However, this has also increased my fan mail, especially as Pride & Popularity went to press today and will be in stores next month. YAY! Finally. :) (At the last minute a publisher came in and convinced me to sign with them.)
Anyway, this particular girl nearly broke my heart when I read her discouraged plea asking for writing advice, even though she lives with the dyslexic ability and struggles with writing.
This was my response to her:
Wow! You're dyslexic? That is soo cool! Did you know dyslexic people are some of the greatest problem solvers in the world? Ooh! And google the Mathematical Bridge in Cambridge, England. It was completely designed by someone with dyslexia centuries ago--and the amazing thing? It was done COMPLETELY without nails! It lasted in that exact state for hundreds and hundreds of years, one of the strongest bridges, until very recently when the british government decided to update it and preserve it. They took it totally apart, piece by piece and when they went to put it back together, they couldn't figure it out! No joke. They finally had to use nails and screws. The silly people! Had they just hired someone with your gift, it could've been done right.
Yes, spelling and grammar will be a problem. So what? Keep writing. Don't ever let that hinder you. Your talent is of such use, who knows... maybe one day you'll create a formula for curing some awful disease! And become a millionaire saving millions of lives. :) What I'd give to have your brain! You may find you're also good at all sort of problems and riddles, things that stump people will come very easily for you. I'd definitely continue to enhance your gift. Don't you EVER let someone tell you it's not a gift, either. My oldest son is dyslexic and drives his math teacher crazy when he comes up with the same solutions completely different and much easier than the way she would teach the class. It's the ability to solve things backwards and see the world in a much simpler way.
As to spelling and grammar, it'll get better the more you practice. So don't worry about that. that'll just have to come from habit, instead of sense. You won't understand why the I has to go before the E in some words, you'll just have them memorized and do it correctly. :)
The best advice I can give you is write, write, write. Don't worry about how to start, just START! Also, I'm assuming you know about my free writing classes for teens? If not go to www.jennijameswritingclass.blogspot.com
Jenni
I have some advice for her too, if you don't mind, Mrs. James.
ReplyDeleteThere are a ton of people famous for their contributions to society who are dyslexic. Just to name a few:
Thomas Edison (The lightbulb -- oh my, where would we be if he had given up on his inventions?)
Hans Christian Andersen (writer of many classic fairy tales)
F. Scott Fitzgerald (wrote The Great Gatsby)
Agatha Christie (legendary mystery writer extraordinaire)
Tom Cruise is dyslexic. Muhammad Ali was dyslexic. Andrew Jackson, JFK, Woodrow Wilson, and George Washington (all great U.S. presidents) were dyslexic.
I'm A.D.D. so I know where you're coming from with dealing with frustration. When it comes down to it, these traits only make us work harder at what we do.
You'll be fine, believe me.
Ta-taa! :)
My husband is dyslexic and it's so bad he just doesn't read unless it is on a computer screen or his ipod, and even then only what is necessary. For years he felt stupid because he was told he was when no one listened to him when he said the words were spinning and the numbers were switching places, they didn't tell him he had dyslexia. They told him he was slow.
ReplyDeleteHe's one of the smartest people I know and it has taken years for him to shake that stigma he was given in elementary school.
Be proud that you write! Proud that you fight this difficult problem and proud that you are in the company of such amazing minds.
Find the solution that works best for you and forget about how anyone else does it.
Thank you Jeff and LisaAnn... I'm going to make sure she sees these comments!
ReplyDeleteI've just learned that Albert Einstein was dyslexic. I mean, hello? And with Jeff's list above, why would anyone be treated worse because their brains are wired for genius! :)