Part of our 12-Week Writing Series for autistic creatives and late-diagnosed adults.

In this episode of Neurodivergent Narratives, Dr. Angela Kingdon explores the disorienting experience of social confusion in autistic life—and how writing through that confusion can become a radical act of clarity, healing, and voice reclamation.

As part of our Neurodivergent Narratives writing series, this episode dives into how stimming, grief, and misunderstood interactions often translate into literary gold. For autistic writers, confusion isn’t just a state—it’s a signal that something needs to be named, explored, or rewritten.

We also announce the winners of our Week 1 writing prompt contest—the launch of our 12-week series!

🎧 What You’ll Learn

• How social confusion impacts autistic people—and why it’s not a deficit
• The meaning of “The Double Empathy Problem” and why autistic communication breaks down across neurotypes
• Why writing through confusion helps reframe internalized shame as cultural mismatch
• How stimming, sensory overload, and narrative tangents are key tools for identity integration
• The emotional fallout of late-diagnosis grief and the healing power of storytelling
• How fiction becomes a form of sensory sorting, emotional stimming, and social decoding

🏆 Week 1 Winners

🥇 First Place:

“The Snowglobe”

by Jessica Weiss

“Shaken, settled. Shaken, shutdown. Shattered…Spilled.”

🥈 Runner-Up:

by Daisy

“Sensitive, oddball, mystic, or undiagnosed autistic?”

Congratulations to our featured writers, and thank you to everyone who submitted! Want to see their full entries? Read them here.

📝 Neurodivergent Narratives Presents: ‘I’m So Confused’ Contest

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

🖊️ Open to: Everyone

🗓️ Deadline: Wednesday, May 21 at 12 PM ET / 5 PM UK

💷 Prize: £10 per winner

📘 Publication: Winners featured on Substack and in the Neurodivergent Narratives anthology

✅ Rules at a Glance:

• Include the line: “I’m so confused.”
• Keep it under 500 words
• No plagiarism or hate speech
• No explicit or graphic content
• Multiple entries welcome
• No subscription or attendance required
• Final decisions are final

🔗 Submit your entry here →

📢 Use #SoConfused on social media to share the contest

🧠 Resources & References

• Jessica Weiss on Substack
• The Double Empathy Problem – Damian Milton
• 57 Literary Journals That Pay Their Authors

Related Episodes:

Neurodivergent Narratives (Episode 84)

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

Autism Is a Culture, Not a Disorder – Read the article

Unmasking Diary #20: Not a Duck – Read the article

🌟 Connect With Us

📱 Follow us on Instagram

🎧 Find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

🛍️Our Autism-affirming merch shop

🌐 Learn more at www.autisticculturepodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.