A new author’s quest to unravel the secrets of success

My ventures into the Indie world, writing ADHD fantasy while living ADHD reality, are told here through the fictional Ondine Spark, whose name is a literal translation of my own, Hebrew one.
A true story of determination (some would say, stubbornness), self-belief (sometimes called delusions), and success. Well, that last bit is still fiction, of the mystery thriller sort.

A sudden chill killed Ondine’s smile, filling her mind with flashbacks of times she preferred to forget. Her interrogator persisted, repeating their question.

“So, how is your novel-writing going?”

She cleared her throat and faked a renewed smile. “it’s, uh, you…

“ADHD fantasy?” said the man, “I don’t think that’s an Amazon category.”

Well. Fitting existing categories has never been my super-power.

“Why can’t you be like everyone else just for once!”

“But what’s the point of being me, if I’m just like everyone else?”

This snippet from my book makes sense, doesn’t it? Too bad it took me decades to figure this out. Until then, I have spent decades trying to squeeze my thorny edges into the neat square box society has made for me. Yes, in case you’re wondering, it has been too tight, and yes, I do carry…

“You can’t have ADHD. You have a PhD.”

Sigh.

The second part is true. I have completed a PhD in philosophy. I also changed study fields three times prior to that, feeling like an incompetent little child who can’t make up her mind. I also learned four foreign languages, but can only listen to a few sentences before my mind starts wandering. I homeschool my three teens toward a twenty-twenty education, but struggle to keep their regular dental check-ups. …

Series’ Table of Contents

This series of posts relates my ventures into the Indie world, writing ADHD fantasy while living ADHD reality, through the fictional Ondine Spark, whose name is a literal translation of my own, Hebrew one.
This is a true story of determination (some would say, stubbornness), self-belief (sometimes called delusions), and success. Well, that last bit is still fiction, of the mystery thriller sort.

Table of contents:

Staying productive — and sane — working from home

I am writing this post seated at my desk, which is the family’s living-room table, with eight more family members going around their business nearby. Four of them make all sorts of human fuss; two more bark, and the remaining two meow. That is a lot of action to accompany writing.

This isn’t the way I sit daily to finish writing my ADHD fantasy novel, however. The pandemic had many people move to working from home, who have never done so before. Many of them also have ADHD, which makes concentration…

Finally, the break of a new year, which always smells of a fresh start. Even in the midst of a pandemic. This is probably why the concept of a “new year’s resolution” is so popular. Also, why it often doesn’t work.

Don’t get me wrong. On January 1st, two years ago, I began to seriously write my first ADHD fantasy novel. While I haven’t yet finished, I’m still at it, always progressing. Is that the result of a new year’s resolution? Quite the contrary: it is the result of an incessant series of tiny decisions to start again. I strive…

Welcome to the wonderland of ADHD fantasy fiction!

Living with ADHD can be a magical wonderland; sometimes charming, sometimes dark. This is the inspiration for the ADHD fantasy I write: fantasy which takes place inside the mind of someone you know. Possibly love. Maybe, yourself.

This is my journey to Indie publishing, writing ADHD fiction while living ADHD reality. I hope you’ll join me!

Adva Shaviv

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Part three — and last — of my ADHD awareness month challenge, reporting daily on my progress in the writing of ADventures Heading up and Down — my ADHD fantasy novel.

Day 16: A Dream Is Born