An episode that writes itself through the fog!

In Episode 132 we’re diving into something central to the autistic experience: confusion—especially in social situations—and how writing through that confusion can become a powerful act of identity development. Plus we announce our amazing winners from our first-ever writing contest—over 100 neurodivergent writers entered!Here are our top two entries.

OUR WINNERThe Snowglobe by Jessica Weiss

"Shaken, settled.Shaken, shutdown.Shattered…Spilled."

THE RUNNER UPby Daisy

"Sensitive, oddball, mystic, or undiagnosed autistic?"Congrats to our winners and to see all the finalists. You can see them all here.

Here’s what we cover in today’s episode:

* We read our top 10 finalists from the first writing prompt for Neurodivergent Narratives and announce our 1st and 2nd prize winners. These memoirs were stunning, surprising, and profoundly relatable, any of them could have won!

* So much of being autistic in a neurotypical world means living in a perpetual state of confusion—social rules that feel made up, conversations that shift without warning, expectations that aren't stated until you've already broken them.

* The Double Empathy Problem:This theory, coined by autistic scholar Damian Milton, shows that communication breakdowns between autistic and non-autistic people are mutual—not one-sided. It challenges the deficit model by proving that autistic people understand each other just fine—it’s the cross-cultural mismatch that causes a lot confusion.

* The “Wrong Planet” Feeling:Many autistic people describe feeling like aliens on Earth—constantly misunderstanding and being misunderstood, even in the simplest of social situations. That “culture shock” feeling? It's because autistic culture truly is a different culture.

* The Grief and the “Not a Duck” Moment:Discovering you’re autistic later in life can bring a rush of clarity—but also a tidal wave of grief and confusion. You realize that your entire life could have been easier if you had just known. There’s grief, yes—but also a seed of healing.

* Stimming Through Confusion:Often, when confusion builds up, our bodies try to help regulate us through movement—stimming isn’t just joy, it’s also processing. For many, writing is a form of stimming with language, helping sort sensory and emotional overwhelm into clarity.

Neurodivergent Narratives Presents: The “I’m So Confused” Contest

A radical reclaiming of voice.

Simple on the surface—but for many of us in autistic culture, those three words echo through entire chapters of our lives.

PROMPT: Write a fictional short story in any genre that includes the line: “I’m so confused.”

⚠️Your story must include the line: “I’m so confused.” and your story may not be any longer than 500 words.

This isn’t therapy.This is voice reclamation.

Submit entry.Let Your Voice Be Heard.

THE ESSENTIALS:🖊️ Open to: Everyone🗓️ Deadline: Wednesday, May 21 at 12 PM ET / 5 PM UK💷 Prize: £10 each week📘 Publication: Winning entries go on our substack and in the annual Neurodivergent Narratives anthologyTHE RULES:No PlagiarismNo Hate SpeechNo Explicit or Graphic ContentSubmit as many times as you wishYou do not need to be present or subscribe to participateEntries after the deadline will not be consideredAll decisions are final

Use the hashtag #SoConfused on social media to share this contest.

Submit Your Entry Here: https://forms.gle/EzSNgVcUyf5E8QVa8

Full Contest Rules are here. Resources:Find Jessica Weiss on Substack -

Double Empathy problem - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1362361315586721Find More Writing Contests Here - https://authorspublish.com/57-literary-journals-that-pay-their-authors/

Related Episodes:

Neurodivergent Narratives (Episode 84)

Introducing the Weekly Writing Contest (Episode 130) - Writing Prompt #26

Related Articles on our Substack:Autism is a Culture NOT a Disorder - https://www.autisticculturepodcast.com/p/autistic-blog-autism-autistic-cultureUnmasking Autism Diary #20: Not a Duck -https://www.autisticculturepodcast.com/p/autistic-blog-unmasking

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