The Odd Writer

Writing
Image of black stoneware cup

I was 21, about to graduate from college and set up my own household, you know, with a sofa that didn’t come from the curb, ceramic plates instead of paper plates, and real cups instead of the plastic freebies with the school mascot on the side. Bring this cup back for a free fountain drink with purchase of any large pizza.

I wandered into a high-end home goods store. There was no Walmart in town at the time, or me and my mostly empty wallet would have gone there. I chose a black cup from a back corner display. Black dinnerware was not cool at a time when happy graduates picked happy colors or at least safe, porcelain florals. The sales woman (tailored slacks, hair pinned up, an older woman with an air about her as if she was the owner) waved off the black with a flick of her hand. She ushered me to the popular picks.

“I still like the black cup,” I said.

She gave me the look. I know you know the look. It comes with a quiver of the lips, a pursing of the lips, but ever so briefly. For a moment I wondered if I had imagined her facial expression.

Then she said, “Are you sure?” with a smile that didn’t crinkle the eyes.

Clearly, I was doing something wrong, choosing something weird. “Yes,” I said, hating the quiver in my voice.

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Where am I going with this? I just want to say, go ahead, be the weird person. Embracing your quirks may help you be a better writer.

Iconic horror author Shirley Jackson said this about drawing upon your oddness when creating stories: “The very nicest thing about being a writer is that you can afford to indulge yourself endlessly with oddness, and nobody can really do anything about it so long as you keep writing and kind of using it up, as it were.”

Erotica author K. M. Strange says she was a “weirdo kid.” She has this to say about intelligence, creativity, and humor being disguised as weirdness: “If you, like me, ever feel or felt like you’re not normal—it’s because you’re not, and that’s a really, really good thing. The world might not get you yet, but they will. And when that day comes, make sure you’re ready to show exactly what you’re made of!” It’s no wonder that she chose the penname “Strange.”

Here’s a tidbit from the late science fiction author Ian Wallace: “Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?”

Author and writing teacher Rebecca McClanahan says that being an outsider is a feeling “that comes naturally to most writers. Many of my students tell me that they often feel they are standing outside their own lives, looking in. ‘That’s the way most writers are,’ I tell them. ‘That’s how we make stories out of our lives.’”

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It’s years later. I still have the black cup I chose that day. It’s my fave. Just for kicks, I looked it up on Ebay to see if anyone else had these old cups lying around. I found one listed for eighty-five dollars! For ONE cup! Seems like other people have come to recognize the beauty of my long ago, weird choice.

What I’m reading now:
It’s the 2 year bookiversary of my friend Jonathan Pongratz’s debut novella, Reaper. Reaper is a fun YA horror story with a creepy-as-heck monster. It’s a re-read for me, and it’s just as fun the second time around!
I’m also reading Journey 4 from the talented Teagan Geneviene’s serial novel Dead of Winter, a cool fantasy with depth of characters and wonderfully drawn settings.

Jackson quote from Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life, by Ruth Franklin

Strange’s quote from her post, The Thing About Weirdos.

Mynhardt’s quote from Horror 101: The Way Forward, ed by Joe Mynhardt

McClanahan’s quote from Word Painting, by Rebecca McClanahan

Published

120 thoughts on “The Odd Writer”

  1. This was a beautiful reminder and story. I like that you chose a black cup (one of my favourite colours!) and the way it has such value now makes me smile. You definitely chose the right thing by going with what you truly wanted. I sometimes feel like the odd writer because I write against writing advice. I edit as I write my first draft (sacrilege, I know!) and break other rules pretty often. But I guess being odd in that way is perfectly fine ^.^

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Perhaps what creative people think of as being odd is just our gut instinct speaking up, telling us to pay attention. I’m glad I paid attention to mine, and it sounds like you are paying attention to yours. Thanks for commenting, Olivia-Savannah!

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  4. I love the black cup as well, Priscilla (I don’t drink tea or coffee but love cups and mugs), and your advice is very sound. Embrace the weirdness and the strange in all aspects of life. It will make you memorable. Oh, and I love Teagan Geneviene’d Dead of Winter, and I have her 4th Journey coming up soon as well. Take care!

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  5. Great interweaving of different authors here…I think weirdness is actually normal, which is why the weirdness in writers is what attracts readers. In other words, the readers can relate, they (the readers) just aren’t sure they want to admit it. Inherent in this is also a type of courage. To be weird is in many ways to have courage.

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  6. Yep, I would have brought that cup too. I love the shape. After the lady’s reaction I would have said, “Of course I need a pair, just in case a friend came over.” 😉
    I was always the weird kid. Even to my family. I broken the mould the day I was born. I never wanted to fit in and travelled my path through life my own way.
    Have a wonderful day.

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  7. Standing out is about exercising free choice. Uninfluenced by what others are saying and doing. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and depends how, when, and where one decides to do it. But do so without regrets. The black cup looks great. The coffee or tea in it must taste extra special. Thanks for sharing this!

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  8. Pingback: May is Get Caught Reading Month – Teagan's Books

  9. I really loved reading this… And I do use a black cup… Things those are usually considered to be unhappy, drpressing, holds great beauty in them. It’s just the way one looks at them which makes all the difference.

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  12. So many gems here! Yes to embracing weirdness and loving your quirky self. And yes to realizing “…intelligence, creativity, and humor…disguised as weirdness.” I was 60 years old before I celebrated all the ways I don’t fit in, and I’ve never been happier. I hope that makes me a better writer. I know it makes me a better person. Thank you for this post. And yes, of course, to the black cup.

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