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Topic : Re: How do I tell the reader that my character is autistic in Fantasy? I am a woman with aspergers and writing an autistic character has always been close to my heart. Fiera Allas, a fantasy - selfpublishingguru.com

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Since it sounds like you already know how to write a well-rounded autistic character without relying too much on labels and simply want to make sure readers who may not know much about autism learn something from what they read, I would suggest the simplest solution: use the label autistic in the text itself once or twice.

A fantasy series I read regularly (Pathfinder) recently started using the words asexual, agender, and intersex to describe characters where appropriate. I know that these words for sexuality, gender, and sex were not in common usage during the Middle Ages when knights were running around. It surprised me the first time a writer used the word asexual in the series, but it didn't break anything. Yes, the authors also showed that an asexual character wasn't interested in sex in other ways, but since asexual people are so often told their orientation isn't a real thing and "they'll find the right person eventually", it was refreshing to have the label explicitly stated. I know that character's identity won't be taken away in the future.

I probably wouldn't use the term Asperger's in a fantasy setting as the name is a reference to an actual person. If you wanted something similar to that term, or if the word autistic sounds anachronistic to you, you could use a name of a fictional character you create or do some research into the time period that you are basing your setting off of. Are there any historical figures from that period that you think would be considered autistic today? How did people refer to them during that time period?

Alternatively or in addition, if you put your own place on the spectrum in the author bio, readers will be more likely to see the connection. You could even mention in the author bio exactly what you did here, that you see that aspect of yourself in Fiera.


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