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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/39903
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

One of the characters in my current piece is autistic. I'm on the spectrum myself, so I have _some_ idea of what this is like, but I'm starting to think that I might be basing her a bit too much on myself. Here's the main reasons I think this:

- Her role in the story is the radio operator, cryptographer and locksmith (basically, the resident hacker/electronics specialist). I'm a software engineer with an interest in IT security.
- Both of us tend to think out loud, regardless of whether it's appropriate. There _is_ a plot point around this (and the accompanying inability to know when to shut up), but some of her non-sequiturs are shout outs/references to various sources I find amusing (and sometimes reference in test code).
- General obliviousness towards appearance - anyone's appearance.
- When initially drafting scenes that involve her, she always ends up making sarcastic comments without changing her expression. I snark a lot.

It strikes me that making her a gender-swapped copy of myself is unimaginative. How can I avoid this?

Original score: 6