#executive dysfunction for authors

[eight-littlenightmares]

GUYS. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH.

WRITE. just START WRITING. it’s gonna be super painful for the first few hundred words or so, and your concentration is gonna be super fragile, but after that it should get easier and you should get into the flow of it!!

obviously i can’t say for certain that this’ll work for everybody, but please try it. go sit down, set a goal, and WRITE. for me rn my goal is at least 500 words, but you could edit that number to be higher or lower, or just go on time writing instead.

the more you write, the easier it should get. as an autistic person, i suffer from executive dysfunction, and it is sooo hard to get writing done. you kinda just have to brute force it at first and then it should get easier.

let me know if this was in any way helpful!!

[brotrustmeicanwrite]

i need people to ask me about my story or I'm never writing it

[annua-lunaria]

I'm an author by which I mean I think about writing every day and in my 8 years of writing I have written a total of like 3 pages.

It is my favorite activity.

[blackbird-brewster]

Please send me your horny thoughts and prayers as I try to write my first ever foursome. 🫡😭🫠

As if 3somes weren't hard enough to keep track of everyone's body parts, I've decided to throw in a whole extra person.

Worst case, it sucks and I don't post it. Best case, you're all going to have some really delicious smut.

[fumifooms]

I read 1 fic yesterday and it literally energized me more than my new stimulant adhd med did. Marchil confirmed better than drugs. Crying

[zombolouge]

there are, as best I can tell, two grave advice sins that you can commit when giving advice that will render whatever you're saying useless and probably make people think you're a dick.

"I don't have this problem, and I've never had this problem, but I'm pretty sure this is how you should be solving this problem"

"I had this problem and solved it this way, and that means EVERYONE can solve it this way and it's the One True Solution."

The first means you're uninformed on the realities of the problem and there's a 90% chance whatever is going to fall out of your mouth has already been tried or has already been recommended a billion times. It doesn't matter if you read it online or heard someone else recommend it, unless you're asking the person about the variables in their situation first and really getting into the nitty gritty, you're probably just sounding like a pre-recorded flight safety message. Thank you for telling me how to buckle up and where the exits are, but nobody here is really explaining what I'm supposed to do about the clown with a chainsaw in the fourth row.

The second one is extra annoying because you could have given good, actionable advice if you'd actually thought longer about it than "problem solved, this is the answer to the math test, byeeeee". Motherfucker what we needed were the notes you used to arrive at the answer. Show your work. Because somebody else might be working with completely different variables, and if you hand them "the answer is 2" when they have a different number set, you're just handing them failure. If you hand them the equation, however, then they can apply some of it to their own problem and arrive at their own correct solution. For instance, if acknowledging a negative thought reduces it's effectiveness, the advice isn't necessarily "just accept the thought and move on!" it's examining *why* that acceptance helped. Perhaps because it removed guilt from the equation, meaning you were carrying one less thing while you tried to move forward? Great! That's useful! Someone can go "okay, what about this is making me feel guilty and what can I do to feel less guilty?" and then they have a workable approach.

Even just making the space for the fact that your solution is not the Only Solution can help fix either of these. Expand ur minds. Accept that the myriad of human circumstance will mean that we're all working with a different starting, middle, and end point.

[huxkisser]

me in high school: i’m gonna do so much better in university because i hate structure and authority and i hate being told what i have to study and when. just give me the work and i’ll do it when it works for me and i’ll be much more productive

my psychologist, talking to me about my executive dysfunction now: you need structure. you literally need structure to function. u need to at least plan out when ur going to do things. u need some form of structure

me: fuck… ur right…

[cowboylikeyouu]

when you need to study but you also need to clean your room but you also need to write a new fic chapter but you also want to start working on some flufftober oneshots but you also need to work on your eras tour outfit bc your show is next week and oh you don’t have enough friendship bracelets yet but you also have so much yarn and promised yourself to crochet more but you also kinda want to spend the entire night reading fanfiction but you also have a 1000 unread books on your shelf but you also want to read some comics but there‘s also a ton of new shows you want to watch but you also want to go the movies every single day and push your letterboxd and and and and and and and and then you just spend your entire tay on tumblr and tiktok

[maraschinotopped]

hey guys i think i have a new fixation developing

[some-pers0n]

Snail in my ear is telling me to do weekly updates for my longfic again for the month of June like I did last year (I haven't updated since the beginning of March)

[mottte]

Can someone motivate me to keep writing on my next chapter please

[psycherprince]

"neurodivergent traits that are neutral or positive to the person who has them are too often pathologized and treated as problems by doctors, researchers, and educators"

Yes! This is true and worth pointing out!

