Sorry, I never replied to this and had to trawl back to find it! I do love ‘bits and bobs’! It’s what I always call the holding place where I put the scraps of writing that I can’t quite fit anywhere else, when I’m editing. I’ve been thinking about changing it for months, just have, and now as I write this I’m feeling drawn to Bits and Bobs again haha
Thank you for writing this. I too was just diagnosed with ADHD and am on day 2 of meds (going great so far!). This is so encouraging to me, as someone who really wants to write but has had trouble "getting butt in chair" for, well, most of my life. I relate to a lot of what you wrote here.
The stereotypes society shows us about ADHD are frustrating sometimes. Like you, I have my own achievements under my belt, so it didn't always "look" like I had ADHD. But of course we can still achieve things and be good at our jobs. Perhaps the biggest thing is just how we get to those achievements looks different from the typical way, and maybe we learn to hide that better so people will stop bugging us about it 🤷🏻♀️. Anyway, welcome to the ADHD club!
Ah, thank you for saying this! I'm also finally starting meds, though going slowly with the dosage. I'm v. optimistic! Re: getting yourself to write -- honestly, Substack is a great motivator in that there's external accountability. We know consistency is key to having readers show up. Giving myself a week off a month also helps. Let's do thisssss