Disability in the Alien Mind

[Fictional World: source]

I've been blogging on how to write in a more literary fashion. One of the most important aspects of writing in a more profound and more meaningful fashion is to do your research, which, if you're crafting a fictional world, may involve a lot of careful consideration about how your characters and world work. If you don't make the effort, anyone who knows the topic or is watching for inconsistencies will be thrown out of the narrative and will find major faults and issues in your writing. If the perspective you're using is vastly different than your own--from a different time or place to an experience you've never had to a disability or race you are not part of--it's important to do the research to present an authentic perspective. If you simply write a perspective without that research and/or careful consideration and world-building, your writing will alienate many readers because it will not ring true or be consistent. 

[Stereotyping: source]

When writing a character from a group not your own, it's easy to fall into the trap of shallow stereotyping. Humans often turn to stereotyping the other without careful effort to avoid it. Even if you are writing characters featuring an aspect of your own identity, research can still be helpful as part of an effort to avoid stereotyping because the reader may not understand the condition or perspective in the same way as you do. For instance, say your main character comes from another culture or time, is part of a minority group, and/or has a disability like ADHD, ASD, PTSD, OCD,  or the like. Even if you have something in common with your character, there may be something about this you don't understand fully, so you can end up writing in a shallow or inauthentic-feeling fashion. You can use your experience and feelings to help you add depth to your character, but there may be a depth of understanding that could be filled out with research. If you want your character to feel authentic, you'll need to fully understand their circumstances. 

[Writing the alien mind; source]

A fellow writer pointed out that if you're writing about an other-minded being with disabilities, it's important to understand what is considered "normal" or "average" then figure out what makes the alternative perspective unique. In other words, if you're writing about an alien, for instance, it's a good idea to understand the neurotypical for that alien, so you understand how your character may diverge from that. Say the race you're writing about views ADHD-type traits as normal for his/her/their/its race. In this case, ADHD would be the neurotypical status, and anything else would be considered different. Research into the ADHD mindset could help you write about these aliens, even if you have that diagnosis. Then, you could work out what makes your character unique. How does the society around the main character react to these traits? Is there a stigma to it? For instance, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson feels stigmatized by the normal human society around him because he has ADHD and dyslexia. Then, he finds out these conditions are perfectly normal for a demigod like him. Riordan would have had to do a lot of research on these conditions to write a character considered neurotypical to this different group. Otherwise, the characters would come off as shallow stereotypes. 

[Writing: source]

If you're going to feature characters with different traits or perspectives than your own, it's critical to do the research. It's important to do more than just shallow stereotyping. Look at the groups and experiences you're drawing on for your story. Have you given the time and work necessary to make your characters feel authentic, particularly if you're writing about the other?