On Being Weird

We here at Turtleduck Press like oddities, in case you couldn’t tell from our name. We like finding things that are cool and unusual, or noticing things that might otherwise fall through the cracks. All of this isn’t such a surprise if you know us, because we’re strange people too – or at least some might think so.

Take my Saturday this week, for example.

I got up early (okay, early-ish) to go to a group where we sat around making clothes with pointy sticks and string.

Then I did crossword puzzles with my significant other…and not just any kind, but cryptic crosswords, the kind where the very clues are puzzles to be solved. And we thought this was fun.

Later we went to hear a writer read part of a book out loud in a bookstore dedicated to a single often-misunderstood genre (SF&F).

Finally I went to a dance full of older people and children, where a band was playing totally uncool folk music, and got lots of exercise and had a blast and ended up on an exercise high. Say what?

Most of us worry about fitting in, about what other people will think of us, even when we try not to. Some of us dance to our own beats, while others can only aspire to do so. It can take a while to find like-minded people out there. Until then, we often try to avoid standing out. Or we follow our own paths while remaining acutely aware of how weird we look to those around us.

But what is normal anyway?

I suspect most of us have a little something – or several somethings – that makes us weird, makes us unique. You’ve heard about some of mine now. What are yours?

P.S. Some of my current favourite places to be weird online:

Offbeat Home (and its sister sites, Offbeat Bride, Offbeat Mama, and Offbeat Empire)

The Mary Sue (full of news for geek girls)

Pinterest