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  1. LazyBear

    LazyBear Banned

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    Should I write about crazy people?

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by LazyBear, Nov 22, 2017.

    It is easy for me to relate to crazy people because of Aspergers but hard to understand normal people with their alien culture and rituals.

    Who would read about crazy people?
     
  2. genegnome

    genegnome Member

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    Most people are crazy. There's just so damn many of them. They run the place and they call us the crazy ones. If you try to understand them, you run the risk of becoming one of them. Write about them? That's all there is, they just don't realize it.
     
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  3. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    Firstly you'll upset a lot of people using terms like crazy for those with mental health disorders, and secondly I'm not convinced that having aspergers qualifies you to better understand anyone other than those with aspergers ... may be write what you know if you want to go that route
     
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  4. LazyBear

    LazyBear Banned

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    I understand stigma and how it feels to be mistreated by people for a handicap. I also aced a university course in the subject. I believe in reclaiming the negative words by using them on myself with pride.
     
  5. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    Using on yourself is fine - using them about other people without their consent is less so .... someone who has say Schizophrenia probably doesn't want to be described as crazy. Also I'd stay clear of describing those who don't have mental health issues as normal since the implicitly brands those who do as abnormal

    Also as I said previously having ASD doesn't really qualify you to write about schizophrenia/ bipolar/ depression / or what ever , it only gives you special insight to write about ASD. That's not to say you can't write about other conditions, just that you shouldn't assume you know what they are like and thus should research just as any other writer would
     
  6. LazyBear

    LazyBear Banned

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    Some people are simply special without having a label for it.
     
  7. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    I really think that 'crazy' is not the word to be using here, especially in the context of Aspergers. Maybe some clarification is called for.
     
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  8. LazyBear

    LazyBear Banned

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    I can relate to Gollum because he can live without anyone's company and has his own set of principles to live by.
     
  9. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    Except that he can't he really needs the ring despite it driving him insane with its black powers - he's not living my any appreciable principle - he murders his brother for the ring remember...
     
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  10. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    He's living by the ring's principles. The ring molded him to be what he is.
     
  11. izzybot

    izzybot (unspecified) Contributor

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    Mm okay here's the thing:

    I'm autistic. That gives me an edge on writing certain autistic characters because I understand things like sensory overload and executive dysfunction, which are common features of autism. So if I give my autistic characters sensory sensitivity and noticeable executive dysfunction, I can portray those things honestly as they are for me. If I want to write an autistic character who's hyposensitive to stimulus, for instance, which is also a common feature of autism? No edge at all. I'm as lost on the subject as an allistic person and it doesn't matter that I'm autistic.

    And that's within one thing - two autistic folks can already be about as different as night and day. An autistic person and a depressed person? And someone with OCD, or BPD, or anyone else you want to call ~crazy? There might be some overlap in symptoms, sure. My friend has ADHD and when we hang out after his meds have worn off we're on neighboring useless disorganized wavelengths because executive function is hard. That doesn't mean I'm 'qualified' to write about ADHD due to understanding a single facet of it. And I can't relate to something like BPD at all.

    So listen, I'm not one to discourage people from writing something in a blanket way, but I think you should acknowledge that writing ~crazy~ characters isn't going to be a walk in the park because you consider yourself crazy as well. Like, me too buddy. But I do a hell of a lot of research before I try to write a character from outside my own experiences. I do it when I write a character whose nonsense DOES overlap with my nonsense, because I think it's important to understand things from an objective standpoint, and not solely from your own perspective.

    Bluntly, if you fly by the seat of your pants here, you're gonna fuck it up. I sure don't want that, and I'd guess you don't either. Do your research. Because plenty of folks are into stories about 'crazy' people - usually we're the villains. If you do it well, and let mentally ill people be people - and not stereotypes about 'insanity' - then I'm sure we'll come out of the woodwork to read your book.
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2017
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  12. LazyBear

    LazyBear Banned

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    I had a spastic attack where I fell to the ground from sensory overload. I have hallucinated a giant insect that turned out to be a lamp. I hallucinated black smoke when I thought that my girlfriend was going to die from a liver disease. I can navigate in total darkness using sonar hearing. I can listen to infra sounds using my lungs. I can see deep infra red using a diffusion equation on my skin temperature. I had ticks. I can trace people using smell. My legs once stopped working from depression...

    I can create a lot of characters using only my own experiences.
     
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  13. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    No just no - this is turning into another one of those kid makes up rubbish for attention threads

    Also spastic is another word that generally shouldn't be used
     
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  14. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    You should definitely write this. Superhero stories are really popular these days.
     
  15. LazyBear

    LazyBear Banned

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    I dated a girl with "spastic diplegia" for one year. CP is the umbrella term that is disliked because it is used about people without the condition. I am used to people not believing me so I really don't care what you think is possible.
     
  16. izzybot

    izzybot (unspecified) Contributor

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    If you don't care what people think then write whatever you want.
     
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  17. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    You're used to people not believing you because you're full of crap - there's no way you listen to anything with your lungs, its not biologically possible. Ditto for seeing deep infrared, and depression doesn't lead to paralysis.

    I'm calling troll on this and putting you on ignore ... I guess it's clear why you are using provocative terms.
     
  18. Lemie

    Lemie Contributor Contributor

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    You shouldn't call people with mental health issues crazy - even if you share their problems they might not be as happy about the therms at your... that said, I think you might be a good exception, because from this post you sound a tad crazy!

    If you do feel the need to write about those "crazy" people, as you call them, you have to do a your research and treat it with respect. I think there is a market for books portraying mental health. Gives people someone they can relate to, maybe. From your post I'm just not sure you've got what it takes to write it right now.
     
  19. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    Ease up a little, people, and cut each other a bit of slack. It appears that the word "spastic" is deeply offensive in the UK, but not so much in the USA. The original poster is Swedish; I have no idea whether the word "crazy" is appropriate there or not.

    Just be aware that some words are offensive to many people, and it's wise to try not to use them.
     
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  20. Lemie

    Lemie Contributor Contributor

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    Friendly neighborhood Swede here - crazy is not appropriate here either!
     
  21. Jupie

    Jupie Senior Member

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    I suppose what's important is intent and context. It's good to make someone aware that a word may not be appropriate, particularly when linked to Asperger's but at the same time I don't sense any bad intent from the poster so it's probably a case of just being more mindful next time.

    Also, I think personal experience is important but if you've had one thing you can to some extent share an understanding about something else. If I've suffered from depression, I may not understand other mental health problems but I won't be shooting in the dark with it either. Every case is different, but I tend to find if you've had your fair share of challenges in life then you are more empathetic and receptive to other people's difficult times, and I think the key word here is understand. For instance, if my friend has cancer I can't possibly know what that feels like but I may know what it's like to nearly die or suffer from intense chronic pain for years which means I can relate on a human level. I can see what he means when he says if he has Asperger he may understand someone who feels isolated or alone or different in some way. I'm not saying that's what someone would feel if they had Asperger's, but it does come back to how you feel internally and that can link back to mental health etc.
     

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