HOW TO GET THE FRONT MATTER TO MATTER MORE

A standard book is usually broken down into three basic parts,

Front Matter , Body and Back Matter.

Having ADHD qualities as a youth, it was really hard focusing on any one part of a book that wasn’t deemed relevant.

making the distinction between relevant and irrelevant information was the hard part.

Longing for information to stick quickly — and often that was not the case.

Also during my youth

There were only 2 smells that caused me great anxiety.

the smell of the inside of a book; the new book smell or the old book smell, the pages, ink and glue.

AND

The inside of a hospital- the alcohol smell, with iodine undertones- and band aids

I didn’t stay in either one of these places longer than I had too….

To the naked eye a book is a book —

for kids that are neurodivergent,

a book — and how it is structured is

a battle —

Not a good thing if you are not winning…

The internal torment

the conflict of interest-

like wrestling an alligator you don’t want to wrestle …

Processing information and trying to retain what was read — was so overwhelming

it was an on going battle-

Whether it is the front matter — back matter or the body

to make distinctions between what is relevant vs irrelevant — -

sounds like a great idea when you are neurotypical -

and then you are tested on it.

I remember those times

and I use those times as a guide

when I write a book, I want it to feel like a friendship — a bond

not just between myself and the reader-

but between the

parts of the book

To experience the cohesiveness as well as the distinctions is everything…

crucial in anchoring information

Front Matter, the Body and Back Matter

If you choose to have these parts -

let them do their part

break the rules — examine the standards and old frameworks of old formats.

express the personalities and qualities of these parts — start to finish!

like best friends

baked into

One book

Maisha

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In “SILENCING MY H, my unconventional attempt to curb my impulsiveness and hyperactivity as I entered Highschool. Whether it’s the quirky anecdotes of a teenager starting afresh in Manhattan or the practical strategies I’ve employed to normalize my behavior. HA!

Next up!

Containing and framing information

Summarizing the parts to ADHDish