Sangay Glass's Blog - Posts Tagged "neurodiversity"

If something feels off kilter, don’t rush to set it straight. Our minds adapt in time. It’s only natural.

I’ve always written characters who live a little sideways from the world, who second-guess their reactions, misread the room, or pull back just when they’re supposed to lean in. I didn’t call it neurodivergence at first. I just wrote people who felt familiar, quietly different.

Jess and Tucker, the leads in The Wolfer’s Daughter, are both on the spectrum.

You may not catch it right away, especially with Jess. She uses humor to deflect in awkward moments. She thinks one thing and says another. She’s observational, intense, and tries hard to stay two steps ahead in conversations that don’t come easy. Because for her, most conversations never reach her lips. That’s how she keeps up. That’s how she survives.

Tucker’s differences show more clearly. He repeats motions, and if they feel right in his mouth, words echo. He asks for clarity instead of pretending he understood the first time. He’s brilliant, literal, loyal, and sometimes misses the social “script.” But that’s part of why Jess trusts him. He doesn’t hide how his mind works, and that makes her feel less alone.

I didn’t write them to teach a lesson. I wrote them because I know people like them. I am people like them. I live in a world that sometimes feels too bright, too fast, too full of noise. And I know the relief of finding someone who doesn’t expect you to mask.

Writing neurodiverse characters matters. Not because they’re flawless or tragic or quirky. but because they show up in stories as full, complex humans. People who love, grieve, screw up, and grow. People who deserve to be at the center of the narrative, not the edge.

So yes, my stories will always have room for the offbeat thinkers, the ones who feel too much, the ones who shut down before they say something they can’t take back. They’re not broken. They’re not “inspirational.” They’re just…real.