Random Acts - Week 2

[eyedsofmarch]

coprolalia: The uncontrolled, often obsessive use of obscene or scatological language that may accompany certain mental disorders, such as Tourette's syndrome.As he turned from his locker, he saw her walking down the hall. It was Rebekah. She averted her eyes. Josh felt stiffening in his jeans. He risked it; he attempted to say hello

Comments

[keppiehed]

Even more than the conclusion of the story, I was captivated by the topic itself. This was a fantastic choice for use of prompt! I love how you illustrate Josh's struggle:

These little routines that his broken brain forced him to go through were at once his greatest desire and his utmost disdain.

That is the light of this story, more even than his isolation from his peers, I think, or his yearning for the girl. It is his own fight with this condition, which is part and parcel of him. It is like an itch he doesn't want to scratch, but is driven to. And to watch that struggle is what made this eminently readable. You made us feel what it must be like to be him. Not an easy feat! Well done!

[eyedsofmarch]

Thanks!

When I write for the prompts I try to be both relevant and original, so I tossed out random acts of kindness and violence as the two most obvious - but they snuck their way in anyway. Tourette's sufferers experience random acts perioid, so I thought it would be a good take on it.

My niece suffers from a disease called "dystonia" which is in the same family as Tourette's syndrome, so I knew a little bit about it already. In my research I found that those afflicted with coprolalia don't mean to say the things they say, and they often feel very differently - it was that kind of frustration and battle that I tried to portray. Josh is a normal teenager underneath his disease and is distinctly aware of what it's done to him. I'm really glad to hear that it came across. Thanks again!

[rubyelf]

I work with kids and teenagers with mental health diagnoses, including Tourette's, and I think this does a nice job of conveying the frustration, the involuntary nature of the tics and compulsions, and the difficulty in building any kind of relationship with a disorder like this making it hard for others to see the person inside. The line about his mother taking the brunt of it really rang true... for most of the teens I work with, their parents experience the worst of their outbursts because they are the only people they can count on to still be there when the explosion is over... very nice entry.

[eyedsofmarch]

Thank you.

I was a little worried about the accuracy, my research was scant, so I was hoping I wasn't too far off on it. I'm glad to hear that I didn't do too badly. My niece has atypical adult-onset dystonia, which is in the same family as Tourette's, though it's more involuntary and less compulsive. It does help me to understand it somewhat. I do know that underneath the odd repetitive movements and the pretzel shaped body, there is a normal, albeit frustrated, woman.

I do know a few parents with kids who have severe ADHD (with other diagnoses) and I know that they do take the brunt of it, I wouldn't imagine it would be any different with other disorders/syndromes for the reasons that you stated.

Thanks again, I'm really happy to know that it passed muster with someone who has experience with people who have Tourette's.

[katden]

Great use of the prompt, and definitely a story that makes the reader think about the pain that people with such disorders suffer.

[eyedsofmarch]

Thanks Katden - I trash V-Day so much I thought I'd write a nice love story to balance it out for this week.