This is an interview I did with author Elle McNicoll. She is the writer of many amazing books about neurodiversity (all of which I have read many times) and is an inspiration to many, including me.
Her first book, A Kind of Spark, has been made into a lovely TV series on the BBC. For those who haven’t seen it or read the book, it is about a girl called Addie who campaigns passionately to have a witch memorial installed in her little village. The memorial commemorates all of the ‘witches’ unfairly accused and killed in the time of the witch hunts.
My personal favourite, however, is the prequel to a Kind of Spark – Keedie. I would not be exaggerating if I said it was the one of the best books I have ever read. I hope you enjoy the interview and all of her books!
Q: What was your favourite book as a child?
A: My favourite books as a child were The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, Matilda by Roald Dahl (I was so proud that the Roald Dahl Company asked me to write a Matilda short story
for their latest book) and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
Q: Is there anywhere you get a lot of your inspiration from?
A: Just life. Other stories in all formats. Books, articles, cinema. People.
Q: What age were you when you started to write stories?
A: About 6.
Q: What character that you have created do you most relate to?
A: Possibly Jasper from Some Like It Cold. Or Jonah, who is in my next book.
Q: What was the most difficult thing you have ever done as a writer?
A: The most difficult thing about being a writer is specific to being an autistic writer. For every 99 people saying they love your book, there is one telling you that you’re a freak or some other nasty word. Plus, because I’m autistic, I’m very guarded and have strong boundaries, which upsets some people. But there are far more good things than bad.
Q: You have said in previous interviews that growing up in a small town has really influenced your writing. How so?
A: Small towns, as a storytelling device, encapsulate what it can feel like to be autistic. Everyone thinks that they know you, but of course they don’t. They can also be microcosms when telling a story.
Q: What do you think you would be if you weren’t a writer?
A: Probably a bookseller.
Q: Do you ever hand write?
A: No, never. My dyspraxia makes handwriting very painful. I love computers.
Q: What is your favourite time to write?
A: Early evening, I think.
Q: Do you find it hard to finish books at all?
A: Writing books is always hard, that doesn’t go away. The middle is usually the hard part for me, not the end. I normally have the ending in my mind.
Q: Do you hope to change the world with your writing?
A: I like to think I have. Since ‘A Kind of Spark’ was published, neurodiversity representation has quadrupled. There are witch memorials in place now that exist because of the book. The show has become the first TV show with an autistic cast to win certain awards. And I have thousands of letters from people who say they are diagnosed because of the books. So, I like to think it’s changed already, even in a small way.
I think a lot of leaders, and certainly leaders of the past, are neurodivergent. Not everyone knows they are. I think we need all kinds of different people in leadership roles. Values are more important than identities. Just because someone is neurodivergent, it does not mean they’ll automatically be an automatically good person or leader. We’re human. We make mistakes. Just like everyone else. But just like everyone else, we should be given the opportunity to try. And I think a lot of things in the world could be done with a different mindset.
by Lily
