Disclaimer: I am not an expert on this nor do I have personal experience with it. This research is not extensive. If writing an amputee character, I suggest you do more research than what I have here. Always focus on personal experience from actual amputees. I would advise you to look out for āinspiration pornā written by non-amputees.Ā
General
10 Things Amputees and People With Limb Differences Want You to Know
Your Stories
Amputee Stories Archive
Arm Dynamics Feature Patients
Amputee Life Hacks (videos)
OPC - Orthotic Prosthetic Center
Wiggle Your Toes: Personal Experiences
Personal Stories
Real Stories
9 Things I Wish I Knew When I Became an AmputeeĀ
TW: mentions of people fetishizing amputees
The Active Amputee Podcast on Spotify
Resources for Amputees
Bilateral amputee finds acceptance a magic path to recovery
Writing Amputees
Note: this is from someone married to an amputee
Things Not To Say To Amputees (video)
TW: mentions of fetishising amputees
Things I'm Tired of Hearing as an Amputee (video)
TW: mentions of hate comments, fetishising amputees
25 Things I Can Still Do as a Quadruple Amputee (video)
Congenital Amputees
Congenital Amputation
Congenital Limb Defects
My Life as a Triple Congenital Amputeeā¦And What You Can Learn From My Story
Stump Kitchen: Born an Amputee (Amniotic Band Syndrome)
Note: Also check out the Youtube channel she mentions
What's Wrong with You?
Arm Amputees
The First 12 Months After Upper-Limb Amputation
My New Life with One Arm
TW: mentions of having sex (very brief - one or two sentences)
Surviving the terrifying loneliness of being a young person with an amputation
TW: mentions of people saying they prefer death over amputation, using racist, sexist, and homophobic comments (no actual comments are used), declining mental health, dismissal of mental health issues, and body image issues
The Complete Guide To Arm & Hand Amputations and Prosthetics
Miles OāBrien shows us how he adapts to living without his left arm
Linda's One Arm Web Site
Amputees Top 5 Things I Do Differently With One Hand
Leg Amputees
Their Stories
Amputee Girl on Fire
In a City That Walks, Choosing Amputation for a More Active Life
A Day in the Life of an Amputee
Phantom Limb Sensation (PLS) and Phantom Limb Pain (PLP)
Phantom Pain
Managing Phantom Pain
From Mainstream to Unique: Ten Techniques to Treat Phantom Limb Pain
Can virtual reality games help with phantom limb pain?
AmputeeOT: Discussing phantom limb sensations and pain with amputation
Phantom Sensations (video)
Prosthetics and Other Products
Real Life ProstheticsĀ Ā
Arm Dynamics
Amputee Store
21 Things These Amputees Can't Live Without
Why I Don't Wear Prosthetics (video)
Why I Want a Prosthetic Leg ($20,000+) When an iWalk ($150) "Works"?? (video)
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One of my OCs is aromantic. I was planning on him not having a label for himself at the beginning of the novel but over the course of the story, he learns about it and becomes comfortable using it as a label for himself. I wondered if it would be okay to explore this giving that Iām cishet (Iām questioning but idk). Also he gets help figuring this out by the MC who is cishet (she helps him research to find what aromantic means) and then he talks to another OC whoās bi. Is that ok?
There is nothing inherently wrong with this in general. Itās okay for people without a given identity to represent such identities. I would consider keeping this part of their character development as not being a Main Storyline if you havenāt been through it, but I donāt think representing it at all is a problem. I would recommend a sensitivity reader to go over the relevant scenes, though, but I think thatās widely applicable advice to pretty much everyone representing groups they arenāt necessarily part of.
Iām no expert, but I wanted to share a few tips that have helped me in the past. Some of these Iāve gotten from others and some Iāve discovered on my own. I hope it helps and happy writing!
1. Changing the Font
Iāve seen quite a few posts saying that changing the font to Comic Sans increases your writing productivity. I found this to be true, but Iāve had the same effect with changing to any different font. So every once in a while, I recommend going in and changing to a different font you find appealing (for me, it doesnāt work as well if I donāt actually like the font) and writing in that font for a while. Using the same font over and over can get boring and make you lose interest. Changing the font has certainly helped me crank out an essay or two!
