Helpful Tools for Authors with ADHD

S.R. Beaston

Crafty with words, wit, and wisdom, just add caffeine to make it more interesting.

It takes organization, focus, and a good memory to$  finish a novel$ . For those of us who have ADHD, these qualities can be difficult to obtain. Discipline and practice can only get us so far, and writing, along with many other things in life, becomes another chore we’ll never get done.
It’s taken far too long for me to learn that making things easier for myself is not cheating. Tips and tricks for managing any illness are a valid way to cope, so let’s look at some writing tools that can help make your writing life easier.
NovelPadNovelPad is an excellent resource for writers with ADHD. Its ever-growing organizational system expands on the necessary tools for writers (like $ notes$  with hyperlinks) while keeping everything simple and easy to use.
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Here are some of the best features for ADHD writers.
1. Distraction-free drafting pageA clear workspace is essential for any writer to really plug into their work. NovelPad's drafting page comes in light and dark mode, and formatting options are hidden unless you access them on purpose.
2. NotesNovelPad's note system allows you to organize your worldbuilding, ideas, and details into folders. The linking capability lets you to connect a note with any other story element (such as characters, locations, or other notes).
The best note feature for ADHD is the split-screen. Click the thumbnail icon at the top left of your notes screen to half-and-half your manuscript with your notes library. No more clicking to another tab or document to find information, forgetting what you were looking for, and getting sidetracked beyond retrieval.
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3. Trackable elementsYou can track story elements with NovelPad, including characters, locations, plots, timelines, and objects. For example, on the character board, every scene involving a particular character will be stored under their name in chronological order. This makes finding plot holes and tightening up character arcs much easier.
4. Scene cardsThe building blocks of your project in NovelPad are scene cards. Each scene card holds all of your scene elements, so you can see your entire project summarized on one page.
NovelPad scene card:
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more on Scene Cards $ @NovelPadApp$ ﻿
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NovelPad full-view chapter board puts all of those scene cards in order so you can get the big picture of your project:
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more on Chapter Boards $ @NovelPadApp$ ﻿
5. Customizable scene tagsIf you want to track something that NovelPad doesn't already cover, you have the option to create your own $ color scene labels$ !
6. RewindNovelPad Rewind takes one stressor out of writing: Losing work. With the Rewind feature, you can retrieve any past iteration of your project, down to the minute!
This is another safety measure in addition to the 60-second autosaves. 
7. Scene revisionsAs we've already covered, organization is critical for writers and incredibly difficult for people with ADHD. Scene revisions can help you out! Create and save unlimited versions of your scenes, and they'll stay connected to the original. Switch them out at any time, and view them side-by-side!
8. Goal trackingWho here's a goal-setter? 🙋
NovelPad makes setting and tracking your writing goals a breeze! It will:
assign daily milestones based on your overall goal, timeline, and which days of the week you include in your schedule
auto-populate your daily word counts
(optional) update your goals daily to reflect the actual number of words you've written as you go (that means no math)
Try NovelPad with this $ no-commitment, no-credit-card free trial$ .$ ﻿$ ﻿
Cold Turkey ﻿$ Cold Turkey$ 's traditional program includes website blockers, $ time blocking$ , and other productivity tools.
Their blocker will block any website you list for a set amount of time, with hardly any ability to get around it once it’s set. You can whitelist certain programs and give exceptions, but once you’ve committed, that’s it.
You can also block applications and certain files, like games you are prone to launching from Steam.
Cold Turkey has a spin-off program called $ Cold Turkey Writer$ , which turns your desktop into a typewriter. You set a goal of words or minutes, then Cold Turkey Writer locks you out of your entire computer until you've completed the sprint. It's a one-time fee of $9, and they don't collect your data.
Pomodoro clockThe Pomodoro method has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years, making it one of the most used and helpful tools for productivity, especially writing with ADHD.
﻿$ What is the Pomodoro Technique?$ ﻿
This method adopts the "sprinting" done in writing, where you write for a certain amount of time, then take a break for a shorter amount of time. The Pomodoro time is down to the science of twenty—five minutes working, five minutes of rest, then a half-hour break every four Pomodoros. Click the link above to learn details and tips.
There are many tools for this method, like $ Pomodoro Kitty$ , or with any timer or stopwatch.
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I personalized my Pomodoro experience with twenty-five minutes of writing, then ten minutes of doing something active. I get up and clean, or dance, or just walk around. I have to completely disconnect and do something so unrelated to writing, as my brain does not easily move from one high-focus task to another.
If I’m writing a blog post, I cannot $ quickly switch gears$  to write a novel. Doing something physical gives my brain a true break, while my subconscious can still cook on my writing project.
Pen and PaperThe good ol’ tried and true. Nothing says "sit down and write" like a pen and paper. We as writers get the benefit of typing the words as fast as they come to us, and I think that can work as a detriment as well. Even though ADHD feels like you have to go go go, sometimes it’s important to slow down and force the focus. 
Writing with a pen and paper has been proven to help with memory, focus, and clarity. If nothing else, you really have nothing to so easily distract you. There isn't another tab to click to in your notebook.
There’s also a satisfaction to seeing all the words you’ve hand written on pages and pages, seeing the scribbles and mark outs when you realize something doesn’t work, the quick scrawl when you thought of a breakthrough. That tangible success and progress is really missed when using a computer.
Virtual CottageIf you have ADHD (or $ depression$ , or $ autism$ , etc), you're probably familiar with the concept of body doubling. Body doubling is basically having another person near you while you perform a task, improving your executive function. Many writers with ADHD find body doubling helps their productivity, but we don't always have an extra friend lying around.
With a lack of a real person, we can go digital. This free Steam program, Virtual Cottage, provides a cute little avatar in a cottage to work alongside you. You can change the ambient sounds (rain, wind, storms, birds, bugs, fire crackling, lo-fi music) and even swap out the little animal companion at your character's feet.
Virtual Cottage also features an on-screen to-do list, an internal timer for work sprints, and visual customization options.
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The Artist’s WayWe’ve already covered how helpful $ The Artist's Way$  can be for writers, but it wasn’t until I was deep into the self-led course that I realized how helpful it was with writers with ADHD. 
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is a creative unblocking practice that spans twelve weeks with activities like morning journaling, dates with yourself, and working through issues that be stifling your creativity. 
Though this book is not made for writers with ADHD, it is made for any creative who has similar struggles to those of us with it. Focus, discipline, memory, getting stuck, it’s all covered in this book.
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I admit getting distracted while writing this blog post, and found this insightful video from a fellow creative and her journey to discovering she had ADHD. Sometimes, it helps to just take a break from writing and indulge in the like-mindedness of others.
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Though it may not be considered ‘normal’ to struggle with writing as we do, it’s normal for ADHD to influence how and when we start our work, how long we work for, and when the brain decides it’s done working. 
These are just a few tips and assurances to hopefully help you feel less alone and more productive. Now it's time to stop reading blogs and get back to work! 