Ruth Banning
Autistic crafter, writer, artist, sewer....and collector of all things tiny.
The Long Wait
(Part 6 of a short story series, based on writing prompts. Written while learning to fight brain fog and perfectionism... and my ADHD. By this point my ADHD brain was saying “I’ll do it but I won’t be happy about it. It was absurd to commit to an 8 part series. You knew this was a long shot. Can’t we just kill everyone off and end it early?”. In hindsight that might have been a good move, but here it is anyway. I didn’t hit the required word count so my story submission bounced back, hence being out of order.)
Ruth BanningPublished 8 days ago in FictionRUOK? I’m not...
RUOK day is something I have mixed feelings about. It feels like our society pushes people to the edge, refuses to listen when people try to express that they are struggling... and then once a year we are encouraged to pause and actively ask who is struggling.
Ruth BanningPublished 11 days ago in PsycheThe New Beginning
(Part eight of a short story series, based on writing prompts. Written while trying to learn to fight brain fog and perfectionism... and my ADHD. My ADHD brain was actually technically back on board with this one! The final stretch! There’s dopamine in finishing things! Unfortunately I slept in, an appointment ran late, and I had to rush more than usual to finish this before the deadline. I didn’t finish it before the deadline, but my brain only agreed to spend an extra 10 minutes or so fixing it up after. Enjoy?)
Ruth BanningPublished 20 days ago in FictionThe Big Reveal
(A draft that I submitted by mistake. Needs to be deleted but I don’t know how 😬) You know that feeling that you get when you’re watching a movie and you know something big is about to go down? That anticipation that makes you want to lean forward in your seat as if somehow moving forward a few inches will bring that moment closer, being an end to the unbearable tension... And you know how you sit there, wondering if the person next to you has sensed it too? You might even glance sideways at them to see if they’re ready for it. But even if they look like they’re bracing for something, it’s hard to know if they know what’s headed your way or if they’re in the dark, bracing for an unknown. That’s how it felt leading the prisoner down the hall that day.
Ruth BanningPublished 20 days ago in FictionThe Tense Drive
Part seven of a short story series, based on writing prompts. Written while trying to learn to fight brain fog and perfectionism... and my ADHD. By this point my ADHD brain was screaming “I WILL CONCENTRATE ON LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE! AN ESSAY ON WATCHING PAINT DRY WOULD BE LESS MIND NUMBINGLY BORING.”)
Ruth BanningPublished 27 days ago in FictionThe Hard Choice
(Part five of a short story series, based on writing prompts. Written while trying to learn to fight brain fog and perfectionism... and my ADHD. My ADHD brain was trying to bargain at this stage. “You know, we really should be backing up that iPad. Or maybe there’s some more medical forms we could fill out? I promise I won’t complain about the forms being boring this time... just let me off the hook for this thing!”)
Ruth BanningPublished about a month ago in FictionThe Misunderstood Promise
(Part four of a short story series, based on writing prompts. Written while trying to learn to fight brain fog and perfectionism... and my ADHD. My ADHD was starting to put up a fight by this point.)
Ruth BanningPublished 2 months ago in Fiction
Pompoms
One thing people might not realise about me when they first meet me, is that I’m autistic. ...five, six, seven... It’s understandable, I didn’t find out myself until my late 20s!
Ruth BanningPublished 2 months ago in Psyche
