gaps in time and the secret writer's book

[kippurbird]

I have a gap in structure.

It's a new term I've just made up. It means that my structured schedule, my daily autistic routine, has been disrupted. Not in an anxiety producing way, because I knew that the disruption was coming. But now I have a gap of time that is normally taken up by something else and I don't know what to do with myself until the next thing in the routine. To make a clearer example:

Fridays, I don't go to work until 11:30. Either I go to my shrink at ten and then go to work or I clean house and then go to work. Each time leaving at eleven and each time having a Something to occupy my time. Today, however, workers are coming in to replace our windows. So, I got up at my normal time, cleaned up some and let them in at nine thirty. I wasn't going to stick around with all the construction noise, so I left.

It's nine thirty. My next scheduled activity is a eleven. I haven't a fucking clue as to what to do to fill up that time gap. So, I have a gap in structure.

I don't think non autistic people have this problem. I'm not sure though. I'm pretty sure they'd just figure out something to do without even thinking about it. While I just sort of went so um.... now what do I do?


I had my writing group over last night. We held it at my place instead of at the coffee shop because the coffee shop has been getting a bit too small. A guy came, he doesn't write fantasy/Sci-Fi but is apparently working on a screen play that's turning into a Sci-Fi story so he wanted our help on somethings like working out the Time Travel gimmick and stuff. It went okay, it took him a bit to understand somethings that I guess we sci-fi'ers take for granted. That was interesting in itself.

At one point he asked if there was a "Book" or something that we go to to get information on... like, On the Planet "Grebex" the aliens have to be called, "Zenians" or something like that. Which got a few confused stares. And we told him, no we just make it up as we go along and we have to follow the same conventions that other writers do (you know plot, characters, setting etc) as well as a few others that you get by reading other Sci-Fi novels and stories or there are books on those sort of conventions.

It was just sort of amusing that he thought there was a secret book that we fantasy/sci-fi writers use to come up with the stuff we do.

Comments

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

I actually have that same problem a lot. It's why I always have a book with me in my purse. Because I'll get like you, wondering what the fuck to do now. I'm not autistic, but I have enough neurological and emotional disorders to get shaken up if something in my head-universe goes flooey.

Yes, that super-secret "Sci-Fi/Fantasy Writer's Book" is published by the same folks who publishes the "Parent's Book" where everything anyone ever needs to become a parent is conveniently written down. Nobody makes it up as they go along, because everyone has the Books.
Wait... you don't have the Books? Oh, dear. Well, you'll have to join the Club. But I can't tell you how to join. You have to already be a member. Yes, I know it's a Catch-22. But it's how these things work.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Heh. Perhaps it's not an autistic thing then.

And you can't show it to anyone who's not a part of the Club either.

You know it's just like Priory of Scion. =D

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

Exactly. There's also a secret handshake and secret phrase to make sure you know you're talking to a member of the Club.
Except I forgot what they are, so don't ask me
until I consult my Sci-Fi Writer's Club Handbook.
If I can remember where I put it...

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Which I can't allow you to see, because you don't know about it.

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

So it's all a moot point anyway, so just make stuff up as you go along. Nothing to see here. Book? What book? There's no book.

[gundamkiwi.livejournal.com]

I'm not autistic, and I have that problem. Well, when I have a structured schedule and something suddenly changes, I do. It's why I always carry a book or my Game Boy with me, so that if I find myself suddenly having to wait for something, I'll have a way to occupy myself until then. :)

And, okay, d00d, I wish there was a Book. That would make things sooo much easier. XD

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Well, it's nice to know that it's not just me then.

Wouldn't it?

Paolini seems to think there is one.

[gundamkiwi.livejournal.com]

Paolini seems to think he's written it. =P

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

You mean the attitude of "OMG I'm a famous writer at age fifteen, I know everything!!!!!"?

[gundamkiwi.livejournal.com]

Indeed I do. :D Isn't that the impression you get from his pretentious essays?

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

His essays are dripping with it.

[christinaathena.livejournal.com]

Hunh. I have the opposite issue, myself. While I do like certain routines to be followed (such as my nightly online time), I tend to have a lot of unstructured time. Time that I spend just browsing the web, reading, taking a walk, stimming, whatever. In fact, I tend to dislike too much routine, too much scheduling. I've always been that way, actually. While I've always had Things I Have To Do, I thrive on freetime.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

It's not so much that as... sudden unexpected unstructured time. I can handle unstructured time, which is, for me different than my routines. It's the ... mm... well... "now what do I do?" times that get me.

[andy-longwood.livejournal.com]

Well, if I'm, say, in my room, gaps in my schedule just get filled up with something random. Like reading or drawing or aimlessly surfing the web to fill up the time until my next whatever. But if it's a matter of having time to kill and no books or paper or internets or space to do cartwheels then . . . *shrug* I think my default timekiller is either websurfing or yoga, if I'm feeling like being healthy.

Boredom is a universal problem, I'd say, but speaking as a non-autistic person, my mode of thought is usually "Huh, well there is time opened up here. What do I feel like doing? Reading? Yoga? Drawing? TV? Stare at the computer like a zombie?" and if the answer is "none of the above," then I repeat the process.

[syderia]

I'll join in the chorus of it's not you. I don't really have a routine these days so it doesn't happen much, but when free time appears where it shouldn't be, I sometimes need time to figure out what to do with it.

Ah, The Book. I makes me think about so many of my classmates who go all "where do you get those ideas from?" when talking about my stories.

I also have a random - well, not totally - question for you. You don't have to answer but I was wondering : what do you like most about being autistic ?

[christinaathena.livejournal.com]

I know the question wasn't directed at me, but that's an interesting one none the less. :-) I can't speak for Kip, but for me, well, it's hard to separate autism from just me, of course. But, the ability to find joy in small things, some forms of stimming (that term really covers a number of activities that can look similar but have different motivations - sheer pleasure, for example, or coping with stress), not worrying about the silly things that non-autistics seem to worry so much about, such as social status and the like.

[syderia]

Thanks for answering. I'm always happy when people find my questions interesting. :-)

[ghostgecko.livejournal.com]

Oh yes . . . unstructured time is the worst. I usually try to read, btu sometimes I'll get stuck in a thing where I'll say, "I will start writing at 2pm" (for some reason I'm hung up on two) and spend the interim time being completely useless even if there are things I could be doing. Cleaning the bathroom rather than stacking pennies or whatever stupid bloody stim has hold of me at the moment.