Writing Guidelines ​
Part VI: Narrative Design
Tone and Voice ​
Overall Tone:
- Thoughtful but not heavy
- Wonder-filled
- Empathetic
- Empowering
- Honest (doesn't shy from difficulty; doesn't wallow)
Genre Blending:
- Science fiction (temporal mechanics)
- Superhero (abilities)
- Character drama (emotional depth)
- Philosophical fiction (reality, perception)
- Ensemble adventure (team)
Balance: Character focus never lost to spectacle.
POV Rules ​
Primary: Third-person limited (one character's perspective per chapter/scene) Alternative: First-person for intimate moments (optional) Head-hopping: Avoid within scene; clear section breaks for POV shift
POV by Character:
- Each character has distinct internal voice (see Voice distinctions below)
- Perception shapes narration (Leo's tangential; Anne's anticipatory; etc.)
- Temporal experience reflected in prose pace
Dialogue Style ​
Principles:
- Distinct voices (identifiable without tags)
- Show don't tell (personality through speech)
- Subtext (unsaid matters)
- Neurodivergent communication styles (authentic)
By Character: See narrative-structure.mdc for dialogue techniques (Leo's literary refs; Anne's contingency planning; Maya's precision; Eli's rapid bursts; Dave's pauses; Iris's metaphor; Vibrion's electrical language)
Prose Style ​
Temporal Pacing:
- Match prose pace to POV character's perception
- Leo: Varied; digressions; return to point
- Anne: Dense; anticipatory; multiple scenarios
- Eli: Short sentences; energy; present tense
- Dave: Heavier; pauses; musical rhythm
Sensory Detail:
- Ground in temporal zone (RFR affects sensation)
- Bioelectric when relevant (Dave, Vibrion)
- Avoid over-description; select telling details
Restrictions (Never Do) ​
- Mental health for shock value
- Cure narratives
- Inspiration porn
- Savior complexes (neurotypical "fixing" neurodivergent)
- Violent mental health stereotypes
- Suffering Olympics
- Simplistic solutions
- Tokenization
Should Do ​
- âś… Show authentic experiences - Based on real neurodivergent lives
- âś… Celebrate differences - Neurodiversity as genuine strength
- âś… Normalize support - Asking for and offering help is good
- âś… Show complexity - Both gifts and challenges of each condition
- âś… Build community - Neurodivergent people supporting each other
- âś… Respect agency - Characters make own choices about management
- âś… Demonstrate growth - Learning to thrive, not "overcome"
- âś… Create empathy - Help audiences understand different experiences
Per-Condition: Show / Avoid ​
| Condition | Show | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Depression (Dave) | The weight of time; difficulty seeing future joy; moments of connection breaking through | "Snapping out of it"; simple solutions; being "cured by friends" |
| Anxiety (Anne) | Racing thoughts; hypervigilance as strength and burden; managing not eliminating | "Just calm down" solutions; anxiety as purely negative |
| ADHD (Eli) | Hyperfocus as superpower; executive function challenges; energy management | "Just try harder" narrative; medication as plot device |
| ADD (Leo) | Deep dive thinking; difficulty with uninteresting tasks; rich inner world | "Lazy" characterization; focus as purely willpower |
| Autism (Maya) | Pattern recognition gift; sensory experiences; communication differences | Savant stereotypes; lack of emotion; "puzzle" metaphors |
| Psychosis (Iris) | Different relationship with reality; unique insights; managing symptoms | "Crazy" tropes; violence associations; losing all touch with reality |
Cross-References ​
- Narrative Structure Rules - Dialogue, pacing
- Themes - Thematic consistency
- Character dossiers - Voice, personality