Writer's Block: Life With ADHD

[justalurkr]

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I had no writer's block before medicating, but I also had no direction. Everything just sort of poured out and dried in patternless blobs. There's got to be a medium between that and "omg what is this crap in my head?!?" though.

Comments

[bugchicklv.livejournal.com]

Not ADHD related, but I've had horrible writer's block ever since I started taking Klonipin and Celexa. The mood stabilizers have made me completely apathetic to the point where I have to MAKE myself sit down and attempt things.

Sometimes I wonder if the whole world is going to end up medicated and were all going to go the way of Miranda...

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

Just to keep pace with the rest of society, everyone is going to have to juice up pretty soon. When I first started in the work force, a certain level of "eccentricity" (in my case, distraction or impatience) was acceptable, but now we all have to perform at full-throttle professional perfect all the time, these little pharmaceutical props are pretty much the only way.

I'd heard that some folks going on ADD/ADHD meds perceived a drop off in creativity, but I experience as focusing on "more important" things, like paying bills on time or mopping the floor. The main supporting evidence in my life that stimulant medication (Concerta, in my case) is having an impact on the non-linear side of my brain is that action/adventure movies that involve a lot of aerial special effects are more fun unmedicated. I watched Aladdin 15 times in the theater in my pre-medicated days, but never had the urge to see Spiderman on the big screen more than once, until someone dragged me on a day I'd run out of the little white pills. Swooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooop, baybee! :D

Leveling out moods sounds like a more serious situation than controlling my tendency to drive co-workers crazy my attention span, though.

[nialla]

Since I've been on meds for migraine prevention with a side of ongoing all-over pain, I don't feel as "creative" as I once did. Maybe there's something to the whole "tortured artist" thing.

I do know at the height of my parody writing, I was also at the height of my pain. I think I was using my writing as an escape hatch from Painville.

Now, I don't have much interest in what I was parodying, but it's more the underlying "blah" I have on putting that much effort into anything. I have a half-finished BBE of Continuum. Don't know if I can ever finish it, because I'm damn well not going off meds to get inspired. I live in fear of my body getting used to my meds and they stop working.

I should be effin brilliant soon

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

On the tortured artist theory, anyway. I can't currently see out of my right eye. Will be heading to the doctor as soon as it's light out. I have enough depth perception to risk driving, but slowly going blind is a childhood nightmare from the time I had to get stronger and stronger glasses for myopia every year, and no one bothered to tell me it was because I was growing.

If your meds were giving you any relief,I'd say the creativity was dropping because our brains prioritize the quotidian when they can focus on it, and disract us with the wilder flights of fancy when they can't. You still get killer headaches, tho.

Re: I should be effin brilliant soon

[nialla]

My eyesight didn't level out until I was in my 20s. I think it was partly due to my age, partly due to wearing contacts all the time and not straining my eyes so much. Now I can't wear contacts though, as they not only irritate my eyes, but seem to intensify migraine triggers.

I understand about the going blind fear. I've always been such a visual person, epsecially reading (whether a book or online), so I just can't imagine it. I do have one lady who comes in regularly with her husband to check out audiobooks. I'm not sure if she's considered legally blind, but it's bad enough her hubby has to read the book descriptions to her.

And yeah, I still get headaches, but it's really bad-ass ones breaking through, not the old style low-level one all the time, with really bad-ass ones taking me out of commission. I think that was why I had the "flights of fancy" -- I was in low-level pain all the time, to the point where it really didn't even register anymore.