Author note: I am teen dealing with dyslexia. I feel sometimes here, characters that are dyslexic could be written better. If authors understood more about it, they would be able to write better. So I decided to help educate people and bust some common myths.

Most authors on fan-fiction are not dyslexic. They do not know really understand it. I don't mean to offend any one with this. But I think as a member of the dyslexic community, someone needs to speak out. I'm really doing this to inform people. Honestly I believe these people don't know any better.

First off I would like to say, a realistic dyslexic character is not some idiot who can't read or spell. They are a person who STRUGGLES, with those.

Some overused themes...

Teachers hate me and are always yelling at me, but really it's not my fault. I'm dyslexic.

Okay, first off, unless every single teacher your character has ever had is a monster; they will have at least one teacher that they somewhat like. Secondly, don't have your character use dyslexia as an excuse for not trying.

No one in the cabin could read the letter, as they all were dyslexic.

One surprising fact about me is that I can read and I'm dyslexic. I mean ,it's a miracle that I can type and sit a chair at the same time, Right?

WRONG. If you think that, you've got problems that I can't help you with . If your character struggles with a few words or has to use a card to read, good!(I applaud you.) Having a character struggle over words, happens all the time Having a character unable to read, is not only ignorant but very offensive.

Jane picked up the newspaper, however, due to dyslexia she could not make out a word. All she looked at were the pictures.

Reading for some people is harder than others. But unless Jane is in second grade she should be able to read words like : stop, go , he, she, cat, dog, it, the, love, book, etc. Please stop having characters unable to read the newspaper. I just looked at the pictures when like I was five. Even when I was in first grade I could pick words out off things likes newspaper, magazines, and billboards.

Now on to attitudes...

Jane stopped trying in school, it was just to hard being dyslexic and all.

It's one thing to have character who doesn't put much effort in to anything. However if they are always giving a hundred and twenty-seven percent in everything else, maybe you need to change the way they view school.

Going all summer with out having to read anything was so much fun.

Seriously, they didn't read anything? Not even a bathroom sign or a note from home? And just because reading can be a bit more challenging, doesn't mean they have to hate it. I like to read. I mean,I am on fan fiction for that reason.

I hate being dyslexic, I want to be like every one else, Jane thought.

This one isn't used that much, but when I read it, it really makes me cringe. Okay one, I love who I am. All of me, that includes me being dyslexic. Secondly, 'everyone else' has their vices and rough spots. Don't assume that when someone is dyslexic, that they want to change it. If I would find a story on fan fiction that the main character is dyslexic and proud of it, I would be able to die happily.

We're not all mad at the world and God...

Jon hated everyone in his school, all the people who could read so well. Jon wanted to kill them all.

There is a lot wrong with this one. For starters, being the only person having dyslexic in the school? Nope, unless your character is home schooled or goes to school with, like, eight other people. (Yeah, that's not happening.) Second off, yeah, there are people who hate the world and people at school and are mad at God. They have reasons for their hate. Does Jon hate everyone at school because they're a lot of selfish jerks who bully him? Thirdly, not all dyslexic people are outcast. We have friends and are social.

How they let other people know they're dyslexic...

Jane's mom sent with her a note to school explaining she's dyslexic and she shouldn't have to read out loud and do any reading at all.

No school in the world would believe an note like that, let alone follow it. Not to mention that you take a teacher-recommended test to prove that your are dyslexic is given in like first grade. Not reading out loud? You still have to do it. A teacher might make them do less, but not skip it all together. Skipping reading is absolutely impossible in a school setting.

At the start off the year Jon told all his teachers that he was dyslexic.

No teacher is going to believe that story either. The school has student information, such learning disabilities. The teacher at the start of a term might pull the student aside and give them instructions for the term, but not the other way around.

Jane told Mike, her crush, that she was dyslexic and would need help in class.

Really? Trying to use it as a pick up line? Its kinda personal and can be embarrassing (when you're in high school), so most teens don't go around screaming it.

Note: there is a huge range of dyslexia. Some people struggle more with numbers some more letters. I'm somewhere towards the middle. Numbers and letters both can and do mess me up.

Insight on how their (my) brain works...

He stared at the page, watching the words spinning all over the place. Jon couldn't make out anything.

Yes in some ways it works like that. Long pages of small text single space ( for me at least) it all seems to run together.

For example you might read: Patty plays ball for North Eastern High.

At first I I might read : Battyqays pal for EasterNorth hing.

It's not that I can't read, it that I have to re-read things, quite often. It takes more time for me to a page of text than you ( most likely). If really want your characters to stand out in school, have them read with a card. ( Free cookies for life if you character reads with a card)

The teacher passed back Jon's essay: he earned a forty-three percent. Jon had misspelled twenty-four words.

Spelling is so much harder for some who had dyslexia. (Spelling is my second worst part of writing with grammar still in the lead. Spelling in English makes absolutely no sense to me.) There are a thousands rules in spelling, and you have a million rule breakers.

Example:

You see the word, who and how at glance as two completely different words. When you read and write the place of the W is not interchangeable.

I can see and spell who and how. In a sentence however my brain may do this.

Who was your trip? When it really says How was your trip? See how that can be a tad bit confusing?

I really hoped you learned something by reading this and somewhat enjoyed it. You can tune in next time for more common myths about dyslexic demigods and spelling , grammar and IQ's.

Okay, there are so many good authors on fan-fiction who can write such good stories and create loveable human characters. In the Percy Jackson books none of that changes, except now most of your characters are dyslexic. So they're misrepresented in some ways on that matter.

You may think well it's just a fan fiction why should I care? I beg you please do! I've had so many of my friends ask questions about dyslexia from what they read here.

Thank you for reading please review if you learned something or if you yourself are dyslexic and what you though on this story. Again I Really didn't want to offend anyone or diss anyone's story and your characters that you've worked so hard on. Please tell me what you thought.