Fictional Characters that might have Asperger Sydrome

There are a lot of fictional characters that have been accused of having Asperger Syndrome, and perhaps some of them actually do, except that being fictional they can't have anything for real....

1. Mr. Spock from the original Star Trek is the classic example, though since he's only half human it may not count. Data, the android from Star Trek TNG, also has been mentioned but I do believe you need to have neurons to have a neurological disorder.

2. Dexter Morgan from Dexter. I like this example in spite of his serial-killery thing.

3. Maj. Winchester from MASH.

4. Brennan from Bones.

5. Goren from Law & Order CI.

6. Reg Barclay from Star Trek TNG. You know the guy with the holodeck addiction.....

7. Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter. (I love Luna, I hope she grew up to marry Neville Longbottom.)

8. House from the series House. I don't think he has AS, I think he's just a pain in the a@@.

9. Adolf Hitler. No, wait, he's wasn't fictional. *sigh*

10. The Crazy Cat Lady from The Simpsons. OK, she doesn't have any strong indications of AS, she just mutters gibberish and throws cats at people. But I have AS and I consider the Crazy Cat Lady to be my role model. And besides, she's so sexy!

all cats have asperger syndrome

I have been getting sick sick sick of not having any new books to read so a couple of days ago I broke down and ordered some new books from Amazon.com. One of them is the book "All Cats have Asperger Syndrome" by Kathy Hoopman.

OK, it's a kid's picture book. But the pictures are all of cats. And the topic of Asperger Syndrome is of renewed interest to me lately as I have been diagnosed with AS and am in the process of applying for social security disability because of it.....

The book seems to be mainly aimed at providing parents of children with AS with a book they can show to the neighbors to explain why their kid is so weird. There seems to be an industry devoted to created books for parents of Aspie kids, which is very annoying to those of us diagnosed as adults. But, as I said, this book IS full of pictures of cats so that makes it okay.

Some of the cats in the book look just like some of my cats. Like, the cat on page 42 could be either Chan-ho or Negi, they both look alike. And the cat on page 29 looks like Grey.  I guess that's an Aspie-ish thing to point out that some of the cats look like my cats because that's just a detail and a good 'normal' person is supposed to see 'the big picture'.

A lot of the books on Asperger Syndrome claim that Aspies can't see 'the big picture'.  Well, I actually can, I just don't CARE about it.

Prolific Blogger Award goes to the Crazy Cat Lady....

Rebecca Luella Miller has awarded me the Prolific Blogger award! I've never been called prolific before (although my cats are).  This is what I've been accused of: “A prolific blogger is one who is intellectually productive… keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content.”

This is what I've got to do next:

1. Every winner of the prolific blogger award please (if you have time) pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers.

2. Every prolific blogger please link back to the blog from which he/she has received the award.

3. Each prolific blogger link this back to this post, which explains the origins and motivations for the award.

4. Every prolific blogger please visit this post and add your name in the Master Link (Mr. Linky) so we can all get to know the other winners.

There are so many bloggers that I'd like to pass the award on to, these are the first ones that popped into my mind.

YID WITH LID come for the political commetary, stay for the cool yarmulke ads
2SecondsFaster.com prolife and political stuff
Bad Wolf One: Doctor Who blog
The Sci Fi Catholic: co-written by a dragon
Dragon Bloggin': by author Donita K. Paul
Fabianspace: by author Karina L. Fabian
A Blog by Randy Thomas: a Christian blog



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Reducing a novel-idea to one sentence: Oh, the horror!

According to some, one of the first tasks when you begin putting your novel-idea down on paper is to write a one sentence summary of the proposed novel. This one sentence--- which, I've heard, is not permitted to be one of those run-on sentences that goes on for five pages--- is supposed to show some elements of both plot and character.

I am a little wary of this rule. In part because the example one-sentence summaries they give--- more often summaries of films than of novels--- tend to be missing the point of the story they are summarizing.

Task two tends to be to expand that one-sentence summary to a paragraph summary. This can be an easier task to learn because anyone who owns books has a good supply of examples of these one-paragraph summaries--- the book blurbs on the back (or the dust jacket) of novels we already own.

