World’s Most Famous Authors — Having ADHD And Dyslexia, You Can’t Ignore!
How about converting your disabilities into your superpowers
Thinking, writing, editing, re-editing, pulling one’s hair out, self-doubt, procrastination — countless tasks before publishing your piece of art, right?
But wait a minute, how do you feel doing all these things when your brain beautifully trying to sabotage you, in every possible way it can? How about if you find yourself having difficulties with spelling, problems with disorganized words, or losing track while writing or reading? Yes, this is the story of the writers dealing with ADHD or having dysgraphia or dyslexia.
But you are not the only one. Many of the authors also faced the same difficulties while trying to write down their thoughts.
So, let’s take a look at four of the world’s most famous authors who faced so many challenges in their life for having ADHD or dyslexia. And do you know the most amazing part about them? Nothing holds them back from what they love doing — Writing.
ADHD(Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and dyslexia are different neurological disorders, but their symptoms often overlap — having difficulties when writing and reading. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 50% of children detected with ADHD also have learning disorders like dysgraphia or dyslexia.
Agatha Christie
“It was quite true, and I knew it and accepted it. Writing and spelling were always terribly difficult for me. My letters were without originality. I was an extraordinarily bad speller and have remained so until this day” — Agatha Christie.
An author whose writings are filled with so many captivating and enthralling tales — that we couldn’t put her books down. A best-selling novelist — with 400 billion copies of books has been sold and translated into at least 103 languages.
This lady who found great success in the literary world was detected with dysgraphia in her adolescence — a neurological disorder; where a person mixes up letters in their mind and cannot express them on paper or cannot read them properly. It is also related to ADHD as both disorders have similar kinds of problems.
Dev Pilkey
“It was there in the hall that I began drawing Captain Underpants,…Soon I was making my own comic books about him” — Dev Pilkey.
A boy whose teacher always pointed to the classroom door and told him, ‘Mr. Pilkey, out!.’ Yes, I am talking about Dev Pilkey, the famous writer, illustrator, and of course the creator of the award-winning children’s books ‘Captain Underpants’ and ‘Dog Man’. He faced so many troubles in his childhood for his ADHD. He says, ADHD “helped me to write stories that were not boring, and my dyslexia helped me too. It helped me to choose my words very, very carefully.”
He always got punished for his hyperactive nature. But he used that time to work on his comic books — sitting outside of the classroom. A man who used ADHD and dyslexia as his superpowers to create the world-famous books series in second grade!
Jules Verne
“We are of opinion that instead of letting books grow moldy behind an iron grating, far from the vulgar gaze, it is better to let them wear out by being read” — Jules Verne.
In school, he was not a very smart kid. Rather a student who did not focus well on daily tasks and some other projects. But in today’s world, he is a very famous French novelist who was into writing from his childhood. The creator of some revolutionary science-fiction stories and a great inspiration for the steampunk stream.
His most popular novels are ‘A Journey to the Center of the Earth’, ‘Around the World in Eighty Days, ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’, and so on. Although undiagnosed, according to some psychologists, he was suffered from ADHD or ADD.
George Bernard Shaw
“You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.” — George Bernard Shaw.
The only person who was awarded a Nobel prize and an Oscar for his literature for the same film ‘Pygmalion’. We are talking about George Bernard Shaw — a spellbinding orator, a socialist, a polemicist, and a playwright.
His experience as a schoolboy was not good. “School and schoolmasters”, he wrote were “prisons and turnkeys in which children are kept to prevent them disturbing and chaperoning their parents.” A lot of people believe that his hatred for the formal education system was due to ADHD at that time.
Final thought
Being dyslexic, having ADHD is difficult to deal with in everyday life. In severe cases, we also need medical support. But those obstacles should not be the barrier to get success, achieving the goals, and following the passion in our life.
Many people have different kinds of disabilities. But it does mean we just accept that and never try to overcome those problems. As the saying of Dev Pilkey about converting your disabilities into a superpower and creating something inspiring out of it should be our goal.
I got the inspiration to write about this topic after reading an article by Robert Ralph. Yes, I am talking about the owner of the ‘New Writers Welcome’ publication. His story about being dyslexic and faced difficulties in his school studies but still making his way to start writing and creating a pub for new writers is quite amazing. Because writing is not just putting few words in an organized way and send out into the world. But it is more about building a connection with the people on a mental level.
Thank you for reading this. If you liked it check out the below one also. Bye for now…. 😃
