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[Leyelle]

Watch interviews and documentaries. I'm working on a story rn starring an autistic lead, as I'm not autistic, I'm watching videos on ASD, interviews with autistic people, xyz.

The truth is, you can't experience everything, so you'll probably have to write some things you don't know about, thanks to the internet though, that's very possible. An annoying sense of humor might be hard to research as everyone has a different opinion on that, but you could look up videos on annoying things siblings do, because most people have those ideas in common, and translate that over to you character. As far as trauma is concerned, there are a whole lot of interviews, videos and documentaries on these things, but be forewarned that it might be very hard on YOU emotionally, to watch these.

[kyupol]

I don't think anyone can 100% capture a real person's trauma and life experiences unless they lived through it or experienced something similar (i.e. a soldier who never had combat experience can only relate as far as deployment and basic training is concerned when talking to another soldier who was wounded in battle).

But like others said, the best you can do is immerse yourself into the subject matter at hand via books, videos, etc on the subject matter. Research research research... and if it is still not accurate oh well... at least you tried

[JoshRaed]

I think it’s that what my mom or little brothers do around the house and what people do in class just doesn’t give me a sense of how a 19 year old or anyone with trauma would realistically behave, or even how someone else’s mom or little brother would realistically behave. I guess if I went out more I’d be able to osmosis an idea of human behavior but I don’t think that would allow me to mold that into the specific behavior of one person.

Am I interpreting the concept wrong? I feel like I am.

[JoshRaed]

I wasn’t ever not writing it. I just wrote a scene and a half for this exact character yesterday, and I think it was a good scene. Today i’ll write more and before february fifth I will have a proper third draft of my story.

[JoshRaed]

I looked at those sources and then more stuff after that, also I understand that the point of studying other people is not so that you can write trauma. I just thought I should explain the context behind this, because when I try to separate a question from the exact reason i’m asking everyone is demanding the story and are mad that I’m not giving the exact context even when it’s not important.

[JoshRaed]

Well i’m dropped off to one class and when that class is done my parents are waiting outside to pick me up and drive me home again.

What do you mean by hyper specific parameters? I’m sorry if I missed something, I didn’t think your advice was a singleminded machine latched to one tiny spot of the writing landscape.

[JoshRaed]

When you say specific trauma do you mean there should be a specific medical diagnosis he can be given? Or do you mean something else?

[SoftWonderBun]

Josh enough. Just enough please. We have gone over this and over this. This is a conversation we had weeks ago when I linked the PTSD article. Just write the draft, make the comic and move onto the next thing. You're in school, just focus on that right now.

[JoshRaed]

I don’t have plans to be making the comic anytime this year. Instead i’ll be drawing and writing and gaining experience with this stuff so I can make sure i’m up to task before I finish the story draft. Before the fifth I will finish the draft, for the rest of february I will work on writing short story drafts (and catching up on that trauma research), and after that I will go back go my comic script and novel with fresh eyes the perspective of a beta reader, and research, and edit it again. Then I am going to make second drafts of all those short stories, then i’m doing a second preptober so I can basically do nanowrimo in june. There will be a bunch of mini comic things and maybe a real comic but a small one, then I’ll start the comic sometime next year.

[Kelheor]

Try writing something you know about for starters you will spend all time procrastinating over stuff you have no idea how to do and there's small chance you will do it well from the first attempt, especially if you're not putting any research in it.

[JoshRaed]

Even things I know I still don’t feel confident writing. Like I wrote about two gay autistic characters and still didn’t quite get where I was going with it or how to do it right. So I did research into the subject.

[KSlinger]

You get life experience from living life. There isn't a way to cheat time. Just like if you haven't been a police officer for 20 years, you won't have 20 years of policing experience.

You suck at writing people because you don't understand people.

How do you understand people? Be a person. Get a job. Get fired. Take public transport. Travel. Make friends. Lose friends. Fall in love. Cheat on someone. Get cheated on.

You know the answer, why are we discussing this?

[JoshRaed]

Sorry. It’s just that i’m home all day aside from a few hours of class per week, and don’t have friends or anything, so this is kind of a major change.

[PapaDom]

Joshi boy,
shouldn't you focus more on your studies? I mean having an education and getting a decent job from it seems kinda~ important.

(Also, did you do some roleplaying? Like BEING that character and think how they would act in the situation?)

[KSlinger]

I'm sure it is. You should talk to your family about making steps toward independence.

[JoshRaed]

shouldn't you focus more on your studies? I mean having an education and getting a decent job from it seems kinda~ important.

My studies are fine right now, and I have less assignments to do this week than there are days of the week.

[JoshRaed]

Thank you. I'm going to look into the behaviors of CPTSD and stuff.

[JoshRaed]

Watch interviews and documentaries.

Do you have any to recommend? Like what documentaries and interviews did you look at, and do you know any that would apply to thinks like CPTSD.

[KevinReijnders]

My guy, you are allowed to use google

[JoshRaed]

And I am. There are multiple videos on the subject in my tabs. I'm just asking for more recommendations so I can see as much as possible on the subject.