"In fact, half of these symptoms aren't even Real Things and we wouldn't need medication or struggle with things if people were just more nicies to us"

????? No. No, we've lost the plot now, hang on,

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

Well maybe now congress will actually do its job and pass laws.

that's a HUGE maybe. congress is dysfunctional and inefficient and unwieldy. it is constantly mired in petty politics, mindless bickering, and perpetual gridlock. Really smart leaving the day-to-day regulations that govern the nation up to them! Then, when they eventually do get around to passing oppressively narrow regulations y'all will complain about how impossible it is to remove said regulations.

[blackbird-brewster]

Me: God, I'm so stressed about writing and keeping ahead of my posting schedule I have so much to do still on this fic and I need to try and focus and this is what I should be working on and and and Also me: So I think I'll finally make that custom POP Vinyl today. The one I first designed three years ago and never made. Yeah, today seems like the perfect day for that.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

🖋️ You Don’t Need to “Write Every Day” to Be a Real Writer (and Other Guilt-Crushing Truths)

Let’s make this one loud: 📣 You are not a failed writer because you didn’t open your Google Doc today.

We’ve all heard the advice, write every day, build the habit, protect the streak, treat it like brushing your teeth or doing crunches or whatever metaphor productivity Twitter is pushing this week.

But here’s the thing: You are not a factory. Your brain is not a faucet. And writing isn’t a moral behavior.

─────── ✦ ───────

🚫 Daily Writing is Not a Badge of Legitimacy

The "write every day" rule? It wasn’t invented for you. It came from a very specific kind of writer.... usually full-time, no kids, no chronic illness, no 60-hour day job, no executive dysfunction, that lives in a world made of schedules and uninterrupted mornings.

You? You’re probably doing your best between classes, during night shifts, after crying, before therapy, while microwaving pizza rolls.

If you’re writing at all, you’re already in the game. No daily streak required. No blood oath to the Scrivener gods. You don’t need to bleed ink to prove you’re real.

─────── ✦ ───────

🧠 Writing is Mental, Even When It’s Invisible

Plotting in the shower. Thinking about your character’s tragic backstory at red lights. Whispering fake arguments into your Notes app at 3am. Staring at the ceiling replaying one scene until it rots.

It all counts.

Writing is thinking, not just typing. That mental compost pile? That’s how the good stuff grows. You don’t owe your worth to a word count. Some days, the work looks like a blank page and a brain on fire.

─────── ✦ ───────

🔄 Rest Is Part of the Process, Not a Detour From It

Let me say this plainly: Burnout is not proof of effort.

You are allowed to pause. You are allowed to stop mid-project. You are allowed to write in bursts. You are allowed to write for a week and disappear for a month.

Writing is a relationship. It has seasons. It expands and contracts. You are not a robot with a daily quota, you’re a person carrying a whole fictional world inside you. Let yourself be human.

─────── ✦ ───────

📆 Consistency Helps--But Define It For Yourself

Do some writers thrive with routines? Sure. But routine =/= daily.

Try this: → “I write every weekend morning when I can.” → “I jot down notes during my commute.” → “I commit to one hour a week, guilt-free.” → “I take two weeks off after every chapter.” → “I only write during November and spiral gloriously.”

Build a rhythm that actually matches your energy, not one that shames you for not vibing like a full-time author in a lakeside cabin with nothing to do but word vomit and sip tea.

─────── ✦ ───────

💌 You’re Still a Real Writer (Even When You’re Not Producing)

You don’t need:

a finished draft

a daily goal

a growing WIP

a thriving project

a clever new idea

…to be a writer.

You only need:

the drive to tell a story

the will to try again

the love of the craft, even when it doesn’t love you back

You’re a real writer if you write sometimes. You’re a real writer if you write badly. You’re a real writer if you wrote once and it changed you.

─────── ✦ ───────

✨ Guilt Kills Stories Faster Than “Laziness” Ever Will

You’re not lazy. You’re probably: → Overwhelmed ��� Tired → Burnt out → Depressed → Distracted by survival → Caught in perfectionism’s death grip

And the guilt? It doesn’t make you more productive. It just sinks its teeth into your confidence until you start to believe you’ve “fallen behind” on something that’s supposed to be yours.

The best thing you can do for your writing life? Protect your joy. That spark. That curiosity. That itch to build something from nothing.

That matters more than any streak.

─────── ✦ ───────

📣 Final Truths (Pin These to Your Soul):

Missing writing days is not failure.

Your process is not wrong just because it’s not loud.

You are not in a race.

You are not a fraud.

You are allowed to come back whenever.

Writing is not a productivity metric. It’s a craft. It’s a calling. It’s a weird little ritual.

And it’ll still be there when you’re ready.

See you on the page, whether that’s tomorrow, or next week, or next season.