These book summaries are written by professionals for marketing purposes about books that have already been written, so that's a little different from what the novelist is asked to do in the one-sentence or one-paragraph exercise. But reading a bunch of book blurbs is still a good start.

Here is an example, from 'Left Behind' by Jerry B. Jenkins (and that other dude):

"In one cataclysmic moment, millions around the globe disappear.

Vehicles, suddenly unmanned, careen out of control. People are terror stricken as loved ones vanish before their eyes.

In the midst of global chaos, airline captain Rayford Steele must search for his family, for answers, for truth. As devastating as the disappearances have been, the darkest days may lie ahead."

This gives a good idea of the main plotline, and also introduces one of the characters.

Here is another example from Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs:

As a shapeshifter with some unique talents, ace car mechanic Mercy has had to maintain a tenuous harmony between the human and the not so human within the Tri-Cities of Eastern Washington on more than one occasion. But this time she may be in over her head.

Marsilia, the local Vampire Queen, has learned that Mercy crossed her by slaying a member of her clan. Now she's out for blood. But since Mercy is protected from the vampire's direct reprisal by the werewolf pack--- and her close relationship with its sexy Alpha--- it's not Mercy's blood Marsilia is after....

It's her friends'.

Again this gives us some basic plot substance and introduces characters.

At this point in my current writing tasks, I'm not quite sure how to go about reducing my plot ideas to one sentence or even one paragraph. Currently I don't know enough about the major plot elements--- and I know enough backstory on some of my characters to write a trilogy about it! Except for the fact that this backstory, accumulated over many years, contradicts itself and has to be straightened out.

I don't even know if writing these summaries is REALLY the way professional writers take step one in writing down story ideas. I think some writers begin with what-if questions.

For example: What if a young actor, posing as a Fleet cadet, is mistaken for a real cadet and shanghaied onto a starship captained by a man who was involved in the murder of the actor's twin sister?

That's a tiny piece of what I'm working on for the openers of what I am currently calling my 'Psions universe' series. But there are lots of other bits that are also important.... More important? Less important? I'm not sure at this point....


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What's the purpose of Christian Fiction, Anyway? CSSFBT Day 2

Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour for 'North! Or Be Eaten!' by Andrew Peterson, day two.
North! Or Be Eaten! website
Andrew Peterson author/musician website,

Day two of the blog tour and this is the question for those who have read and enjoyed 'North! Or Be Eaten!', or hope to read it someday. Why?

Why read Christian fiction at all? Wouldn't it be better if there were just regular secular neutral publishers and all writers wrote for them? Isn't it kind of discriminatory--- a publisher that accepts work from Christians but not from Jews or atheists?

And what about our book of the month, 'North! Or Be Eaten!'. Wouldn't it be better if any too explicit Christian references would be removed so that people of all faiths or no faith could enjoy it equally? How much would that change the book and your liking of it?

What I am asking of you the reader is why you, personally, read Christian fiction (assuming you do), what it gives you, what you like (or don't like) to see in your Christian fiction? Please post a comment!

(I have some ideas of my own on this topic which I will reveal on day three--- but only if enough of you clap your hands and say 'I DO believe in fairies! I DO believe in fairies!')

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Register Now for Catholic Writers Conference Online

Catholic Writers Conference Online Provides Practical Help


World Wide Web--This year's Catholic Writers’ Conference Online, which will be held February 26-March 5, 2010, will focus on the practical things the writer needs to succeed.

The conference is held via chats and forums at http://www.catholicwritersconference.com/. Sponsored by the Catholic Writer’s Guild, the online conference is free of charge and open to writers of all levels who register between October 1, 2009 and February 15, 2010.

"We've always concentrated on workshops and chats that teach the writer skills or provide information in the areas of crafting, publishing and marketing their works, but this year, we're adding critique workshops and some incredible opportunities to pitch to leading publishers," said organizer Karina Fabian.

This year, publishers hearing pitches include well known Catholic publishers like Pauline, large Christian publishers like Thomas Nelson, and smaller presses like White Rose. Thus far, eleven pitch sessions are scheduled, running the gamut from Christian romance to Catholic theology.

