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16 January 2026

Posted by Susan L. Edser

Beginnings

The first creative writing group for neurodivergent women, Mask Off, was held on 16th January 2026 at October Books. Seven women attended, and by the end, they had learnt something new, made connections with others and written about some of their personal experiences. 

When I arrived, I began by arranging the tables to offer a choice of seating, distributed fidget toys, and dotted the battery-powered nightlights around to make it feel inviting. Two women arrived early and helped by writing welcome messages on the light-up glass frames. 

I introduced the group, its purpose and shared a little about myself, as a child and as an adult. I talked about my autistic and writing journeys and encouraged the women to share their journeys with one or two others. As we all had name badges, there was no need for the typical icebreakers. We looked at how to create a safe and supportive environment, such as leaving the room if they felt overwhelmed, minimising jargon, and respecting each other’s private experiences. 

The topic for this session was memoir, a genre that focuses on a theme, a relationship, or a period in the author’s life. We discussed contemporary memoirs by women, such as Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and how she used a long-distance walk to overcome the loss of her mother. This technique can be applied on a smaller scale, so I invited the group to remember a pair of shoes they had as children, and to describe them using each of the senses. They wrote about that time in their life and the memories the shoes evoked. One person shared their writing about their Heelys, and several found themselves writing about the people connected to the shoes, such as deceased family members. I encouraged the group to expand the passages by writing about shoes in their adulthood. This became a juxtaposition that continued the story and an opportunity to reflect on the choices they make as adults. 

The session concluded with a discussion of what the women liked about the workshop. They appreciated not feeling pressured to read aloud, having writing prompts, and learning about a new topic. They also made suggestions for the future, such as looking at writing examples and exploring topics like nature and poetry. 

The group left warm and encouraging feedback, showing that the morning had been a positive experience for them:

‘Thank you for creating a safe space for us to develop our skills.’

‘A wonderful session, safe and nurturing space to express ourselves and actually start writing!’

‘The atmosphere was really calm and relaxed. I felt comfortable and safe. I loved the structure: learning something and then being creative.'

‘Excellent. Good introduction to get ideas going and not predictable - in a good way!’

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