Weird is a compliment! In the world of fiction and poetry, weird means taking risks, trying new things, looking at the world with fresh eyes and transporting people to places that are stranger than the world we live in.

The great thing about weird writing is that you can find a definition that works for you! To get started, write down what you think weird writing is on the top of your piece of paper. 

Can you think of any examples of weird poems, stories or films? Write those down too!

Exercise #1:

To kick off this course on finding the weirdness in your writing, let’s look at some examples of weird work to get some inspiration and wake up the weird parts of our brain. 

Read these two very short stories! You can choose which to read first: make a snap decision based on which title you like better!

Trajectory by May-Lan Tan and Sticks by George Saunders

As you read, note down any lines you like or that are particularly strange, weird or stick out.

Now that you've read both, for each piece, write down the single weirdest thing that happens. What’s the line, idea or image that made you say: “WHAT?!?”