darthumbreon

I was in my early 30s when I was diagnosed as Autistic. It included a lot of related side nonsense ie ADHD, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, balance problems, vision woes, etc. Perhaps the most surprising was my dysgraphia. I love writing stories. I hate writing by hand. I hate it a lot less now that I have invested in quality fountain pens. A lot of people told me I wouldn't ever be a writer because I was terrible at it.

Thankfully, I had an amazing English Teacher in middle school who believed in me. Her encouragement is why I am a writer. No matter how often I fucked up, which was a lot, she didn't give up on me. She saw that I had amazing stories that I wanted to share. I write with the knowledge it will be bad. That my grammar, spelling, structure, will suck. The technical aspect of the story building is usually solid! But not the nitty-gritty details like punctuation and spelling.

Just because you write badly doesn't mean you suck. It doesn't mean you should stop writing. Nor should you be afraid to share what you write. Keep going! Don't give up on writing. I promise it'll be okay. There are ways to help make it easier.

Like the free editing software Grammarly. Holy shit, I love Grammarly. All of the sucky mistakes my dysgraphia does can be fixed with a few quick clicks. Fountain pens help make the rare occasion I have to fill out paperwork by hand not painful.

I'm a published author. I proved the shitty people wrong. I proved my amazing middle school teacher right. It's taken me a long time to come to terms with my learning disabilities. I can be suck at something and that's okay. I'm good enough as I am. As are you.

Listed below are some symptoms of Dysgraphia for the curious.

I copy and pasted this from this website: https://www.dysgraphia.life/symptoms Common Signs and Symptoms of Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia can present in many ways. Here are some signs and symptoms.

Handwriting and Fine Motor:​ Avoids writing and drawing Trouble forming letters Messy handwriting Trouble keeping words on a line or within margins Does not use spacing correctly Difficulty with capitals and punctuation Awkward pencil grip Difficulties with shoe-tying and fine motor skills Complains about pain in hands when writing

Word Formation and Spelling:​ Not spelling at grade-level Unfinished words and missing letters Does not spell words correctly even after being told multiple times Inconsistent spelling of the same words Difficulty copying text (from other paper or blackboard) Has trouble following spelling rules

Composition and Expression:​ Avoids all written assignments/tasks Has trouble organizing thoughts to get them on paper — often can tell someone this information out loud but can't write it down Missing words in sentences Needs extra time to complete writing assignments Difficulty editing own work, needs help proofreading

Today, I took some time to play Pokemon Go. I'm currently working on moving preparations. I didn't know how much I needed a break until after I finished. I now have more shiny Pokemon and collection medals! Woo! I felt productive. It's hard to feel like I accomplished anything with the seemingly endless list of stuff I need to do. I take time out each day to write a little bit and check on the status of Purim Gifts. But, today, I allowed myself the luxury of having fun for the sake of it.