Embrace Your Weird: Why Being Unique is Your Greatest Asset as a Writer

Audiences are embracing weird (unique, personal, and off the beaten path) content more than ever before. Shows like the Emmy award-winning, ‘Fleabag’ – which I adore! - and movies like Palm D’or winner, ‘Parasite’ prove that as long as it’s authentic and well-crafted, writers can be loved for content that’s as unique as they can dream up.

Here are 3 reasons being different can be better:

1. A Niche Audience is a Loyal Audience

Let’s say you could choose between being the writer of a show where 80% of the people who saw it thought it was pretty good, but none of them would say it was their favorite show. Or, you could be the writer of a show where only 30% of people liked it, but they not only like it, they LOVE it and they’re going to consume every single episode and piece of auxiliary content they can get their hands on. And they’ll take to social media about it. Chances are you would pick the latter. Shows like ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,’ ‘Rick and Morty,’ ‘Master of None,’ and the ‘OA’ are all shows that are unafraid to march to the beat of their own drum, and prove that highly unique content can draw a hugely devoted audience. When the ‘OA’ was cancelled some of its fans were so upset they began using the hashtag #SaveTheOA, and in just 24 hours raised over $5,000 to pay for two massive billboards, one of which was in Times Square. That’s just how much they loved that show, and you better believe they are eagerly awaiting whatever Britt Marling and Zal Batmanglij cook up next. You might be worried the show you’re writing is “too weird” to appeal to a mainstream audience, but that just might be the reason it becomes a huge success. 

2. You Get to Boldly Go Where No One has Gone Before

Because most of us grew up watching film and TV, classic story tropes are almost cemented into our DNA. We know when we watch ‘NCIS’ the bad guy will be taken down by the end of the episode, we know ‘Big Bang Theory’ will deliver punchy sitcom jokes, and we know the romantic leads will wind up together at the end of every Hallmark movie. We’re all such savvy viewers it’s hard to surprise us anymore. Which is exactly why more and more people are embracing shows that bend and break the rules, mash genres, and play with structure. Shows like ‘Atlanta’, ‘Fleabag’, and ‘High Maintenance’ prove that creators who step outside of expectations and follow their own imaginations can be highly successful. Don’t try to replicate something that already exists, try to create a new and exciting world, set of circumstances, or a kind of character that we haven’t seen quite like that before. Let your writer freak flag fly!

3. Authenticity will always be Relatable

No matter how weird or unlikely a show idea may seem on the surface, it has a good chance of finding an audience if it’s well-crafted and rooted in authenticity. The movie ‘Parasite’ is a great example of a story that is out-of-the-box but still grounded in authenticity and classic universal themes: family and class structure (two things we can all relate to). Whatever weird and wonderful devices you use to tell your story, make sure they are coming from an authentic place (if you write a weird script just for weird’s sake, it probably won’t ring true or resonate with an audience). Having things that are offbeat in your script is great, but just make sure you’re using them because they are the most effective way to tell your story. Be brave! Risk someone thinking your script is “weird,” or “too odd” in order to stay true to your authentic voice.

What shows or movies push you to think outside the box? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!