—rin t. // thewriteadviceforwriters // chaotic writing realist. anti-guilt gremlin. your local plot ghost.

📜 prompts for gothic girlies, literary lads, and cursed creatives

🕯️ download the pack & write something cursed:

[hivemuthur]

If you’re comfortable, can I request Viktor dating hcs where reader has adhd? If not, that’s fine!

Hi Anon! Here's your HCs!

ViktorXADHD!Reader HeadCannons

viktorxgn!reader general, fluff and again we have Viktor setting impossible standards for real-life partners (for me, I'm the partner :v)

author’s note: I wish I was this kind of partner guys :')

word count: 0,8K

—

✧ Viktor notices almost immediately that your mind moves fast—sometimes faster than even his own. He finds it fascinating, the way your thoughts jump from one topic to another, connecting things he wouldn't have considered.

✧ When you start rambling about a new hyperfixation, he listens intently, chin propped in his hand, soft smile on his lips. If it's something he can research, he’ll surprise you with a fact about it later, just to see your face light up.

✧ “You know, I read something about that,” he says casually, and the way you snap to attention fills him with warmth.

✧ He isn’t bothered when you interrupt him mid-sentence; he knows it’s because you’re engaged, not because you aren’t listening. That being said, if he really needs to get a point across, he’ll gently cup your face and say, “Lásko, let me finish.”

✧ If you forget important things—appointments, meals, deadlines—he doesn’t scold you. Instead, he subtly helps. “Did you eat today?” he asks while placing an apple in your hand. “You have an appointment tomorrow morning, yes? I will set an alarm for you.”

✧ He understands how frustrating it is to want to do something but not be able to focus on it. If you’re struggling with executive dysfunction, he sits with you, offering quiet encouragement. Sometimes, just knowing he’s there makes it easier.

✧ You tend to leave things half-finished, starting a new task before completing the last. Viktor doesn't mind; he simply places a bookmark in your abandoned book, keeps your projects organised, and gently reminds you where you left off.

✧ “You were working on this earlier,” he says, nudging a notebook toward you. “Shall we finish it together?”

✧ If your hyperactivity manifests physically, he lets you fidget with his fingers, his cane, even the hem of his sleeve. He likes it—it means you feel safe enough to do so.

✧ On days when your thoughts feel like an untamed storm, Viktor grounds you. He speaks softly, rubs soothing circles into your palm, and reminds you to take deep breaths.

✧ Viktor notices when you’re upset before you even say a word. Your usual energy dims, your gaze lingers unfocused, and your hands fidget more than usual. He doesn’t press you to talk—he knows that sometimes, finding the words is the hardest part.

✧ “We have three options,” he says, brushing his fingers against yours. “We talk about it now, we do not talk about it at all, or I will check in with you again in an hour.”

✧ The relief you feel is instant. He doesn’t need you to spell out what you need; he gets it. And when you squeeze his hand in silent gratitude, he simply squeezes back.

✧ Viktor doesn’t complain about your habit of draping half your wardrobe over the back of the chair. To him, it looks chaotic—but to you, it’s a system.

✧ “Why do you not put them away?” he asks, genuinely curious.

✧ “Because they aren’t dirty, but they aren’t clean either,” you explain.

✧ He nods as if that is the most logical thing in the world. “Ah. A liminal space for clothing. Understood.” And he's never brought it up again.

✧ Keeping the house organised is a delicate balance between Viktor’s methodical nature and your tendency to misplace things.

✧ He has congratulated himself more than once for coming up with transparent food containers.

✧ It's a small gesture, but got you tearing up. “You brilliant, brilliant man,” you say, bewildered, stacking them up in the most visible spots on your kitchen shelves.

✧ At some point, Viktor realised that opened food items exist in a strange limbo in your mind—neither fresh nor expired, just schrödinger’s groceries.

✧ His solution? A red marker pen, always within reach.

✧ Every milk carton, juice bottle, or half-used sauce now has the date of opening scrawled on it in his precise handwriting.

✧ “You are absurdly efficient,” you admit, watching him carefully mark the oat milk.

✧ “Efficient?” He smirks. “No, I simply dislike the phrase ‘I don’t know if this is still good, smell it for me.’”

✧ You fall asleep best when there’s something playing in the background—a podcast, an audiobook, even a video you’ve watched a hundred times.

✧ At first, Viktor found it odd, but now? He’s grown used to it. If anything, he finds the murmur of voices comforting when you fall asleep curled into him.

✧ He even takes the time to pick something out for you if you’re too tired to choose. “I selected a lecture on quantum mechanics,” he says with a small smile. “I expect you will be asleep before the introduction is over.”

✧ He doesn’t see your ADHD as a flaw. He sees you—brilliant, creative, full of energy and passion. And he loves you for it.