Anxieties and research and writing

So instead of working toward 1000 words in a contemporary New Adult novel today for Camp Nanowrimo, I've been googling for info about the incidence of eating disorders in the LGBTQ population.

And there was this frightening bit of info from the National Eating Disorders Association:

• Compared to other populations, gay men are disproportionately found to have body image disturbances and eating disorder behavior (STATS). Gay men are thought to only represent 5% of the total male population but among men who have eating disorders, 42% identify as gay.

So while I had a feeling this was the case, based on little evidence, it seems someone has studied this.

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I've also been thinking a lot about ADHD and promiscuity, which leads into the slut-shaming of one of my characters. She went a little crazy her first year of college and is still flirtatious and chatty and LOUD, so she's still living down the rep she earned. Even though she knows she shouldn't be slut-shamed, she's anxious about it and does it to herself to an extent. She has a sense of fatalism about every relationship, that it's going to fall apart and it will be her fault. Here's part of an interesting page about treatment for ADHD through music (and I made her musical before I found this page):

Social difficulties of ADHD women

ADHD Women and girls also face a lot of social problems like the following

• Appearing uninterested because of poor listening skills
• Displaying Poor management or expression of anger or moods
• Bragging or being outspoken and appearing self involved
• Forgetting appointments or being late
• Failing to show interest by not remembering or checking with their friends about their feelings or reactions to events that have occurred in their friends' lives

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My main character, though, is a people-pleaser. She's extremely loyal to those who are loyal to her. She doesn't trust men (for some valid reasons), though she wants to and realizes that she will never have a stable relationship at this rate. She gets so wrapped up in doing things for her friends that she doesn't prioritize herself. Is that co-dependent? I guess it is when someone else takes advantage of her, right?

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There's also a secondary character (tertiary, even, because he hasn't even appeared on-screen yet, but he's part of the reason one of my characters is depressed), who's a narcissist.

If I keep going I'll have most of the DSM-V in my short novel.

Which is fine, because one of my characters is majoring in psychology.

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And my historical romance novel, The Honorable Officer (Book 2, Chateaux and Shadows) will be released THIS WEDNESDAY!

Pre-order, read it when you get it, review it, make my day!