Short answer: I am.

Long answer: Living with ADHD or any other neurodivergence means doing things differently from neurotypical people. Writing is no different. The way you write may not look like that famous author you admire so much, but it is absolutely possible to be a writer or author with ADHD.

Habits of an ADHD Author

Did you know that once ADHDers have built a habit, we stick with it just like anybody else? Building a habit is a lot harder for us, but once we get into it, we can stick to it just fine.

There’s a fantastic book called Atomic Habits that I have found to be life-changing for me as an ADHD writer. I highly encourage you to find it at a library or listen to it or whatever because it changed the way I view myself, my ADHD, and my ability to get things done.

One of the key points he makes is that the hardest part is starting. Instead of saying, “I’m going to write a book,” or “I’m going to write 2000 words today,” say “I’m going to write for two minutes.” Then set a timer and ONLY write for two minutes. Then do it again tomorrow. I’ve done this using the Forest app (highly recommend that too!) and I usually end up completely ignoring the time limit and write for a lot longer.

Once you’ve started that habit, no matter how small, you’ve got momentum. 200 words per day will net you 73,000 words in a year if you write daily. That’s a book. For perspective, this “Habits of an ADHD Author” section is 235 words long. That’s it. A couple of paragraphs describing a scene, a dialogue between two characters–that’s all you need.

I Just Can’t Focus

ADHD brains are all over the place, but they are predictably all over the place. I’ve read that it’s not that we can’t focus, but that our focus is applied inconsistently or inappropriately. If you’ve ever hyperfocused on something, you know what I’m talking about. Hours can go by and you forget that the rest of the universe exists.

The way that I deal with this is to completely throw out what I was taught about rewarding yourself after accomplishing a task. My brain can’t wait that long. But if I do something that I like while doing something I want or need to be doing, then my brain is hyped up and ready to work.

For example, sometimes I eat a piece of chocolate after sitting down to write. I like chocolate, so my brain is happy while I start writing. I get past the friction of beginning the task and sail on into the fun part, where my brain can work on the puzzles of writing and creating.

Some people go on a run right before they need to focus. Whatever it is to you, find a way to associate happiness with writing. Talk about it in positive ways, like “I get to write today!” instead of “Ugh, I need to write.”

It still won’t be easy some days. But that’s ok. Perfection is the enemy of good. When it comes to writing with ADHD, writing at all is a triumph.

Letting Go of Guilt

My whole life, I’ve beat myself up (and been beaten up by others) for having a hard time continuing with projects and procrastinating. When it comes to my writing, though, I’ve found that I can just let go of all that guilt. It serves no purpose.

Didn’t write today? That’s ok. I can try again tomorrow. Put off writing until 11:47 pm? That’s ok. It still counts. Didn’t manage to write 1,667 words per day but wrote 5,000 words on Wednesday and 4,129 words on Saturday? Excellent. Plotted out a book instead of writing? Very necessary sometimes and definitely not worthy of guilt. Spent the day with my kids? Also very necessary for my sanity.

But what if I’m too weird or my interests are too esoteric?

I worry about this myself sometimes. I’m a California-raised Latter-day Saint mother who enjoys Star Wars everything, cosplay, art, video games, books, animals, etc. How can I connect to people when I’m a human kaleidoscope?

But then I remember that there’s an International Hair Freezing Contest and Great World Championship Bathtub Race in Canada and an International Festival of Worm Charming Competition in the UK. Humans are weird and wonderful. With 8 billion people on this planet, there WILL be someone who thinks like you and has the same interests as you, no matter what they are. Your biggest challenge will be finding them. Good luck and have fun! Write your book and find your bathtub race!

Conclusion

You can write with ADHD. If someone says you can’t, spit in their eye and tell them you’re gonna try anyways. Will it be tough? Yep. But writing’s tough for everyone who’s ever put some real effort into it.

Good luck and enjoy! Writing is rewarding, and I promise the feeling of finishing a novel despite your own problems, whether due to ADHD or anything else, is well worth the effort.