Why I Wrote Ted


December 27, 2025

People see Ted as the outsider.
The kid who does not fit the system, does not fit the room, and often gets judged before he even speaks.

That part is real.

Ted is not a version of me, but he carries pieces of my history and pieces of people I grew up with. I was raised on a council estate in Roehampton, near Putney Heath. I have ADHD and dyslexia. As a kid, I was restless, loud, stubborn, and constantly in trouble. The kind of child adults label quickly and understand later, if at all.

I did not write Ted to make a statement.
I wrote him because I recognise him.

Ted is not a bad kid.
He is overloaded.

Kids like Ted are often treated as if they are choosing chaos, as if they enjoy being difficult. What it usually looks like from the inside is simpler and harder to articulate.

Frustration that comes out sideways.
Emotions arriving too fast.
Trying hard, failing publicly, then deciding you must be the problem.

When school is built around sitting still, reading cleanly, and behaving on command, a child with ADHD and dyslexia does not just struggle academically. They start to believe they are behind as a person, not behind in a system.

That is where the real damage begins.

Why I Gave Ted a Soft Centre

I had no interest in writing another stereotype.

People with ADHD tend to get flattened into two safe roles. The troublemaker or the quirky chaos machine. Both are shallow. Both make life easier for observers and harder for the person living it.

So I wrote what usually gets ignored.

The tenderness.
The loyalty.
The way Ted keeps showing up even when he is convinced he has already ruined everything.

That is not fantasy. It is common. Many people like this care deeply. They just get punished for how they move through the world.

What I Want Readers to Take Away

A label is information, not a verdict.

ADHD and dyslexia can make childhood brutal without the right support. They can push people into shame spirals they never chose. But in the right environment, with the right guidance and even one person who sees them clearly, that same brain can become an advantage.

That is why Ted matters to me.

Not because he is exceptional.
Because he is worthy while he is still figuring things out.

Why This Story Is a Romance

Romance is not about chemistry. It is about being seen.

Ted’s arc is not boy meets girl. It is boy realises he is not broken. Love does not fix him. It gives him a place where he can finally believe that being fully himself does not disqualify him from being chosen.

That is the love story I care about writing.

Reader Question
Were you labelled as something as a child that you later proved wrong?

Next post will be about Soo-ah. Not as a dream girl, but as a survivor. Someone who had to be excellent just to stay afloat.

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