What I Wish I’d Known: For Writers by H.D. Thomson – Review by Naomi McDonald

What I Wish I'd Known: For Writers: 100 Authors Reveal What They Wish They'd Told Their Younger SelvesWhat I Wish I’d Known: For Writers: 100 Authors Reveal What They Wish They’d Told Their Younger Selves by H. D. Thomson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you’ve been authoring for a while, this book will mostly be a refresher for you. A lot of the things mentioned are things prominent in author advice circles, so you hear them often. I think this book would be an excellent resource for aspiring or brand-new authors.

I liked the fact that there is a mix of traditional and indie representation. I also appreciated the book including advice from women’s perspectives, mentions of being an author while parenting, and BIPOC representation.

One thing that was disappointing about the book is that out of 100 authors contributing, there was only one brief sentence that mentioned OCD tendencies, and one brief paragraph mentioning ADHD in a general sense. There was hardly any neurodivergent representation at all. As a person with multiple neurodivergences, I think navigating the neurodivergent way of doing things has been one of my biggest challenges as an author. I’ve learned a lot of things the hard way because there truly isn’t much advice out there for neurodivergent authors. Most advice I’ve heard is geared toward neurotypical brain styles.

Overall, I’d say a great book for newer authors.

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