Writing a mystery novel with an aspie as a main character

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Today, an idea for a potential mystery series involving an NT and Aspie detective duo came to mind, and I'm rather eager to start planning it out.

That being said, however, I'm really worried about going about portraying the Aspie main character, despite having Asperger's myself. Are there any major potholes/disaster zones that I should avoid/know about? Should I do more research on AS? And if so, how should I go about it?

Well, you don't have to go straight-up stating that he has it. Work closer towards the character development instead - show the character traits that are who they are as opposed to putting a form of a label on it. It's usually a lot more powerful to give them their own character rather than to put on a label that gives the audience preconceived thoughts about the character.

As for the mystery series, if the story is about an Aspie/NT duo, think of how you can emphasize that - make sure the mysteries have aspects that can only be solved by one of them, IE they wouldn't be able to solve the case alone because the other piece of the duo has the necessary skills to obtain that information. Additionally, make sure you foil the duo well. Give them things that make them annoy each other, and then put them into a situation where they have to work together regardless. It's a simple system for adding conflict and character development, and helps to keep the story interesting.

Unless you plan to make the knowledge of AS part of a character point, such as the AS character having difficulties in the setting as a direct result of disability prejudice (Be it in a workplace or at school - I don't know the setting nor the duo's age group yet) it's better to not mention it and leave it to character traits instead. If you plan to make it a direct point of how other characters perceive him, then think about how that knowledge would make people look at him - if the entire school/workplace/city is disability-ist towards the character (Such as a large group of bullies who see him as an easy target, or a group of teachers who look down on him as a result of the disability) it could add a lot to his character if done correctly.

Lastly, don't forget to give the NT a fully fleshed-out character as well - he's just as important of a character as the AS.

That's all I've got so far.

One of the things you will notice about fictional Asperger's characters is they tend to be exaggerated for public consumption. I guess it's a way for the creator to show how and why their character is not normal and how these differences are exhibited. Every Asperger's character I've seen so far, from the kids in "Marathon", "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" or "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" to the adults in "Snow Cake", ""Adam" or "My Name Is Khan" are exaggerated versions of what they'd really be like in person.

When I wrote my Asperger's novel I wanted to have a character who wasn't as pronounced as, say, Dr. Spencer Reid or Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Why? Because it feeds the stereotypes that are actually minor amongst those on the spectrum. Publishers like black and white and easy to read characters, though. They hate subtlety. The majority of folks with Asperger's are actually invisible but publishers don't want to hear about that. They want geniuses, matchstick counters, people who eat the same exact thing every day at the exact same time. These people do exist but they're not the norm. It, however, fosters the stereotype that it is the norm which makes it hard for those who are not like that to be taken seriously.

The Millennium trilogy did this best, I think. Aspergers realistically depicted as a strength & weakness, In a crime/ mystery story.

That would be something rather interesting to explore. I have toyed with the idea of him being 'exposed', but since it's really early in the development stage, I'm still mulling it over. 'Leaving it to character traits' can also extend to him having AS-related struggles (communication issues, for example), right? (Sorry if that's a dumb question; it's rather late where I am, so my mind's kinda fuzzy....) Don't know if this helps, but the duo is in high school (approx. 14-17 years old, haven't really considered their exact ages yet).



Really? I've never seen that--although, I've never really read a book about an Aspie before... I will take extreme care to make sure that my character doesn't come off as over-exaggerated.



Oh, I definitely will. In fact, I have a good chunk of her character already planned out...and she's pretty out there...XD

Thanks!

I would suggest watching a season's worth of "Monk". The writers managed to make his sensitivities funny, yet the character was lovable. They also used his issues in solving the various crimes.
Or watch some episodes of "Columbo", he was portrayed as a sort of ASpie character, and always solved the crime his own way.