In a new program, at least fifty attendees will have the opportunity to have pieces of their work critiqued by successful editors and writers. In addition, there will be forum-based workshops and chat room presentations covering topics from dialogue to freelancing to how Catholic fiction differs from Christian fiction.

"Even in good economic times, it's hard for writers to attend live conferences," said Fabian, "but this year, we think it's even more important to help careers by utilizing an online format. We're so grateful that our presenters are willing to share their time and talent."

Early registration is recommended. Although the conference is offered free of charge, donations are accepted; proceeds will go toward future conferences. Non-Catholics may attend, as long as they respect Catholic beliefs and the conference's Catholic focus.

To register or for more information, go to http://www.catholicwritersconference.com/.

So You're Thinking of Writing a Vampire Novel....

If you've had the impulse to write a vampire novel, you want it to be better than those 'me, too' type of forgettable vampire romances. The key to that is building your vampire-world just as carefully as you would build an alien world for a science fiction novel.

Research and planning is the key. My best resource for vampiry research is The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead by J. Gordon Melton, which has vampire folklore from around the world, some cases of alleged real-world vampirism, and accounts of literary and film vampires.

Some points of interest I have discovered:
Nosferatu--- I had always assumed that German film director Murnau just made the word 'nosferatu' up in order to defraud the estate of Bram Stoker by filming 'Dracula' without mentioning Dracula by name.... But actually the term has history. It's derived from the Greek word 'nosophoros' which means 'plague-carrier'. So it relates to the illness model of vampirism, as in the New England vampire epidemic, caused by cases when a family died one by one from 'consumtion' (tuberculosis) and it was assumed that the earliest to die were preying on the others....

Undead--- I looked up the term 'undead' in the dictionary, and found that words like 'undeadly' and undeadliness' were obsolete terms for immortal and immortality.

I'm creating a vampire-world-creation checklist/form which will cover the various issues you as an author have to confront while building your vampire-containing fictional world.

Some sample questions: Can your vampires cross running water? Are your vampires able to be active in daylight? Do they need to return to their native soil, or their coffin, at night? Are your vampires demonic, or damned souls, or are they capable of being either good or evil? Do your vampires have to feed on blood, and what kind of blood does it have to be? What happens to them if they don't feed? Do they have to kill their victims or are they able to feed without harming anyone? How can vampires be killed? Which traditional anti-vampire methods (crucifix, holy water) work and which don't?

Eventually when I finish the checklist in its final form I will put up a copy on this blog. Do you have any ideas for further questions for the list? If you are working on vampire fiction (or might be) please leave a comment to tell me about it, make suggestions for the checklist, or to shamelessly promote your blog. ;) Or perhaps list the best vampire fiction you've read or your favorite vampire movies and TV shows.

How Fiction Writers can Learn Story Structure

Working on Nano this year I've run across the same problem I always have--- I can think up story beginnings just fine, but what then? I've started novel after novel without completing. I've even written outlines for a few, but the only part of the outlines that seemed to be any good was the beginning.

Recently I bought a few books on story structure, outlining, and similar topics. They are:
Story Structure Architect: A Writer's Guide to Building Dramatic Situations and Compelling Characters
Book in a Month: The Fool-Proof System for Writing a Novel in 30 Days



Both of these books are written by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. The first one is most helpful in that it introduces the traditional story structure of three acts. The first act contains: a setup, the mood or tone, a hook, catalyst or inciting incident, the serious problem/goal, introduction of the villain and main characters, and a turning point. In the second act: the problem intensifies, there is a temporary triumph, a reversal, a dark moment, and another turning point. In the third act there is the final obstacle, the climax, and the resolution. (All these elements are described in a bit more detail in the book.

This was so helpful! Today I took my current work-in-progress, a steampunk story called 'The Aether Key' and jotted down some notes as to how I saw the story going going through all these steps. When I was done I had a rudimentary outline in which the story progressed nicely to a satisfactory ending, not the vague and unsatisfactory ending I had in other outlines I have written.

The second book, called 'Book in a Month' is even more helpful. It gives a step-by-step daily guide to writing a novel in a month OR for writing a detailed novel outline in a month. This is so helpful to me because I have such a hard time creating good work habits--- in particular I don't know how much is enough work for one day, so when I quit for the day no matter how much I've done I feel like a quitter.

