Dyslexia & Me: Dyslexia, Creative Writing and Mental Health

There’s a powerful link between creativity and mental health: for many of us, indulging in a creative pursuit actually generates some form of stress relief and helps us process and come to terms with our mental health on a more holistic level. It can effect relaxation, help us explore our memories and experiences, and even just help us feel better physically and mentally – but when it comes to mental health and dyslexia, we might be taking a bit of a reductive view.

Creativity can come in thousands of forms – painting, drawing, photography, drama, working with textiles, exploring sound and soundscapes, creating ceramics and models to name but a few of them- but one of the most common ways that many of us tend to relax creatively is in the act of writing. But if you take a quick look online, when it comes to lists of mental health-boosting creative activities for people with dyslexia, we tend to miss this one out. Why?

Dyslexia can impact on reading and writing skills: this one is a given, and they’re one of the most common symptom areas that we associate with the condition on a global level. Somebody with dyslexia might find it more difficult than their peers to write an essay in class or even something as simple as a shopping list, and their writing skills might develop at a different rate to those of the people around them. This can lead to writing feeling stressful, awkward or even just taking more mental energy then an individual feels like they have to spare – so how do we approach the idea of creative writing for mental health for people with dyslexia?

The thing is, many people with dyslexia do write – and very well, too. There are actually a large number of bestselling authors with dyslexia who top out the charts every year, from children’s books to thrillers, to cookbooks, to those cheesy vintage romances your mother always takes on vacation. Writing as an act relies on a number of sub-sets of skills like motor skills, working memory, transcription and executive function, and some people’s dyslexia manifests in a way that has an impact on these, but it certainly doesn’t mean that writing as a creative avenue is closed to somebody with dyslexia – so here’s how people with dyslexia write novels (and other things, too).

• Everyone is different. Dyslexia has a whole range of signs and symptoms, and one person with dyslexia might actually find writing much easier or harder than somebody else with dyslexia does. It’s a very personal thing, and if you’re one of those folks with dyslexia who don’t tend to struggle that much with the act of writing, then you might find that writing creatively for mental health comes more naturally to you – but even if writing feels arduous, there are a couple more things you can try.

• Dictation software is used by people all over the world to accurately translate their thoughts to real-life words on a page. It might take a bit of getting used to in terms of how you use it, but a lot of people with dyslexia find that removing the middle steps of actually having to write or type things can help boost their creative process and allay anxiety, and allow them to get more words out in the same period of time. It’s also great for capturing your thoughts and your notes that you might make prior to writing – and you can get hold of dictation software or actual physical devices for pretty cheap prices online as well as using the ones that sometimes come built into your devices.

• SPaG Checking Software has a role to play – whether you’ve sat down to type something out yourself or even if you’re using a dictation mechanism, SPaG checking software is the cornerstone of any writing arsenal. It generally means that you don’t have to bother reading through and self-correcting as you’re writing, and it can allow you the freedom to get into a better flow with things as you don’t really have to worry about catching mistakes.

• The role of a proofreader or editor is important to remember, too. If you’re writing for business or professionally, a lot of organizations will have a dedicated editorial team whose job it is to proof and tweak your writing so that it fits in with the pre-established guidelines of your publication or style. You can also hire these people independently, and many work freelance or on short contracts, so it’s easy to find qualified, experienced professions who can help you out with even the smallest of text tasks.

• Specifically when it comes to novel-writing, there are a lot of ‘breakdown’ methods that are designed to make the writing of an extended piece of text more manageable by ‘chunking’ it down into manageable tasks. Take a look at The Snowflake Method or The Pomodoro Technique for different ways of breaking up your time and exploring how you work best.

• The pressure is off with a lot of creative writing – it’s a far cry from the writing you were probably expected to do in school. You’re not being marked, the red pen is staying firmly in the pencil case and there isn’t going to be an exam – and taking a little time to process and realise this can help a lot of people get back to the idea of writing and move past the anxiety. But this isn’t universal at all- some people’s experiences with their dyslexia and the acts of reading and writing in school are so negative that they can result in long-term writing anxiety and even PTSD, so it’s important to realise that it’s only writing for mental health if it makes you feel good. Don’t force yourself to do anything you don’t want to, or might stoke negative feelings or self-image.

• We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again for the folks in the back – spelling isn’t that important. It really, really isn’t that important. If you’re writing a story or a poem to read aloud, something to send to a friend as a gift, or even just something to pass the time, what impact does spelling make? Not a lot. If you’re writing something that’s going somewhere important enough for spelling to matter, there’ll probably be an editor or a proofreader there to fix it. Detach from the idea that weak spelling makes you a bad writer, because it so doesn’t.

• The pressure is off with a lot of creative writing – you might find that you impose certain expectations on yourself, or you might even be lucky enough to have a someone who wants to publish your work in the sidelines, but it’s a far cry from the writing you were probably expected to do in school. You’re not being marked, the red pen is staying firmly in the pencil case and there isn’t going to be an exam – and taking a little time to process and realise this can help a lot of people get back to the idea of writing and move past the anxiety. But this isn’t universal at all- some people’s experiences with their dyslexia and the acts of reading and writing in school are so negative that they can result in long-term writing anxiety and even PTSD, so it’s important to realise that it’s only writing for mental health if it makes you feel good – don’t force yourself to do anything you don’t want to, or might stoke negative feelings or self-image. It’s all about personal choice.

• We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again for the folks in the back – spelling isn’t that important. It really, really isn’t that important. If you’re writing a story or a poem to read aloud, something to send to a friend as a gift, or even just something to pass the time, what impact does spelling make? Not a lot. If you’re writing something that’s going somewhere important enough for spelling to matter, there’ll probably be an editor or a proofreader there to fix it. Detach from the idea that weak spelling makes you a bad writer, because it so doesn’t.

We always talk about creativity as being great for an individual’s mental health, but the reality of it is that a lot of creative supplies cost money and a lot of time investment. Writing is one of the cheapest out there, and it’s pretty easy to pick up and put down if you’re fitting it around other commitments. As creative hobbies go it’s pretty simple to pick up.

You may not feel like writing is for you – and that’s fine. Many people find it arduous and stressful and don’t want to spend their free time doing something they don’t find productive or relaxing. And let’s face it, for a lot of people with dyslexia it may bring up bad memories of writing in school and the less-than-helpful ways in which you may have been treated because of it. But if you do feel the urge to write- or you simply fancy trying something new for your mental health- check out some of the tips above that might make it easier and help you think more about the stories you’re telling rather than your spelling.