2. Writing Prompts
I donāt know about yāall, but I used to try to use writing prompts and it never helped me to actually write. The problem wasnāt that I couldnāt write, but it was because the prompts werenāt what I wanted to write. There is a lot of different types of prompts you can use. Find the ones that actually get your writing juices pumping. Personally, I canāt use long and/or specific prompts (i.e prompts that range from a sentence to a paragraph with too many details). Instead, I work better with one-word prompts or prompts that have to do with craft (for example, a prompt that saysĀ āWrite something for five minutes using a long sentence with no periodsā). I try to find a good prompt and set a timer for five minutes. Try to keep writing for the entire five minutes. Donāt backtrack or erase and certainly donāt stop. If you find yourself stopping too much, I recommend working with a different prompt.Ā
3. The 25/5 Minute Rule (or whatever itās called)
This one is pretty popular and can be useful for pretty much anything. The gist is this: you work for 25 minutes, you take a 5 minute break, and then you work for another 25 minutes. Some people have different guidelines with it, but thatās the basic rule. I switched it up a little bit. I work for 25 minutes, take a 10 minute break, and then work for another 25. I just do that because I like it all to add up to an hour instead of 55 minutes. You can play with this a bit. You can add rewards for every hour; some people have charts that they put stickers. o whatever works for you. But itās really important that during the time for work, you are working without distractions. You have to be working. If youāre not getting anywhere with one project, switch to another project. Just keep going.Ā
4. Looking at Other Writers
Now I know this wonāt work for everybody, but it really helps me. Scrolling through writing accounts on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, what-have-you, always makes me want to write. But this one is tricky. You have to make sure you actually start writing when you feel this way; you canāt just scroll mindlessly through social media for hours. Itās also hard because the feeling isnāt going to last. Youāll lose the motivation you got pretty quickly. You canāt rely on motivation to get you through writing; you just gotta keep writing.Ā
5. Changing Mediums
This is a hit or miss with me, but something that helps occasionally is switching what Iām writing with. Sometimes, typing on a laptop works better for me. Other times, writing by hand works better. You just have to find the medium that works the best for you and run with it. If you find yourself struggling, maybe switch to something else for a bit. It canāt really hurt to switch things up.Ā
6. Take Care of Yourself
Donāt beat yourself up over not writing, or not writing well enough, or, or, or. If you continuously berate yourself over your writing, youāre going to enjoy it less and less, which just makes it harder to get yourself to write. This goes for everything in life. The more you build something up in your mind, the worse itāll appear. Even if you donāt believe it, try to say/think positive things to yourself likeĀ āMy writing is worthwhile,āĀ āIām a skilled writer,ā or evenĀ āI will write.ā Just saying this things will help you to eventually start writing. Itās important that you donāt punish yourself and you put yourself first.Ā
Trigger Warning: Mentions of PTSD, PTSD symptoms, triggers, flashbacks, and trauma
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on PTSD nor do I have personal experiences with it. This research is not extensive. If writing a character with PTSD, I suggest you do more research than what I have here.
General
What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?
What are the Differences Between PTS and PTSD
Writing a Character with PTSD by @writingquestionsanswered
What is C-PTSD? (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Note: this Youtube channel has good videos on C-PTSD, PTSD, and other mental disorders
An Overview of PTSD
Symptoms/Living with PTSD
What PTSD Feels Like
What It's Really Like Living with PTSD
TW: mentions/descriptions of abuse, drinking/alcohol, drowning, blood
My Story of Survival: Battling PTSD
TW: Mentions of childhood mental, physical, and sexual abuse, knife attack and rape
PTSD: Blogs and Personal Stories
Note: this website offers a lot of writing from the perspectives of people with PTSD
PTSD Stuff No One Talks About by @slimy
PTSD-Living Life After WarĀ
Note: stop at 1:06 because it starts to advertise a product instead of discuss PTSD
What PTSD is Really LikeĀ
TW: mentions of rape
Parents Explain PTSD to their KidsĀ
TW: mentions of suicide thoughts and actions, drinking, recounting a of traumatic events, young children being affected by their parents PTSD
Understanding PTSD's Effects on Brain, Body, and EmotionsĀ
Note: this is a secondhand account from someone married to someone with PTSDĀ
TW: recounting of traumatic events from the Vietnam War, suicide, cyber bullying
Patient Story: PTSD
Treatment
What are the Treatments for PTSD?
Treatment for PTSD
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT for PTSD: Example of how grounding techniques can be used in therapy
How Exposure Therapy Can Treat PTSD
Presentācentered therapy (PCT) for postātraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults
PTSD Dreams
You're Writing PTSD Dreams Wrong by @romancingthebook
TW: mentions of a beating, fighting in Iraq
How Trauma Can Affect Your Dreams
The Causes and Treatment of PTSD Nightmares
National Center for PTSD
Flashbacks and Disassociation
How to Cope with Flashbacks by @onlinecounsellingcollege
What Happens in Your Brain During a PTSD Flashback?
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