Monday, October 4, 2010

You're Weird: Motley Monday

Once upon a time, I read an interview on Rachelle Gardner's blog with author Matt Mikalatos which was all about embracing your inner weird.  (You can read that full post here.  And I'd highly recommend it.  It's great.)  At the time, I was feeling ultra-serious about whatever it was I was writing, and thinking things like, Oh gosh this had better be so-so-so good or I'll never ever get published, and, I've got to buckle down and be serious and write in the way that people will want to read because I'll be doomed otherwise and no one will ever read my... blah blah blah.

And I remember this interview being a turning-point for me.  You see, it's always the exceedingly simple things that rattle my brains and club me upside the head with epiphanies.  I'm never boggled by the complex things; usually my little mind embraces those without flinching.  But the simple ones?  No, the simple ones tend to leave me dizzy for days.  And this was one such.

The essence of the interview was this: don't be afraid of the weird things that make you you.  And don't be afraid to saturate your writing with them.  Because it is that side of yourself, those oddities which truly make you unique, that will set your writing apart.


Now, some people are naturally more weird than others.  And that's just fine.  But whatever level of quirk you have inside you, don't be afraid to let it show.  Because, as it turns out, the world doesn't really want normal.  The world wants weird, and the world wants you. 

Take this quote (a new favorite of mine), and post it by your writing desk:

"Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness." -Allen Ginsberg



And then cross-stitch this one on a pillow, and sleep on it every night:

EMBRACE YOUR INNER WEIRD. 

You tell me: do you let yourself into the things you write naturally?  Or is it a struggle for you sometimes?  What methods do you use to turn off that critical inner editor and allow your true weird self to shine through in your writing?

7 comments:

  1. I have to say that my inner weird is wide out in the open in real life and in my writing.

    I was reading through several older (but potenially viable) manuscripts in varying states of progress and realized that in five out of seven I had people either joking about beating each other with a rolling pin, or threating to beat each other with a rolling pin. My first thought was 'I've got to change all those or someone will think I"m nuts' my second thought was that it would be priceless to eventually get them all (or mostly all) published and have this unobtrusive thread of rolling pin beatings in my books. Since the incidences were passing remarks, they don't affect the stories overall.

    I also have lots of funny sayings crop up in my stories, that I use myself every day. Like 'cooking coffee' and 'Holy Mary Mother of Mashed Potatoes'

    ReplyDelete
  2. Is that Gonzo as Charles Dickens!? Love it!

    And I always embrace the inner weird. If you don't, how can you be assured that you are different than everyone else out there??

    ReplyDelete
  3. Embrace my inner weird...I think I might scare people if I got any weirder (more weird-what's correct there?)...but I could certainly let it out more in my writing. I'll keep that one in mind.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think I'm doing okay on my inner weird, but I could probably enhance it a bit more. I'm not all about Zombie Rabbits. I have a feeling my new WIP could use a bit of weirdness to spice it up.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just want to point out that we've got the ole' character party gang back together, here. You guys are great. And you're all SO weird. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well said!!! Embrace your Inner Weird... I'm embracing!!!

    OOoooo!! I just saw your awesome widget for NaNoWrimo... I think I might have to grab it... then again realizing it's only 26 days away makes me nervous...

    Anywho I embrace my inner weird while writing... it all comes naturally!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a great idea -- embrace your inner weird - can my arms reach that far around ;)

    ReplyDelete