writer life

I’m Autistic and Writing Helped Me Find My Voice

Woman smiling, posing outside near flowers
Through writing, Lara Boyle found confidence and community.

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write now publishes articles and personal essays by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By Lara Boyle

“Why can’t you let her speak for herself?”

That’s what family members and friends would ask my mom. I’d be at the dinner table in a crowded restaurant or even in our living room when my throat would close up. I opened my mouth to speak, but all the words I needed were gone. Under the weight of everybody’s eyes, I shrunk into my seat, unable to do more than clear my throat. I had no issues learning how to talk. I could ramble on and on for hours about horses, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter or my favorite cartoon show, Alex Hirch’s Gravity Falls on Disney. Yet, somehow I still struggled to say what I thought, to find the right words. I wouldn’t find out until I was eighteen years old that this struggle to speak was because I have a type of Autism Spectrum Disorder commonly known as Asperger’s Syndrome. My voice seemed to disappear until I found it scribbled out in jet-black ink on paper.

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I always wanted to be a stay-at-home freelancer, so why am I so sad?

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write now publishes articles and personal essays by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By Carmen Shea Brown

I remember the drive down the long, winding road to my place of employment, passing all the same restaurants, shopping centers and offices I had gone by almost every day for the past 10 years. After months of thinking, praying and analyzing the situation from all angles, I knew I was doing the right thing. Still, as I got closer to the parking lot, my heart felt like it was going to explode. 

I was about to break the news to my manager, supervisors and co-workers that after a decade of being a faithful employee at a major retail chain, I was leaving to pursue my passion for writing full-time. 

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For the Teaching Writer — Heavy on the Writer

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write now publishes articles and personal essays by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By Jelisa Jay Robinson

Dear Teacher Writer, 

I see you. Finishing manuscripts on holidays and summers.  Attending See Jane Write meetings on Tuesdays. I see you finishing your grading so that you can steal a moment to work on your screenplay.  You are the teacher that incorporates writing into your lessons.  Letting kids know that writing isn’t a bore; it’s a major source of creativity, joy and a skill set that can make you money in the future.  You are the Teacher Writer…Heavy on the writer. 

You’ve been told that those who can’t do, teach.  But you know that’s not true; those who teach…do…and they do it well.  

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7 Things Writers Can Do During the Coronavirus Crisis

This isn’t the post I’d planned to write for today. This isn’t the post I wanted to write for today. To be honest, I wanted to pretend the Coronavirus crisis wasn’t happening— not because I’m a bury my head in the sand kind of girl but because I’m dealing with so much trauma and grief in my personal life right now for reasons that have nothing to do with COVID-19 that the idea of dealing with all that and worrying about a global health pandemic seemed more than I could bear.

But as the founder of See Jane Write it is my responsibility to show up. I’m not a doctor. I’m not an official from the CDC. I can’t answer your questions about the intricacies of Coronavirus. Like you, I’m just out here washing my hands, practicing social distancing as much as possible, and trying not to touch my face. (No, I’m not hoarding toilet paper.) But I can tell you how I think we as writers can try to make the best of a horrible situation.

Here are 7 things writers can do during the Coronavirus crisis.

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