In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Pa Theriot to talk about their work in progress. They discuss how Pa writes neurodivergent stories from a neurodivergent perspective, what to do when you are adding a POV to a full story, and how to find a wound for the POV that will allow for the themes you are looking for in your story.
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AI Summary of the Discussion
The conversation between Jeff Elkins and Pa Theriot (Pa/P) centers on the development of Pa’s work-in-progress, which aims to provide an authentic autistic story told in an autistic voice. Their discussion covers the importance of community representation, technical feedback on scene structure, and deep character development for the novel’s leads.
Authentic Representation and the “Double Empathy”
Pa highlights that their story is intended to move beyond “trauma porn” or stories about autism written by non-autistic authors. They describe autism as an internal experience with different “wiring” (comparing it to Apple vs. Android) rather than a deficiency in empathy. Pa notes that authentic representation is critical because the current world is increasingly unsafe for the community, which faces a significantly lower life expectancy due to abuse and suicide.
The Growth Arc: Unmasking
The central emotional journey for the protagonist, Emma, is unmasking—moving from a state of performance for survival to living authentically. Jeff provides specific advice on how to prioritize what to write:
- Summarize vs. Live-In: Jeff advises Pa to “live in” (provide granular detail for) any scene that challenges or encourages Emma’s unmasking. Scenes that do not push this emotional envelope can be summarized to maintain pacing.
- Escalating Action: In a scene where Emma is searching for a fuse box while on the phone with a child (Jamie), Jeff suggests that the physical action should escalate in tandem with the child’s emotional state.
- Sensory Overload: During a scene involving a fire, Jeff recommends “freezing time” to personify the fire and capture the sensory overload experienced by an autistic character.
Character Voice and Communication Tools
The authors discuss using specific linguistic tools to create unique character voices:
- Swedish Idioms: Emma uses bizarre Swedish phrases (e.g., “antispan banana”) that highlight the distance between her internal and external worlds and serve as markers of growing intimacy with other characters.
- AAC Devices: A child character, Jamie, communicates via an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device due to trauma. Pa uses stilted punctuation and specific phrasing to realistically represent this mode of communication.
Loi: The “Pressure Cooker” and Power Balance
A significant portion of the call is dedicated to developing the second lead, Loi, a Black ER doctor facing a high-stakes custody battle.
- The Internal Wound: Jeff identifies a power imbalance; while Loi provides external resources (stability, professional help), Emma needs to provide the internal resources to heal Loi’s hidden “broken thing”.
- Archetypes of Vulnerability: Jeff suggests four potential internal modes for Loi to create an emotional breaking point: rage, depression, escapism (fantasizing about running away), or denial. Pa leans toward the denial/fatalism route—where Loi insists “everything is fine” until Emma forces a moment of truth.
Genre and Market Positioning
Pa expresses concern about how to market a story that blends a romance with heavy themes like suicide prevention. Jeff advises against forcing the book into a traditional romance structure, which would require cutting too many important plot threads. Instead, he suggests the story fits into the “Uplit” (uplifting literary fiction) category, similar to the works of Fredrik Bachman or TJ Klune, where well-intentioned people navigate a difficult world to find one another.
Jeff concludes by encouraging Pa to focus on editing character internality rather than performing another full rewrite, as the external plot and authentic voice are already strong.