Writers! Interrogate the WEIRD!
Weirdness is a signal from your subconscious to notice the forces lurking beneath the surface of your story
“Weirdness is not a stylistic tool but a WRITING tool for every author.”
Hello Loreates!
Well, the world we inhabit has never been weirder. The very definition of reality seems to be spinning on its axis. And if you’re struggling, as I am, to maintain your equilibrium as a writer and a human, you probably feel pretty resentful of all this weirdness. What we wouldn’t give for a global dose of normalcy right now— just THINK of the creative work we could get done if everything around us weren’t being maliciously heaved upside down and inside out!
But within this mayhem, I’ve been thinking about a writing lesson that’s begged for a post here at MFA Lore for months: INTERROGATE THE WEIRD.
I first heard that phrase from Jim Shepard, source of so much great creative writing wisdom, like this, too:
But INTERROGATE THE WEIRD is a critical commandment for creative writers and citizens of the world, alike, because it stems from the core truth that when something looks, feels, and acts out of whack, that weirdness always signals something else of greater significance— for better, or for worse.
In the world around us today, there are flashing lights of weirdness in every direction, from sociopathic leaders to voters who seem determined to crucify their own economic well-being, from weather patterns the earth has never seen before to plastic in our brains. Only those who can recognize and interpret the true meaning of all this weirdness are getting the whole story.
On another level, our failure to address this weirdness at earlier stages in the narrative has led to our collective story going— perhaps terminally — off the rails. Life imitates art imitating life. Always.
Fortunately, as writers, we can at least rewrite our stories on the page. We can catch and correct our mistakes, and, yes, interrogate the weird so that we understand and employ it instead of letting it overrun our fate. Because weirdness is a warning to stop, pay attention, take notice of forces that are lurking beneath the surface, causing trouble that, whether good or bad, demands a reckoning.
As I discovered with my MFA students, INTERROGATING THE WEIRD is one of creative writing’s most necessary and useful practices. When I reviewed my MFA packet letters for this post, I discovered countless references to it, with examples from both student and master work. So I decided to compile some of this advice into a craft essay for you, Loreates.
Distilled below, you’ll find several years’ worth of advice on this subject. Strap in, because the post is a bit long and full of examples and detail, but I humbly believe you will find it invaluable.
Write on!
Aimee
P.S. Scroll all the way down for your weekly writing prompt!
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April 19, 6-7pm
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Interrogate the Weird
We can learn a lot by unpacking the WEIRD in great literature, where weirdness is no accident or oversight but an intentional element of the story.
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