Today--- doing day 2 of the BIAM (book in a month) schedule, I completed my assigned task--- to write 10 scene cards for the ten most important scenes in the book. In order to do that I had to do the task I described above where I jotted down how the story would progress through the steps of the traditional story structure.

I feel optimistic with this new approach. I think it might be a real help for other writers who, like me, are struggling with Asperger's/Autism Spectrum disorders or other things that might hinder them from writing success. For me, I wonder if my ASD has made it more difficult to discern story structure in the books I've read and made me get so caught up in the details I couldn't see the big-picture aspects.

Victoria Schmidt has a Yahoo group for writers following her method, called VBIAMClub. It does seem to be still active as there were 148 posts this month, but I can't see them as the moderator must approve new group members.

COMMENT PROMPTS:
Have you used Book in a Month's schedule to write a book or outline? Please comment on how it worked for you, or if you are considering trying it.
ALSO: If you are willing, tell one odd detail about your current Work-In-Progress. I'll start: in my story, set in 1868, Adolf Hitler's father, Alois Schicklgruber, along with his mistress at the time, are in the US working out some details concerning customs inspections. At the story's conclusion Alois decides to marry his mistress and stay in the US, thus preventing the birth of Adolf Hitler.

Can People with autism/asperger's become published Fiction Writers?

No matter how much I work on my writing I always have one source of doubt: is it even possible for someone like me--- a person with an autism spectrum disorder (Asperger's)--- to become a published writer?

Yeah, I know there are a lot of writers from the past like Herman Melville who are believed to have had an ASD. But I'm wondering about right here right now--- me.

One of the problems is that people with autism/asperger's have problems with social interactions, understanding the social rules that everyone else knows without being told. So can we learn to write about social interactions?

Actually, when it comes to that part I don't think it's that difficult. But there is another factor. In real life, people I meet don't choose to be my friend---even though I try to be nice to them, and to act like I'm 'normal'. So will people want to be a 'friend' of my writing? I mean, maybe no matter how good I get at it, people will be able to tell it was written by the kind of person that no one wants to be friends with and so they'll want to read something else instead.

And in these days the writer has to be involved with marketing their books and I'd imagine the last thing any publisher wants is to be saddled with some autistic person that isn't personable enough to do well at things like interviews and book signings....

I once tried to get in contact with other folks living with autism/asperger's by posting something on a writing forum, but the admin took offense because my reference to autism wasn't politically correct enough for him since I had the poor taste to joke. Well, I guess it's okay to mention it on my own blog, I've said a lot of stuff I shouldn't here and have had no complaints from Blogger.

I've searched the net for writer's forums for autistic/asperger people but I just find a lot of resources for parents/caregivers of those with autism. Don't know what to do about it really, so those I would whine about it on my blog where at least I'm not bothering anyone....

So--- enough of that. To update my life for anyone that cares--- I'm still working on my NaNoWriMo novel but have stopped to outline using the method in the book "First Draft in 30 Days", don't know how well that will work.

I have mentioned on this blog that I've had two kittens die recently. They were the two kittens out of the current batch that actually liked me enough that they'd purr when I picked them up. Recently, though, someone abandoned two half-grown kittens here and one of them is really friendly. I've named him Chan-ho, after major league pitcher Chan-ho Park, and the other kitten is named Chantho, after the alien in Doctor Who. You know, the one who started every sentence with 'chan' and ended it with 'tho'? As in, 'Chan that was one weird Doctor Who alien tho'.  The picture at the top of this post is of Chan-ho.

My Writing's Really gone to Hell this Nano

This year for National Novel Writing Month, I'm working on a project called 'Famine of the Heart' which is a dumb title since it sounds like a romance novel, and the actual story is a steampunk novel featuring sideshow freaks.

It's meant to be a lighthearted romp but the main theme seems to be.... hellfire. Specifically, the main character's mom is not saved (not in a state of grace) when she dies (killed while rescuing a child from a rampaging elephant.)

