Lean into Strange: How to Invite the Odd Into Your Life and Writing

I’ll tell you a secret, it is the odd that sticks with us—the moments, things, and people who are offbeat, eccentric. We remember the people who break a rule or pattern in a wild or weird way. Who dare to not only think outside of the box, but create a whole new shape. Those who make a new noise—one that replays in the back of our mind, during the quietest hours. Our mind begging: more. Give me more of that. 

Photo by Mo on Unsplash

We love strange and off moments because they are unexpected. Last month, we talked about the importance of surprise. We talked about strategies and techniques to keep your work fresh and unexpected. 

Now, we will take surprise a step further. To dive into situations and circumstances that have no answer. The scenes where something is off and we have to feel our way through it. And we will. Why? Because people love what they can't figure out. 

I once heard an editor say, “I’m looking for poems I have never read before. The weirder, the better.” And I think the same goes for all readers. The same goes for life. 

Normal is boring. Normal teaches us nothing new. But the strange? That cracks up wide open with questions, with bizarre possibilities. 

December’s 30-Day Craft Challenge is Strangeness and Specificity. During this month, we’ll play with the surreal, the fictional, and the unbelievable to create writing so hauntingly specific and oddly unforgettable. 

This Sunday workshop, we will learn 10 new techniques that will outline how to bring more strangeness and specificity into your writing. To keep readers engaged, saying: that’s weird and I like it. 

Below are three tips on how to get started, along with a writing prompt that will help you get more strange starting today. 

Before we dive in, let’s read a knockout of a poem by Shira Erlichman that revels in the specific and strange. 

1. Be Surreal 

The unbelievable surprises us, makes us lean in closer, and asks what's next. The shortest path to surprise is through the surreal. The quickest road to off beat is to turn logic upside down. 

Life Prompt: To get surreal in life is a little harder than in writing. Since we cannot always defy the laws of logic, we can reflect on moments that felt otherworldly, where fate clicked together to surprise you in the best way. Journal about a time where all the circumstances fell into place for the best case scenario. Recount the details. Ask yourself what happened and why.

Writing Prompt: Add a pop of surreal to an otherwise normal piece of writing. Is someone eating dinner and suddenly the food starts talking? Do all the mailboxes turn into dancing flamingos? Take us into the sensational. Let your imagination run wild with lots of strange, surreal moments and characters.

2. Avoid Explanation 

Say the weird thing. Then, own it. Do not water it down by overexplaining. Don’t back down. In fact, you can switch subjects after saying the thing. Many times, when we say something weird, we have a knee jerk reaction to normalize it. To not make waves. To blend in. Ask yourself, how can I own my oddness? Whether in writing or life.