Writing as Me: How I get past my own different brain when writing for work
GUEST POST by JULIA TAYLOR
I’m delighted that Julia Taylor is my first guest writer!
Julia is a civil servant with the Province of Ontario and, as a policy generalist (or dilettante, as she likes to call it) has held seven roles in government. She currently resides in Toronto. Julia holds a Master’s degree in Communications from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s of Public Administration from Queen’s University.
Hello! My name is Julia and despite the fact that I have 15+ years in provincial government, hold two graduate degrees, and have published, I still consider myself to be a writer-in-training.
Why? I don’t think my brain works “normal”. I suspect I am on a spectrum of some sort, likely ADHD, which, like for a lot of women of my generation, has been largely undiagnosed (and it’s hard to get a diagnosis). So I live with the anxiety and doubt in my skills until something distracts me… oh, look, my cat is sitting in a box.
Seriously though, I know there are others like me out there – diagnosed or not. I won’t try to speak like I know about spectrums and neurodivergence with any authority, but I am going to give you my advice – and that shared by several colleagues – about professional writing when you don’t fit the mold.
First, it’s OKAY to write differently, have a strange process, and edit in truly unique ways to get your documents done. Maya Angelou rented a hotel room in her hometown that she never slept in, where she removed all paintings and forbade housekeeping, and wrote only in the morning.
That said, we all have deadlines. Here are my tips for getting past myself.
Think back to the overwhelming criticisms you’ve received about your writing style – awkward sentences, too-dense paragraphs, not suitable for the audience, etc. Make a list and keep it in the forefront of your consciousness when you hit the editing stage.
This is your checklist.
Everyone has obstacles they face when writing. I have to work to get past the anxiety of the first word. So, I write out a sentence in my best Grade 3 voice that says:
I want to write a briefing note/article/letter/email about ________________ and it’s really important to that the person reading it knows that ________________ is the best option and that ________________ and ________________ are important to know.
Congratulations to me, I have created a framework.
I also tend to get distracted once I start writing. I “sidewind” like a snake—get preoccupied; get stressed; sit down and bang out some words; get distracted again. I bargain with myself… I will do Wordle once I have finished this paragraph. The procrastination is a reward.
This is to say: protect your flow. Never leave a thought uncompleted even if the language is rough. I often get distracted by my own good ideas! Keep scrap paper handy to write out new thoughts, to avoid derailing your current writing flow. Or type a key phrase at the bottom of the page. I just “barf” (sorry!) whatever I need onto the screen to keep going.
My husband, currently a working professional also completing his Master’s degree in History, considers himself neurodivergent. In his professional life, he writes technical instructions for non-technical people. He does not suffer from the anxiety, hyper inattentiveness, or rush of thoughts; instead, he has a hard time not getting lost in the weeds (going too deep into detail, using jargon) and missing the mark for his intended audience.
He “gets around himself” and his suspected autism by playing it back as if he were talking to the person. In effect, he stress tests it by imagining the experience of presenting it (the thing he hates the most), which helps him develop the needed sensitivity to his audience. This helps him (as does having someone like me who gets lost easily) review his work to see where he has made a cognitive leap that would baffle his reader—a very common mistake with more detail-oriented, focused folk. Sometimes, our two weaknesses come together to make a strength.
I know there’s lots about proofreading that has been said in other areas. My quick tips:
read up from the bottom of the page (backwards),
change the view size so it looks like you are reading something new,
read out loud, and even
print it out (if possible).
To finish where we started: there is no right or wrong way to write. There’s just getting your message out there. Accept yourself and find ways to work around your foibles (which are often strengths in different contexts).
A note from Lisa:
Neurodivergence is a term that describes the idea that people think and learn in many different ways; there is no one “right” or “wrong” way of interacting with the world.
Sociologist Judy Singer developed the concept in the 1990s. Part of her legacy is that we now understand the need to think about how we present information for diverse audiences.
I often write here about how you need to identify your audience and write for them. Of course, a neurodivergent reader is not likely to be obvious to you. But if you remember that not everyone thinks and learns the same way, it will help you become a more effective communicator, with all kinds of different readers, from the most senior decision maker to the members of your community.
And thank you, Julia, for your contribution this week. We are all writers-in-training! Your perspective is greatly appreciated!
P.S. If you’re interested in stepping in as a guest contributor, I welcome your ideas!