The main character Kerenza is quite sure her mother went to hell because: her mother had been guilty of the sin of adultery, when she is mortally injured she calls for a priest, but the priest who comes is actually an actor in a Roman collar, who cannot legitimately give absolution and also does not know how to encourage the dying woman to accept Christ.

The Christian theme of the story seems to be about forgiveness. Because Kerenza feels there is virtually no hope that her mother is anywhere else but in hell, she cannot forgive her father for having lured her mother into a life of adultery, and yet she knows that as a Christian she must forgive.

I know it's beginning to sound all boring, but there are also a lot of steam-powered machines and clockwork robots and stuff. And Kerenza is the only one who knows that an inventor's brother is Not To Be Trusted, and she really likes the inventor but they can't get involved because he's Jewish....

And then there are the conjoined twins, one of whom wants to be baptized and the other who doesn't want a drop of baptismal water touching him....

Which reminds me--- shouldn't I be working on my Nano novel right now? (I'm doing some outlining work for the next two days to figure out where the story is headed...)

My page at the NaNoWriMo web site.

No More Head Shaving. Ever.

Sometimes my eyes see stuff that just isn't there. Like when I noticed an ad reading 'No more head shaving.' OK, what it really said was 'no more shaving' but what my eyes saw at first was way better. Imagine never having to shave your head ever again, for the whole rest of your life. I hope there's a product for that.....

If you're wondering why this post is tagged 'axe-wielding homicidal maniac'--- LOOK BEHIND YOU!!!

Oh, No, it's Nanowrimo!!!

Ok, it's November. It's been November for a couple of days now. I've even flipped over the page of my calendar to November already. So why wasn't I aware until just now that National Novel Writing Month, AKA Nanowrimo, had started.

I'm going to do it, of course. I've never finished a nanowrimo, but during my first Nano, I did get saved.

It happened like this. I was a Norse Pagan and had been one for over a decade. I'd even edited a self-published Norse Pagan magazine until my stalker ruined that for me.

I was working at my Nano novel and had decided to pray about it. The question, as a Pagan, was which God to pray to--- Odin, Thor, Freya? As a Pagan I did not disbelieve in the God of Christianity, I just believed that He was just one tribal/ethnic God among many.

On impulse I decided to pray to the Christian God--- I gave Him a challenge. If He would give me measurable help with my novel, I would become a Christian.

I didn't really expect any help. And I didn't finish my Nanowrimo novel that year. But I did complete over 120 pages, which came out to 50 pages more than my previous best on any one writing project. And so I became a Christian.

I'm glad I did even though it meant I had to commit to a life of chastity because of my new faith, rather than being chaste in a unplanned way because of my unattractiveness.

So, participating in Nano is important to me even if I don't win. My nickname on the Nano site is 'ilsabein'. If you are participating in Nano, look me up!

Now, I must get to work naming the characters in my story (they are a family of freak show performers) and then I must start my first chapter. I have no idea where the story is going. But that's all right.

Writing Christian Science Fiction: An Impossible Dream?

Writing science fiction and getting published has long been a life goal for me--- but Christian science fiction for a Christian publisher hasn't been a part of my plans.

In part it has been because I've considered it unrealistic. Christian fiction publishers are mostly evangelicals; I'm Catholic. And being Catholic isn't something I'd want to absolutely hide in my fiction. Would my work ever be accepted by readers?

But recently I've reconsidered and am reading books about how to write Christian fiction. None of the books have any high hopes for a work of Christian science fiction. The one that is most optimistic seems to indicated that 'spiritual warfare' science fiction is the kind that gets published, not something with space aliens.

The books have a lot to say about who is reading Christian fiction: mostly women, mostly evangelicals.... But who is reading Christian science fiction? Have there been any studies, formal or informal, of that? Perhaps I ought to ask some Christian science fiction writers what sort of people they believe are reading their books.

The second question: what do the readers of Christian science fiction most want to read? What Christian science fiction books are the most popular? What secular science fiction books are most popular with Christian readers?

I wish I could find the answers to such questions. Not that I would concoct some plotline based on what's popular. But knowing who the readers aare and what they like to read might help me pick what story-ideas might be the best one to pursue.